This is an in-person workshop that takes place at Inprint House

This workshop is full. Please sign up on the waiting list here so you receive priority registration the next time this class is offered.

Blurring the Line: Genre and the Short Story

What can the contemporary short story writer learn from the power inherent in storytelling not bound by realism? In the modern day, the form of the literary short story can have a reputation for stuffiness, for sticking to the well-trodden halls of psychological realism with a focus on the ordinary, the mundane, the regular. Many excellent stories have been written following this style, but this canon can sideline countless brilliant stories that venture beyond realism. This class will aim to explore sometimes-overlooked short stories that draw their strength from “genre” forms (Science Fiction, Horror, Magical Realist, Fabulist, Fairytale, etc.). 

In this class, we will draw lessons from a wide range of well-regarded “genre” short stories, including works by Octavia Butler, Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Carmen Maria Machado, Aimee Bender, Angela Carter, Ted Chiang, Joyce Carol Oates, and Stephen King. We will discuss how these writers approach bringing the craft elements of genre to the form of the short story. The class will also include generative prompts intended to practice the techniques discussed. 

All genres (even realism!) are welcome–this is a workshop-style class, so students will be expected to submit their own writing to be discussed by the class. The goal of this class is to give writers a low-stakes place to experiment and push the envelope for their approach to storytelling, especially in the short form.