Sunday, Feb. 28th, 10 a.m-1 p.m.  San Francisco
$55 members/$65 others       

“No iron can pierce the heart with such force as a period put just at the right place.” —Isaac Babel

Flash fiction is an exciting and nuanced genre full of opportunities and surprises.  The stories, though diminutive in length, must still contain all the elements of narrative construction.  How does a writer compress plot and characterization into a few hundred words?  Is it possible to elicit an emotional response in a reader in merely two or three pages?

“Every writer should be concerned about economy, should deliberate over word choice,” says instructor Josh Mohr.  “Whether a short story writer or novelist, we should be scrutinizing every clause, making sure each syllable earns its space.  In a sense, flash is the perfect genre to hone revision techniques.

“In this mini-intensive, we’ll read a few wonderful short-shorts, and  do a few exercises.  “We’ll experiment and play,” says Josh.  “Hopefully, after approaching flash fiction from some different vantage points, you’ll find a technique that resonates with you.”

Joshua Mohr is the author of the novel Some Things that Meant the World to Me.  His second novel, From a Fragile Galaxy,  is due out in  June 2010.  He has an MFA from the University of San Francisco, also teaches through UC Berkeley’s ASUC studios and a local halfway house, and has published numerous short stories, including “Dressing the Dead, which was featured in the New Short Fiction Series’ emerging American writers show in Los Angeles.

“…a fabulous teacher…”