“Concise, intense, and urgent, flash fiction sits at the crossroads of storytelling and poetry,” says instructor Jennifer Lewis. “Flash pieces are designed to elicit a strong emotional response in a single sitting, often capturing a moment, an epiphany, or a turning point.”
In this half-day class, participants will explore how compression, resonance, and attention to language create flash’s distinctive impact. By reading and discussing Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” George Saunders’s “Sticks,” and Grace Paley’s “Wants,” we’ll learn how rhythm, imagery, and sound elevate prose and move us as readers. During in-class writing, we’ll generate our own short pieces, practicing compressing big feelings into tight forms and crafting endings that land.
Jennifer says, “You’ll leave class with the seeds for new flash pieces or an early draft, plus practical revision strategies as you continue writing on your own.”
About The Writing Salon's Online Zoom Classes
You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.
Jennifer Lewis is a writer, editor, and the publisher of Red Light Lit. Her debut short story collection, The New Low, is published by Black Lawrence Press. Jennifer won the Nomadic Press Bindle Award for her short story, “New Low,” and the Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction award for “Put a Teat in It.” She received her MFA in creative writing from San Francisco State University in May 2015. She teaches at The Writing Salon in San Francisco.
- Live Zoom Meeting: Sunday, January 11, 10:00am-1:00pm