CRW 5130 - Spring 2025 - Stuckey-French

I believe strongly in discussing freshly minted student material in workshops. In my experience, the energy and exchange of ideas in such a group can motivate everyone who participates. Ideally, for this class, I’d like you to submit new work. However, if you do submit a pre-workshopped piece, make sure that you are really open to hearing our suggestions. I would prefer that you submit something rough and malleable rather than polished and fossilized. Each student will have two-three pieces workshopped by the entire class, twenty pages max per submission. If you want to submit a longer piece you can do it in separate sessions. In addition, each student will choose a published short story from either Best American Short Stories 2024 or The Best Short Stories 2024: The O. Henry Prize Stories and do a presentation on it in class.

Together we will explore some of the subtleties of the craft of fiction writing. What risks do successful fiction writers take and how can we learn from them? What new risks might you take in your own fiction? How can you make your fiction as dramatic, intense, engaging (and publishable) as possible? Our goal is the creation of a community of writers who can learn from and help each other. Courage, honesty, and dedication are expected.