Yearlong in Short Story [Ramon Isao]

In weekly meetings over the course of the 2018-2019 academic year, Hugo House’s yearlong classes will provide dedicated writers with an intensive path toward finishing a draft of a book.

Whether you are early in the writing process or already have a rough draft, these yearlong courses will help you set active, clear goals, as well as write and revise with intention. One-third of each course focuses on developing proficiency with the writing tools (craft elements) that you will need to use, and the remaining two-thirds are comprised of workshops and writing toward personally devised deadlines.

It is okay to miss some classes because of travel. That said, students who get the most out of yearlong classes are often very dedicated to their writing, and are eager to develop a strong and steady writing practice, as well as become part of a tightly knit cohort of writers.

The short story remains arguably the best medium through which a fiction writer hones her craft, and that’s exactly our aim. In this class, we will read, write, discuss, and critique short fiction with equal parts rigor and vigor. Ours isn’t some dry, lifeless affair—fiction’s too good for that. Instead, expect lively exchanges of ideas, stimulating writing prompts, and occasional baked goods. Also expect mind-blowing readings across a varied literary spectrum: George Saunders, Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anthony Doerr, Carmen Maria Machado, Haruki Murakami, and many many more.