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  • Workshop
  • Online: Zoom
  • Intermediate
  • 5 Weeks

Counterintuitive Short Stories: Defying Expectations - Remote!

No Longer Enrolling

  • $370.00 Non-Member
  • $355.00 Member

Class Description

In this fast-paced, intensive course we’ll explore the challenge of writing short stories that surprise, confound, or upend expectations. Each week, you’ll respond to writing prompts to produce six scenes or short pieces (1000-1500 words) that stand alone or may serve as the basis for longer work. Through writing new stories and participating in light workshop sessions, we’ll push our writing in new directions, find what’s interesting in standard situations, and give ourselves and readers a jolt of the counterintuitive.

Through examination of enjoyable disasters, hilarious sadness, exciting boredom, or frivolous gravitas we may challenge preconceived ideas and perhaps even our sense of how stories work. Each week, we’ll read short stories or excerpts from established writers as a basis for discussions of craft: character development, plot, setting, conflict, dialog, etc. Authors we’ll read may include David Eagleman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ted Chiang, Lucia Berlin, Toni Morrison, AM Homes, Valeria Luiselli, George Saunders, Mary Robison, and others.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

Scholarships Format/Location

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Zoom Participation:

Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.

Zoom Accessibility:

We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!