May 20: Arts of Brevity: Reading and live workshop at Clio’s Bookstore in Oakland, CA. Featuring Grant Faulkner, Nancy Stohlman, and Larry Smith.

Grant Faulkner / Larry Smith / Nancy Stohlman

Arts of Brevity

Saturday 05.20.2023  //  4-8pm


Clio’s 
353 Grand Avenue, Oakland


(Seating is limited —> reserve below!)

CLICK HERE to reserve your spot!

A novel can be written on a postcard. A story needs only six words for the telling. (“For Sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”) Please join three contemporary masters in the arts of brevity at Clio’s to experience the joys and challenges of writing short. In a tradition that has roots in ancient aphorisms and parables, Grant, Larry, and Nancy create flash fiction, super-short stories, and 100-word novels. Over the course of their evening at Clio’s, they will discuss the why, how, and where of the short short and guide us through some brief exercises with pen and paper to produce our own six word stories—which Clio’s will proudly archive and display! Bring the kids! This will be fun.

Our guests numerous books will be available for purchase.

About our guests:Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story. His most recent book is The Art of Brevity;he has also published Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories; All the Comfort Sin Can Provide; and Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo. His stories have appeared in Tin House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and he has been anthologized in collections such as Norton’s New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction, Flash Fiction America, and Best Small Fictions. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, LitHub, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer

Nancy Stohlman is the author of six books, including After the Rapture (2023), Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities (2018), The Vixen Scream and Other Bible Stories (2014), The Monster Opera (2013), Searching for Suzi: a flash novel (2009), and Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction (2020), winner of the 2021 Reader Views Gold Award and re-released in 2022 as an audiobook. Her work has been anthologized widely, appearing in the Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction and The Best Small Fictions 2019, as well as adapted for both stage and screen. She teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder and holds workshops and retreats around the world.

Described by Oprah Magazine as “on a quest to spark self-expression in everyone,” Larry Smith is the founder of the Six-Word Memoir project, a bestselling series of ten books, a board game, and a live-event program found in classrooms, conferences, festivals, company retreats, and almost anywhere people gather. He is the editor of The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories from 125 Writers and Artists Famous and Obscure, co-author of The Joy of Cannabis, and director of the play A Map of Myself: A 70-Minute, One-Woman Revolution on War, Immigration, and Home

Order of events.4pm: Doors open
5pm: Reading and discussing
6pm: Writing and sharing 
7pm: Signing and sealing
8pm: Doors close

Reserve your spot here

Upcoming Live and Virtual Events: San Fran, NYC, Paris, and Zoom!

I’m excited to be reading in person in San Francisco, NYC, Paris and returning to the Flash Fiction Festival in England.

AND I have a handful of virtual readings as well as an online Flash Novel workshop during the Writer’s Digest Virtual Short Story Conference weekend.

I look forward to seeing you in person or online soon! Thanks as always for your support!

xoxo


FRIDAY, May 12: VIRTUAL Fiction Friday featuring readings by David Galef, Miriam N. Kotzin, Dennis Pahl, Nancy Stohlman and Denis Bell. 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (EST) via Zoom

Email for Zoom link: dbell@unf.edu


THURSDAY, May 18: VIRTUAL Virtual Reading Series: Hundred Pitchers of Honey with Courtney LeBlanc, Yael Aldana, Nancy Stohlman. 7:30 PM EST time.

Registration link: CLICK HERE


SATURDAY, May 20: IN PERSON: “An Evening of Brevity” at Clio’s Bookstore in Oakland, CA. Featuring Grant Faulkner, Nancy Stohlman, and Larry Smith.

More Information: Click Here


SUNDAY, May 21: VIRTUAL WORKSHOP Writers Digest Annual Short Story Virtual Conference.

For information: CLICK HERE


THURSDAY, June 1: Rally Reading Series: Adam Dalva, Nancy Stohlman, and Colin Dickey at Pete’s Candy Store, NYC

Website: Click here / Facebook Event: Click here


June 19: Featured Reader, Spoken Word Paris, Details TBA

June 22: Featured Reader in person, Paris Lit Up, Details TBA

July 14-16: Flash Fiction Festival: Celebrating the short-short story world-wide. For information and registration CLICK HERE

August 15-20, 2023: Open Your Art Colorado Writing Retreat! (2 spots open) For information click: COLORADO: 

September 13: Featured Reader at Punketry in Denver, Details TBA

I LOVE YOUR… uh… BOOK!: Jonathan Bluebird Montgomery on Nancy Stohlman’s “After the Rapture”

You have NEVER read a review until you've read a review from Jonathan Montgomery: it's avant garde and funny--totally fulfills my Andy Warhol Factory days fantasy... THANK YOU JONNY!
OH...and the second printing is in, so I have books again!
Hit me up xo

By Jonathan Montgomery

“Yeah, I was writing this at a party. And yeah I was liberally sipping a tall bourbon & Dr. Pepper while I was. And yeah Nancy was right there next to me pretty much the whole time. 

And yeah okay yeah yeah it’s taken me like two months to actually finish writing this. Cuz ya know things.

Is this what the publishing team at Mason Jar Press envisioned when they sent me an advanced copy of Nancy’s new flash novella After the Rapture months ago? I can’t say I’ve ever really understood the minds of professional publishers, but if they are expecting me to convince anyone to buy a copy of this book cuz of my record of punctual and objective tastemaking then they will probably be disappointed. 

This is the Boulder Poetry Scene after all. All we do is talk about how great our friends’ writing is, and that’s the way we like it. And Nancy is my good friend. And her writing is real great. 

Anyway, it was late February and we were at Rob Geisen’s “Under the Moose” reading, the erratically scheduled, invite-only, deeep underground lit happening we’ve been doing for like 1.3 decades. This time was at Rob’s daughter’s place in Denver where he was dog/house sitting, and Kona Morris was there visiting from LA, and Krystal Summers was there, and Leah Rogin-Roper and her husband Roper were there too…”

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Saturday, April 29: NINE RAPTURES AT ONCE! A double book release for Nancy Stohlman and Jonathan Bluebird Montgomery!

Nancy Stohlman “After the Rapture” (Mason Jar Press) and Jonathan Bluebird Montgomery “Nine Books (At Once!)” (Boulder Poetry Scene) combine forces for the official Denver release of their new books! Expect readings, music, theatrics, and general shenanigans!

Date: Saturday, April 29

Time: 7 pm

Place: The Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street

Click here for more information