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

On May 18, 2023May 17, 2023 By nancystohlmanIn flash fiction, flash fiction challenge, Reading, the writer's life, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, workshops, writing

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

Chatting about flash fiction on the Reading and Writing Podcast

On June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 By nancystohlmanIn Craft Essays, flash fiction, interviews, podcasts, Reading, The Writer's Life, writing

Speaking of flash fiction, thanks to Jeff Rutherford for inviting me to return as a guest on the Reading and Writing Podcast!

On this episode we talk about the changing landscape of flash fiction, the re-release of Going Short, and what it was like to narrate an audiobook in one day! We also have a lively discussion around the emerging flash novel as a form–one of my favorite topics, especially with After the Rapture releasing for pre-orders at the end of the summer!

22 minutes LISTEN NOW

My embarrassing writer moment, or Why I sobbed over a cake….😂

On March 15, 2022March 15, 2022 By nancystohlmanIn Craft Essays, flash fiction, Reading, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, writingLeave a comment

This story does have a happy ending, but here it goes:

When Going Short was first released as a print book in 2020, I knew the decision to release it in a quarantine year would mean some sacrifices: no live events, no release party, no fancy cake with a picture of my book cover on it. However, I felt strong enough that it was the right book at the right time that I embraced the virtual book tour and all the wonderful virtual events (and I don’t regret it!)

BUT…here’s the cake story: The night before the official release, I was in the kitchen, thinking about that cake with my book’s picture on it that I wasn’t going to get and I just lost it. All the self pity and all the fears of 2020 just bubbled up and out and I was found by my partner, sobbing at the dining room table about how I never get to have a cake.

So, like any good partner, Nick went on a mission to end this sobbing immediately (and for anyone reading this, if anyone in your life is ever sobbing over cake–heed this course of action!)

As the story was later relayed to me, he went to the nearest grocery store bakery, but since it was already 10 pm, the bakery was closed, and the decorators were gone. However, the teenagers on the night shift, wanting to be helpful, (and maybe having had a sobbing cake episode in their own lives) suggested they could let Nick into the kitchen with some frosting tubes and he could decorate the cake himself.

The situation was of course, desperate.

When I woke up in the morning on the official Going Short release day I saw this cake in the fridge:

And honestly, it’s my favorite cake ever.

So now, two years later, it’s a thing. This past weekend, in preparation for the Going Short Audiobook release, I still haven’t hugged most of you or had a pre-2020 style release party, but I’m eating cake. All week.

And I’m hoping you not only love the new audiobook (and my narration debut!) but that you eat a piece of cake with me! There’s no way I would rather celebrate than to eat virtual cake with you! For real!

Thank you all for the many years of support, inspiration, and friendship. If I’ve learned anything in these last two years, it’s to cherish your tribe in all the ways, hug them when you can, and always know they are eating cake with you, wherever they are.

Let the cake-eating begin!!
xoxoxo Nancy