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4-Week Flash Fiction With Kimberly Lee
September 18
Flash fiction is “short but not shallow; a reduced form used to represent a larger, more complex story; pithy and cogent, brief and pointed, and like the gist of a recollected conversation, it offers the essential truth, if not all the inessential facts.”*
In this four-week series, we’ll examine this popular genre using through the lens of excerpts from four acclaimed collections: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros; Ghostographs by Maria Romasco Moore; Know the Mother by Desiree Cooper; and Spinning to Mars by Meg Pokrass. Each week will involve a close reading of the writer’s work as it relates to themes, use of literary devices, and the development of character and plot.
This class will also be highly generative, involving numerous writing opportunities with imaginative prompts inspired by the readings. Week Two will include a brief introduction to SoulCollage®, an expressive arts process through which we’ll create a small collage to use as a basis for writing. (No artistic ability required.)
Participants will receive weekly feedback as to what was strong and resonant in their work. Resources for furthering the exploration of flash fiction, including a list of publications seeking work in this genre, will be also be offered.
*John Dufresne in Flash! Writing The Very Short Story (W.W. Norton & Co., 2018)
START DATE: September 18, 2023
END DATE: October 16, 2023
DURATION: 4 weeks
LOCATION: Wet Ink Interactive Classroom—engage and post weekly at the time most convenient to you! Writers will receive an invitation to join the Wet Ink platform upon registration.
COST: $140
WEEKS AT A GLANCE:
Week One: Explode the Moment
After reading excerpts from Sandra Cisneros’ modern classic House on Mango Street, we’ll mine our memories and explore how to “explode the moment” by employing all five senses and capturing the rich detail that adds meaning and metaphor to flash.
Week Two: Inspired By Images (Plus SoulCollage®!)
We’ll spend time with excerpts of Ghostographs, Maria Romasco Moore’s collection of flash based on vintage photos, then explore how images can be powerful inspiration for writing that both surprises and moves the reader.
Week Three: Exploring Character Relationships, Dialogue, and Interactions
Readings from Desiree Cooper’s Know the Mother will be the focus this week, followed by a study of how relationships can be explored in flash through the use of sharp, realistic dialogue and nuanced interactions.
Week Four: Mind Space: Random Observations, Current Obsessions, Pet Peeves, and Quirky Musings
We’ll conclude with excerpts from Spinning to Mars by Meg Pokrass, then witness how our random observations, current obsessions, overheard conversations, pet peeves, and quirky musings can result in entertaining yet thought-provoking writing.
Looking forward to writing with you and exploring our creativity—in a flash!
ABOUT YOUR FACILITATOR: Kimberly Lee left the practice of law some years ago to focus on motherhood, community work, and creative pursuits. A graduate of Stanford University and UC Davis School of Law, she is an Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator and affiliate, and serves on its board of directors. She is also trained and certified by The Center for Journal Therapy, The Center for Intentional Creativity, and SoulCollage®. She has led workshops at numerous retreats and conferences and is a teaching artist with Hugo House and Loft Literary. Recent collaborations include UCLA Arts & Healing and The Expressive Therapies Summit.
A former editor and regular contributor at Literary Mama, Kimberly has also served on the staffs of Carve and F(r)iction magazines. She holds a certificate in copyediting from UC San Diego Extension and is an active member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and ACES: The Society for Editing.
Kimberly’s stories and essays have appeared in publications and anthologies including Minerva Rising, LA Parent, Fresh Ink, Words and Whispers, Toyon, The Ekphrastic Review, WOW! Women on Writing, Read650, I Am Woman: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America, and elsewhere. Her manuscript, Have You Seen Me, was selected as a semi-finalist in Simon and Schuster’s 2022 Books Like Us First Novel Contest.
Kimberly enjoys day spas, rose gold, and flared yoga pants. She’d love to use words like harbinger, liminal, and zeitgeist in a quick, saucy comeback. Kimberly trusts in the magic and mystery of miracles and synchronicity, and believes that everyone is creative and has unique gifts to share. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
