Writing Contemporary Short Stories

Are you interested in writing contemporary short stories but aren’t sure where to start with them? Or are you someone who’s been writing fiction for a while and are ready to take your short stories to the next level? In this 6 week class, we’ll spend the first few weeks in reading/generative mode. Each week, the instructor will choose 2 contemporary short stories for the class to focus on. We’ll break down what each story does and talk about how we can use these elements and techniques in our own work. There will also be class time devoted to writing prompts, craft talks, and discussions about the contemporary short story landscape of journals, magazines, anthologies, and collections. In the last few weeks, we’ll shift to writing and workshopping our own short stories. Ideally, each student will leave this class with a solid draft of one story (or a story in progress) and an action plan on how to revise or submit it. This class will primarily focus on literary short stories published within the last 10 years, but we’ll also look at some speculative and experimental short stories. In some cases, we may also look at classic literature to see how certain influences stretch into today.

Instructor: Meghan Louise Wagner is a writer and teacher from Northeast Ohio. Her work has recently appeared in such places as AGNI, Nashville Review, STORY, Cutleaf, Okay Donkey, Autofocus, McSweeney’s Internet Tendencies, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2022. She’s a graduate of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program and currently teaches writing at Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. In Spring 2023, she served as a preliminary judge in the short story category of University of Michigan’s Hopwood Awards.

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Details: Writing Contemporary Short Stories with Meghan Louise Wagner takes place Wednesdays October 16 - November 20 from 6:30-8:30pm in-person at Literary Cleveland, 13002 Larchmere Blvd in Cleveland.

Prerequisite: A beginner-level workshop class in fiction or another genre.

Genre: Fiction

Level: Intermediate

Format: Workshop

Location: This class takes place in-person at Literary Cleveland, 13002 Larchmere in Cleveland.

Size: Limited to 12 participants (including scholarships).

Scholarships: Two scholarship spots are available for this class for writers in Northeast Ohio. Apply by August 19.

Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.

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$180 - Non-Member Registration

$120 - Registration with Member Discount

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