Join us this summer for a first-ever, limited-entry manuscript consultation and virtual craft series from the editors of American Short Fiction. Each registrant will receive detailed feedback on their submitted story and attend a series of three live virtual seminars focused on honing and refining their work with an editor’s eye. Regular registration ($425) will close on June 15th.
Note: Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. This is not a juried application process. Please submit the story you would like feedback on.
Participants Receive:
• A letter from ASF editors with in-depth feedback, including an outline of your story’s strengths and potential weaknesses, developmental edits, and suggestions for honing and refining your work in revision.
• A list of recommended magazines where you might consider submitting your story.
• Admission to three virtual live seminars focused on beginnings and endings, setting and context, and revising your story. (A recording of these will be made available to those who can’t attend live upon request.) All lectures will include closed captioning.
• A course packet featuring excerpts discussed in craft lectures.
• Writers will receive a feedback letter no later than July 11th.
• A one-year subscription to American Short Fiction. (For international participants there will be a $14 shipping surcharge.)
Dates & Pricing:
• April 15 – May 15: Early Bird registration ($375)
• May 16 – June 15: Regular registration ($425)
Submission Requirements:
• Every registrant must submit a short story for review (maximum 6,500 words) upon registration. Please double-space and use a standard 12-point font.
• Payment is required to secure your spot in the workshop.
• Registration to the workshop is limited.
• No applications will be accepted after June 15th.
Craft Lectures:
Dream Me Up Again: On Beginnings & Endings (Sunday, June 20th at 4 p.m. CST)
A craft lecture and discussion focused on the promises made to readers in the early moments of stories and how endings can capitalize on their beginnings. We’ll look at examples from contemporary stories and examine our own opening paragraphs to identify what rhetorical, thematic, and character-based promises are made on a story’s first page.
Swimming the River: Making Context Matter (Sunday, June 27th at 4 p.m. CST)
A craft lecture and discussion that focuses on elements of setting. In this session, we’ll examine the ways you can develop rich and meaningful context in your stories. We’ll look at examples from contemporary stories and engage with our own work through the lens of setting to find moments where our stories can be made more consequential and memorable.
Mapping Your Constellation: Reading & Revising as an Editor (Sunday, July 11th at 4 p.m. CST)
A craft lecture and discussion focused on the process of revision. Together, we’ll explore editorial best practices and discuss how revision itself is a creative endeavor, one that requires close attention and precision. We’ll also talk about the rights and obligations of editors and authors. Finally, we’ll provide practical advice about story structure, line editing, and polishing your prose prior to submitting work to publications.
About the Editors:
Adeena Reitberger has been the coeditor of American Short Fiction since 2012. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Black Warrior Review, Fence, Mississippi Review, Cimarron Review, Nimrod, and elsewhere and has been listed as honorable mention in the Best American series. She lives in Austin.
Managing editor Nate Brown’s stories, essays, and profiles have appeared in the Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Five Chapters, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Publisher’s Weekly, and LitHub. He teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and the George Washington University, as well as in the writing program at Georgetown. He lives in Baltimore.
Adam Soto is web editor at American Short Fiction. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is a former Michener-Copernicus Foundation Fellow. He lives with his wife in Austin, TX, where he is a teacher and a musician. He has led numerous lectures and workshops on fiction and non-fiction writing, including for The Masters Review and the Writers’ League of Texas. His debut novel, This Weightless World, forthcoming from Astra House fall 2021, is available for pre-order.
Register now to secure your spot. Early Bird rates end on May 15, 2021.
Questions? Please reach out to our marketing director Amanda Faraone with technical difficulties, accessibility requests, or any other queries, and she’ll be happy to assist.