Kathy Fish's Blog

Nancy Stohlman is running two amazing flash fiction retreats this summer, both in gorgeous, inspiring venues, and she has asked me back to teach! Consider joining us. These spots are selling out quickly! Go HERE for more information! We’d love for you to join us.

Andalusia, Spain Grand Lake, Colorado

The post Summer Retreats: Andalusia, Spain & Grand Lake, Colorado! first appeared on Kathy Fish.

I’ll be announcing my next round of workshops soon! If you’re not already receiving my email updates (this is separate from my substack newsletter) and wish to, sign up using the form on this website! I’d love to work with you!

The post Coming Soon! Registration for Winter / Spring Workshops! first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Photo by Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash

Hi friends, several writers and I were invited by the lovely Constance Malloy to contribute 150 words or fewer of comfort and hope for the Winter Solstice. Please do check out her blog and read the wonderful messages and tiny stories from Pat Foran, Audra Kerr Brown, Kathy Hoyle, Sara Dobbie, Tom Gumbert, Kelle Clark, Eric Scott Tryon, Christi Craig, Shome Dasgupta, Myles Hopper, Al Kratz, Melissa Llanes Brownlee, Amy Barnes, Nancy Bauer-King, Barlow Adams, and Francine Witte. Here is my contribution:

Tidings

Just a few days ago, Japanese scientists employing the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile discovered a “stellar cocoon” at the extreme outer edge of our galaxy, revealing the hidden chemical complexity of our Universe. I looked it up—outer space is impossibly frigid (minus 455 degrees Kelvin), yet like a blanket or a womb, the word “cocoon” evokes warmth, protection. I know we’re feeling depleted, wrung out, careworn, but let’s be comforted by this: Light years away, a newborn star wrapped in organic “stuff” will grow and thrive. I’m not the least bit religious and I don’t mean to go all Carl Sagan on you, but this is extraordinary! And reason to hope. Vast and cold and unknowable as it is, the universe keeps finding ways to re-create itself. Perhaps we can too. 

The post Tidings… first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Hi friends! It’s been awhile! I hope, as the year draws to a close and we enter into the holiday season, that things are going well for you. LOTS of news, so I’ll just jump in…

“The Art of Flash Fiction” is Tops!

My November Art of Flash Fiction newsletter, “Chilly Scenes of Flash Fiction: Rendering Quiet Power” has been posted. This FREE monthly newsletter provides a craft article, writing prompt, and links to great recommended stories. I’m hugely proud to learn that The Art of Flash Fiction is one of the most popular in the Fiction category at Substack! Many thanks to Rose Garrett for letting me know and be sure to check out the other great newsletters on the list.

Advanced Creative Nonfiction’s First Print Run Sold Out

I heard the good news from editor, Jessica Hendry Nelson at Bloomsbury that sales of Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology way outpaced the initial print run, meaning it sold out in the US in the first two months of publication and orders through Bloomsbury are currently backordered. I’m so proud to have my work featured with such amazing writers as Abigail Thomas, Amy Butcher, Ross Gay, Jill Talbot,  Ira Sukrungruang, Major Jackson, and more. A fabulous resource for teachers and writers alike, you may order your copy HERE.

Flash Fiction Festival / My Upcoming Workshop

Another great schedule of online Zoom events is set for this Saturday, November 27th! Register HERE for the entire day or pick and choose events. Note: All sessions times on the website are in GMT. Here’s my 90 minute class (5:00 p.m. GMT, NOON, EST, 10:00 a.m Mountain time):

“Hybridity: Embracing the Literary Mash-Up”: What if we cast aside our notions of what flash is and is not? What if we embrace other forms and genres in the limited space we’re given? We’ll be reading inspiring examples of true literary hybrids: flash memoir, flash essays and prose poetry. The second half of this session will be all about artistic play and experimentation and blurring lines. Expect to surprise yourself!

My Story Chosen for W. W. Norton’s Flash Fiction America!

Last but not least! I’m so honored to have my story, “some hard, hot places” chosen for the newest Norton flash fiction anthology, forthcoming in 2023. Many thanks to editors Sherrie Flick, James Thomas, and John Dufresne for including my work. The piece was originally published in the Summer, 2021 issue of Ploughshares, guest edited by the amazing Aimee Bender.

The post My news: Norton’s Flash Fiction America & more! first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Hi friends! It’s been awhile! LOTS of news, so I’ll just jump in…

“The Art of Flash Fiction” is Tops!

My November Art of Flash Fiction newsletter, “Chilly Scenes of Flash Fiction: Rendering Quiet Power” has been posted. This FREE monthly newsletter provides a craft article, writing prompt, and links to great recommended stories. I’m hugely proud to learn that The Art of Flash Fiction is one of the most popular in the Fiction category at Substack! Many thanks to Rose Garrett for letting me know and be sure to check out the other great newsletters on the list.

Advanced Creative Nonfiction’s First Print Run Sold Out

I heard the good news from editor, Jessica Hendry Nelson at Bloomsbury that sales of Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology way outpaced the initial print run, meaning it sold out in the US in the first two months of publication and orders through Bloomsbury are currently backordered. I’m so proud to have my work featured with such amazing writers as Abigail Thomas, Amy Butcher, Ross Gay, Jill Talbot,  Ira Sukrungruang, Major Jackson, and more. A fabulous resource for teachers and writers alike, you may order your copy HERE.

Flash Fiction Festival / My Upcoming Workshop

Another great schedule of online Zoom events is set for this Saturday, November 27th! Register HERE for the entire day or pick and choose events. Note: All sessions times on the website are in GMT. Here’s my 90 minute class (5:00 p.m. GMT, NOON, EST, 10:00 a.m Mountain time):

“Hybridity: Embracing the Literary Mash-Up”: What if we cast aside our notions of what flash is and is not? What if we embrace other forms and genres in the limited space we’re given? We’ll be reading inspiring examples of true literary hybrids: flash memoir, flash essays and prose poetry. The second half of this session will be all about artistic play and experimentation and blurring lines. Expect to surprise yourself!

My Story Chosen for W. W. Norton’s Flash Fiction America!

Last but not least! I’m so honored to have my story, “some hard, hot places” chosen for the newest Norton flash fiction anthology, forthcoming in 2023. Many thanks to editors Sherrie Flick, James Thomas, and John Dufresne for including my work. The piece was originally published in the Summer, 2021 issue of Ploughshares, guest edited by the amazing Aimee Bender.

The post Update: Norton’s Flash Fiction America Forthcoming 2023 & More! first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Many thanks to Tommy Dean and staff at Fractured Literary for reprinting my 2014 story, “Rodney & Chelsea.” This fragmented piece was originally published in Frederick Barthelme’s Blip Magazine, an early iteration of New World Writing. See below for an excerpt (you may read the whole story HERE):

Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash

Chelsea’s mom believes that life is a celebration and that people should live in the Now. Chelsea has an older brother named Royal. Nobody knows where the hell he is. He ran away from the halfway house downtown, the place Chelsea’s mom said was his best chance and hope. He has a behavior disorder which involves beating people up. He doesn’t know his own strength is what Chelsea’s mom says. He has a bear spirit. He is unruinable.

The post My Story, “Rodney & Chelsea,” Reprinted at Fractured Lit first appeared on Kathy Fish.

I’m honored and thrilled that my work is featured in the latest Bloomsbury Writer’s Guide, edited by Sean Prentiss and Jessica Hendry Nelson, which will be available later this month. (This is actually my second appearance in the series. I also have a story in Short-Form Creative Writing, edited by H.K. Hummel & Stephanie Lennox.)

Cover design: Namkwan Cho, Cover image: ‘Open Mind’ by Johson Tsan

This is going to be a brilliant resource for all writers and teachers of CNF. I can’t wait to get my hands on my copy.

I’m also so proud to share space with writers I have long admired: Abigail Thomas, Jill Talbot, Elissa Washuta, Ross Gay, Melissa Febos, Amy Butcher, Ira Sukrungruang, Major Jackson, Peter Grandbois, and more.

Do check out The Central Question podcast on their website where each episode features a conversation with one author from the book about one chapter of the book, a first-ever web-based glossary and taxonomy of terms for creative nonfiction, and, a forthcoming syllabus repository.

And thanks, as ever, to Christopher James at Jellyfish Review, who took a chance and published this piece right after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October, 2017.

The post “Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild” featured in Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writer’s Guide & Anthology (Bloomsbury) first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Behold this beauty, the Summer, 2021, 50th Anniversary issue of Ploughshares, guest edited by the amazing Aimee Bender!

Cover art by Jennifer Warren

I was traveling with my daughter when my contributor’s copy arrived back home. I couldn’t resist stopping into Downtown Books & News in Asheville, NC, and was delighted to find it on the shelf amongst all the other journals I aspire to publish in one day. : )

Spotted in a bookstore in Asheville, NC

It’s truly a dream to see my work in these pages along with so many writers I admire (Rumaan Alam, Patrick Cottrell, Amelia Gray, and so many others). Many thanks to Aimee Bender for her faith in my work, and all the editors at Ploughshares.

Win a copy (U.S. only)! I will mail a copy to the first TWO who respond to this blog post! (Claimed!)

The post My story, “some hard, hot places,” in Ploughshares! Win a copy! first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Defined as a story of fewer than 1,000 words, flash fiction is a unique form that is exploding in popularity in the literary world. This class will introduce you to the basics of this beautiful, immersive, fun-to-write form. You’ll learn what makes a piece of writing “flash,” and we’ll read and discuss excellent published examples. Come prepared to write! Participants can expect to come away with at least two new drafts!

Sign up here at Lounge Writers!

The post Spaces still available! Draft two new stories with me tomorrow 7/24 in my online workshop, “Big Stories in a Small Place!” first appeared on Kathy Fish.

Creative Breakthrough: Restore, Renew, and Reconnect with Your Art in Costa Rica, February 2022

I’m so excited to return to beautiful, restorative Peace Retreat in Costa Rica to run another writers’ retreat with my friend, Nancy Stohlman. We’ve designed a full, rich, inspiring, invigorating week and we’d love for you to join us!

Flash Fiction Retreats events fill up quickly! If you’d like to gain first access to the details and registration, sign up HERE.

The post Announcing for early 2022: Retreat with Us & Reconnect… first appeared on Kathy Fish.