This Will Only Take a Minute (16)

by Bruce Meyer (Editor), Michael Mirolla (Editor)

Brevity is the soul of wit, as William Shakespeare wrote in one of his longer plays, Hamlet. Flash Fiction, brief stories, have become one of the most exciting sub-genres of contemporary fiction. In This Will Only Take a Canadian Flash Fiction, Guernica Editions features short short stories by Canadian writers from six words to 500 words in length, short stories from across the entire spectrum of Canadian writing. and anything from stark realism to speculative fiction.

200 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Dr. Bruce Meyer is an author of more than 45 books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, literary journalism, scholarship, and pedagogy, and is a professor of English at Georgian College.

Reviews

[CanadianReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m hardly a connoisseur of “flash” fiction. I tend to dislike flashy things in general, and I don’t like this term for very short stories; it sounds gimmicky and faddish. My prior experience of the genre is limited: it begins with Amy Hempel and ends with Joy Williams, with a slice of Eduardo Galeano in between. I liked the Galeano. The Hempel and the Williams, not so much.

I began this anthology edited by Bruce Meyer and Michael Mirolla with a kind of effortful open-mindedness. Lucky for me, I found the earliest stories engaging, especially those by Kristin Andrychuk, who beautifully distills family moments and experiences. Along the way, I was captured by other writers whose work I’ve already looked for.

So, Meyer and Mirolla’s book of 100 short fictions was mostly a success for me. There’s quite a range here, from compressed poetic pieces to disorganized jumbles that read like the ramblings of someone experiencing a psychotic break. I was expecting more stories from the “here’s-my-mess-you-figure-it-out” school of writers, but only a representative number appeared towards the middle of the anthology, which is, by the way, organized alphabetically by author. I barely skimmed those incomprehensible compositions. I’ll add that if a writer prefers to describe himself as a “doofus” in the little biographical profile that accompanies his pieces then I prefer not to consume his word salads.

Anyway, I think Meyer and Mirolla have done a nice job here. I’m not quite a convert to this form, but the pair have provided enough variety to appeal to a skeptic.

Rating: 3.5 rounded down.

[Jeatherhane Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this anthology is like reading the first page of a hundred books. If you're like me, it doesn't take very long to know if an author is going to do it for me. Sometimes the smallest word count can contain the biggest story. Just a snippet can open a vast world in the reader's mind.

As with any collection, I had connections with some, and none with others. I especially connected with the stories which touched on my favourite themes: family, memory, regret. One or two had a sense of urgency that made me want to keep reading and to read more by the author. This is a great way to sample a bunch of new Canadian authors.

I especially loved the following stories:
💜💜💜💜💜
Book of Condolences by Bert Almon
Early Morning Blues by Kristin Andrychuk
Morder by John Blair
Meditations While Falling from a Medium-sized Building by Jordan Elliott
Espoir, the Cow by Marty Gervais
Pinball by Dawn Miller
Immortality by K. R. Wilson

Thanks to @GuernicaEditions for the DRC.

[Christina Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fairly new to Flash or Micro-Fiction, having come across examples over the last couple of years, but never having read a significant collection. As a writer, I’m intrigued by the contained space, the small window of time in which you have to tell a story and how imposing limits can often bring about incredible ideas and writing. I recently came across “This Will Only Take a Minute: 100 Canadian Flashes,” edited by Bruce Meyer and Michael Mirolla and dove right in. What I have found in reading these flashes is how objects and setting often end up taking the starring role. In that small space, from the first few words, you are transported into these mini worlds. Paradoxically, there is often a lot of description encompassed in these short works, more than I would have expected. People are often nebulous and unidentified, at least in a more tangible sense. Flashes are aptly named, giving you a window onto a particular moment in time, a particular sentiment or memory that is disclosed.

While I found the writing engaging, I did find it difficult to read more than 2-3 flashes in a sitting. The switch between worlds and authors sometimes felt jarring to someone used to reading longer works. I found myself often wishing for more of the story, the characters, and the denouement. Overall, I enjoyed the works, but maybe needed to take a little more time to savour them more fully.

[Emmarae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited when I got a copy of This Will Only Take a Minute because I had never read flash fiction before and being someone who liked short stories I thought that I would really enjoy this collection. However I think personally I am not one for flash fiction. I often found myself either wanting much more or feeling confused and unfocused when reading. Sometimes the stories felt like they were blending together...not because they were connecting or anything but because my mind was feeling overwhelmed (felt similar to if I scroll on Instagram or Tik Tok too much...information overload).

I do think that this collection is a great way to discover new authors, hard not too with so many included in this collection. I also did really like that since these stories are flash stories it's a nice read before bed! Rather than be in the middle of a complicated fantasy I could just read a couple tiny stories and off to sleep!

Towards the end of reading I found that this reading experience was quite overwhelming reading such small stories from such a large variety of authors.

I really appreciated that at the end of each story(or stories) there was a small bio for each author. It was nice to see what else they have written or what else they are involved in.

[grace]

This was a really great selection of flash fiction and I am so glad I have had a chance to read more flash beyond online journals and magazines.

Obviously, there were some I liked more than others, but overall this book has some great selections.

Some favourites of mine were:
Tale of the Pink Puppet by Robert Hilles
Breakfast at the Aristocratic Palace Executive Motor Motel by Lynn Hutchinson Lee
Peppermint Bay by Lorette C. Luzajic
Burn Barrel by Emily Utter
Immortality by K.R. Wilson

If you have been wanting to dip your toes into flash fiction and explore an often-underread form, give this book a try!

[Beth Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. I found this to be a quick read which I liked. Having super short stories make it easier to digest and read throughout the day since I could put the book down. This is a book that you need to set down otherwise they can meld together a bit since they are short. This may just be a personal thing though since I am not used to flash fiction. I really enjoyed getting to come across more Canadian authors and enjoyed the wide variety of writers. Overall I enjoyed the book it was not mind-blowing but it was good for quick short stories.