Short story class in Seattle

23 September 2009

I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be teaching a six-week class on writing short stories at Seattle’s Hugo House as part of their winter quarter lineup.

Hugo House is one of the premier writing centers in the country, offering classes, residencies and tons of literary events. Hugo House has a national reputation for nurturing new writers and bringing established but lesser-known writers to the attention of a wider audience. These are certainly things that I can get behind, and I’m proud to be a part of it as a teacher.

The class is “The Whole Story.” Here’s the description:

All good stories – those that delight or thrill you, make you laugh or cry — are built from the same fundamental blocks. We’ll explore essential elements of good short fiction: structure, point of view, plotting, character development, description and dialogue. You’ll learn practical techniques like specificity, emotional language, anchor points and narrative grammar that you can use immediately. The class will be a mix of reading, discussion, and writing, as well as an hour-long individual conference with the instructor.

The class will meet Wednesday from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, January 27 through March 3. Registration begins December 1 for Hugo House members, December 8 for non-members.

If you’re a Seattle writer with an interest in short stories, I hope you’ll join me. It’ll be fun, and I’d love the chance to help you with your work.

Posted by Kelley | Filed Under blog, writing 

Comments

17 Responses to “Short story class in Seattle”

  1. Jill on September 23rd, 2009 3:11 pm

    I’d be interested, but I’m a working gal! Those hours are so darn inconvenient. Drat it all :( .

  2. Zack on September 23rd, 2009 3:55 pm

    Hmm. Twenty-one hour commute, which is seven more than I used to be used to (CRM archaeology). Unfortunately I no longer have the spoonage to pull things like that off . . . Nice offer though : ).

  3. barbara sanchez on September 25th, 2009 10:17 pm

    I’d love to take your class, but I’m still stuck in Wisconsin. Still, how lucky for all those Seattle writers that you’re teaching it. Have a great time.

  4. Kelley on September 26th, 2009 6:53 am

    @Barbara — You’re back! So lovely to see you here. We’ve missed you. Hope things are well with you (“stuck” in Wisconsin sounds a bit grim…)

    @Zack — now where’s your commitment? (Big grin). Maybe one of these days I’ll teach out in the bigger world, who knows?

    @Jill — I know the hours can be tricky. That’s one reason I want to start getting the word out now, in case there are some people who can make it work if they have enough advance notice.

  5. barbara sanchez on September 26th, 2009 7:22 am

    Kelley, it’s no grimmer than usual. Due to financial embarrassment, i.e. voluntary working poverty, I got my utilities turned off for a while. I used a kerosine lamp, washed in cold water and bought hot coffee at Eastsider. The only thing I desperately missed was the intrenet, the NY Times on line and you guys. Keep upthe good work.

  6. Jennifer on September 26th, 2009 7:46 am

    The class sounds awesome. If I were a writer I’d find a way to get there.

    Barbara! I have missed you and been wondering where you were. That cold water routine sounds rough. Glad you are back.

  7. barbara sanchez on September 26th, 2009 8:06 am

    Jennifer, it warmed my heart when catching up on my blog reading in the middle of June to find that you missed me. Thanks.

  8. Zack on September 26th, 2009 6:50 pm

    Oh, yeah, what on earth was I thinking? — I’ll be there in about 45 minutes. What kind of beer does everyone want? : P

  9. Kelley on September 26th, 2009 11:32 pm

    Hah. Oranjeboom, Bass, Stella Artois or Corona. But hey, if you’re coming all that way then I expect we can spring for the beer (grin).

  10. Kelley on September 27th, 2009 2:19 pm

    Barbara, I’m so sorry to hear that things have been rough. Hope things are better now. I’m very glad to hear your online voice again and have you back in this corner of the internet.

  11. Jennifer on September 27th, 2009 2:36 pm

    Zack, I should’ve said, if I lived close enough, I’d find a way to take Kelley’s class. 21 hours would be too much even for me. : )

    Maybe one of these days, Kelley will have an online class with video, etc. Not the same as in person, but better than nothing.

    Come to NicKel Con (whenever that happens), and I ‘ll buy the beer….

  12. Jennifer on September 27th, 2009 2:39 pm

    And I was only thinking that sometimes employers can be more acomodating than we might assume….

  13. Zack on September 27th, 2009 5:21 pm

    Kelley – - The beer was for y’all – I can’t drink due to meds. Your beer choices sound very good though & after work today (pissy co-worker) I could use one.

    Jennifer — 14 to 15 hours was enough for me, so you’re ahead I think :) .

  14. Jo on September 27th, 2009 7:53 pm

    Oooh, NicKel Con!!!

  15. Jennifer on September 28th, 2009 10:21 pm

    Yep, NicKel Con. I think it will happen…

  16. Suzanne LeMere on October 5th, 2009 9:52 am

    This writing class sounds fantastic! My mama always said, “If you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it.” So…

  17. Kelley on October 5th, 2009 12:21 pm

    Zan, lovely to see you here.

    The six-week fall classes at Hugo House are $230 for non-members, $207 for members. I don’t know if the winter classes will be exactly this price, but it seems like a reasonable estimate.