Writing Workshops

Reading, Writing, and Workshopping the Short Story with Kate Milliken (April 2025)

$495

8 Sessions

Out of stock

Once a week Tuesdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT April 1 to May 20, 2025

Online via Zoom

pili-gonzalez-prieto-qVfUFCXqdWw-unsplash Large

This eight-week short story workshop will be broken up into two parts. In the first four weeks, we will read and discuss several short stories by contemporary fiction writers and then generate new pages in class from exercises inspired by those published works. These exercises should support both the author who is mid-stride on a new story as well as the writer who comes to the course without new story work, looking for new inspiration.

With these new pages written, the second half of the course will be spent sharing and workshopping our works-in-progress in an author-centered discussion, prioritizing the writer’s needs and intentions for the next draft, helping them to understand their creative process as well as how to approach the next draft. This course is ideal for those considering MFA programs, recently graduated from MFAs, or anyone hoping to reinvigorate their fiction writing practice in general.

Course Outline:

The first four weeks will be spent reading stories by contemporary writers such as Sarah Thankam Mathews, Claire Luchette, and Mary South, as well as classics by Edward P. Jones, Tim O’Brien, and James Salter. Each week, we will discuss elements of craft (such as perspective, scene construction, and character development) as directed by the story up for discussion and then generate new material from exercises inspired by those conversations. In the second four weeks of the course, we will submit our new works-in-progress for peer reading and in-class discussion, reading up to three short works per week.

This course is held online via Zoom.

Led by

Kate Milliken

Kate Milliken

Kate Milliken is the author of the novel Kept Animals, which was longlisted for the First Novel Prize in 2020, and the story collection If I’d Known You Were Coming, winner of the 2013 John Simmons Award. Her work has been supported by fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, Ragdale, the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, and Sewanee Writer’s Conference, among others. When not teaching, Kate is a freelance editor and writer’s coach.

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

Groups+Workshops

More Groups+Workshops

Groups+Workshops