FLASH FICTION COURSE

I'll be teaching another flash fiction course beginning on November 1, 2010. It runs four weeks and is done entirely online. The course always fills quickly so sign up soon at http://www.flashquake.org/online-classes/flash-fiction.html (where you can also see further details about the course along with some past course evaluations.)

I've been teaching this course (and an online course in writing haibun) for several years now. It's always refreshing and inspiring to meet so many gifted writers who are attracted to flash fiction. Soon I'll have my Part II course worked up and will begin offering it. Stay tuned!
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FLASH FICTION FLASH: NEWSLETTER

I'd love to get even more news on flash fiction publications, new collections/ anthologies for my newsletter, FlashFictionFlash http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlashFictionFlash

Subscribe (it's monthly and it's free) and you'll see all the types of flash literature news I send out. Then send me your own publishing news (pertinent to the newsletter). Or send me your flash literature calls for submissions. I'm always happy to spread the word.
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GROUP READ FIELD GUIDE TO WRITING FLASH FICTION
(Rose Metal Press).

There's a group reading/discussion sponsored by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Toledo (Kyle Minor's site) and it's going quite well so far.
It begins at http://www.groupread.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/hello-world/

The discussion then continues, chapter by chapter, and you can access discussion for each chapter from the menu on the right side of the screen. Just click the chapter you want. See discussion on my chapter, "The Myth-ing Link" at at http://groupread.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/the-myth-ing-link-24-30/

Some of the contributors who've stopped by to comment (so far) include myself, Nathan Leslie, Randall Brown, and Tara Masih (the editor). I expect even more of the contributors to comment as their chapters come up for discussion.

If you don't have a copy of this collection yet, you're really missing out. You can order it at:
http://www.rosemetalpress.com/Catalog/Field%20Guide_more.html
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BOOKS AND BEYOND: GREENWOOD ENECYCLOPEDIA OF NEW AMERICAN WRITING (4 vols). Edited by Kenneth Womack. (Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut/ London, 2008.)
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Beyond-Four-Volumes-Encyclopedia/dp/0313337381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218401206&sr=1-2#_

(URL/ link above must be all together, unbroken, so cut and paste to get to the site.)

I also hope you get the chance to read my 8,000-word article on flash fiction in the above encyclopedia. You can always ask your library order it for you. My article on flash fiction includes a tenative working definition, a history, discusses contexts and issues, selected authors, reception, trends and themes, and includes a bibliography, and further reading recommendations. The encyclopedia set is wonderful for its in-depth articles on so many different types of writing (some types I'd not heard of).
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Some of my favorite writer quotes (especially useful for thinking about good flash fiction)...

"The rule of the writer is not to say what we can all say but what we are unable to say." (Anais Nin)
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"One who reads one hundred poets sounds like one hundred poets. One who reads a thousand poets sounds like oneself." (Chinese axiom)
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"Thus we respect the poet who observes no more than we do and conceives it no more profoundly than we should, if only he formulates it better than we could; we respect him still more if he does this better than most poets have. We respect still more the poet who observes more than we do, and still more the poet who feels or conceives more than we; and in proportion as the performance surpasses such standards, our respect increases. We range from the slightest esteem to the greatest awe and wonder according as he does surpass such standards; let him fall below them, and our feelings descend as far as utter contempt. We measure performance as against what it seems impossible anyone should have done; against what only the fine artist could have done; against what most artists could do, what most people could do, what anyone could have done, what only a fool would have done." (Elder Olson, from an article titled "The Nature of the Poet" from A Casebook on Dylan Thomas)
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"Creating stories is a special craft-- a special way of capturing reality on the page. It feels real, but it isn't. You can't just break off a piece of reality and stick it on the page. It won't work. It won't work because fiction is concentrated, heightened, intensified reality. It's the essence of reality. All reality doesn't contain such essence or truth, but all fiction must. You, the author, must create it. So even though you already have everything you need, you need to learn how to use it. That's craft. That's technique...." (Jerry Cleaver, Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course. New York: St. Martin's, 2002)
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Flash Fiction Histories

Add Mary Austin's collection of One -Smoke Stories to the history of flash fiction. Originally published in 1934 (then republished in 2003) the collection includes multicultural stories (from Native American, Spanish colonial, mestizo, and European people of the Southwest)-- folktales, animals stories, sayings, and other popular genres. Some of the "flashes" are just a couple of pages in length.

In her introduction, Austin says the variety of cultures in the Southwest share an approach to storytelling in the one-smoke story-- a type of story that's especially suited for the communication of experience. Her description of the story-telling ceremony is rich and interesting. Here's a snip of her description:

Each participant selects a corn husk from the heap and gathers a pinch of "native tabac" from a dark bowl as it "passes the ancient ceremonial road from east to north by west to south," and holding the dry roll delicately between the lips, each participant tries to "dispatch the salutatory puffs to the six... or the four... world quarters."

Each participant holds the "crisp short-lasting cylinder between thumb and fingertips, unlighted, one begins, always gravely, and holding on for the space of one smoke, tales, each one as deft, as finished in itself as a ceremonial cigarette."

Each story ends with what Austin calls "the fang of the experience." Between participants, "the ingoing and outgoing sense of the universe pulses and spirals with the ascending smoke."

Noreen Groover Lape provides an excellent Critical Introduction to Austin's collection.

See info on this collection here

If, like me, you're interested in a general history of flash fiction do check out my 8,000-word article on flash fiction in Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Writing (4 vols). (Edited by Kenneth Womack. (Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut/ London, 2008.) See info on the encyclopedia here

Or you can likely order it through your local libary.

Now, off to explore more older anthologies that include flash fiction types of writing.

FLASH FICTION COURSE

There are a few more openings for my next online flash fiction course. It runs for four weeks and starts on Monday, August 9, 2010. I've been teaching online courses in flash fiction since 2002 and the course continues to be quite popular. Be sure to sign up soon so you can be part of the next session-- it always fills so don't wait too long.

See signup details at http://www.flashquake.org/online-classes/flash-fiction.html

Evaluations from the last online course I taught (permission obtained from evaluators):

Barbara Farnworth
This Flash Fiction Course was an extremely valuable experience. I have attended several writing courses (in person and online) and this course was by far the best. The facilitator, Pam Casto, provided us with an amazing amount of information which was well organized and applicable to the participants. I have saved all of the lessons so that I can review them again with more leisure. My fellow students actively participated in submitting their own work and providing thoughtful critiques of one another's work. I would highly recommend this course to other writers interested in learning about flash fiction. I would love to participate in the continuation of this class.
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Emma Munro
I've completed in-person and online writing courses and three factors determine a good writing course: the teacher/course facilitator; the quality of the information, and the level of interaction and support amongst the students. Pam, you are a standout as a teacher and course facilitator. You are motivating, encouraging & tireless...Your critiques and analyses teach so much. You have made this the most rewarding online writing course I've taken. I look forward to taking part in more of your courses. The quality of the information you offer is excellent. I feel I have a good grounding in flash fiction basics,
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Liz Martinez:
You certainly are a one woman encyclopaedia (to coin a new phrase - a pamcastopaedia ) of information about flash fiction. I feel I received my money's worth and so much more.... I have already recommended it very highly to several other writer friends and family, and I would happily take the same course again because I know I would learn even more on different levels. And Pam, thank you so much for your dedication. You obviously really care about the work you are doing here, and about giving good quality value for money no nonsense tutoring. I really appreciate that.