Spring 2024 Special Topic: Lighting up the Dark, Short Story Collections

In this course we’ll contemplate craft and creativity in short stories, reading a diverse array of collections. We’ll identify unifying themes, ponder the order and presentation of the stories, and consider links whether by character, recurring idea, setting, or simply the author’s particular style. Texts will include Revenge by Yoko Ogawa, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, That Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, After the Quake by Haruki Murakami, Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan, What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi and others. Starting each class with a short essay by an acclaimed writer featured in Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration and Artistic Process, we’ll also explore our own individual creative processes. As we question each author’s intent and choices, we'll reflect on what inspires and lights the imagination in our own fiction, as well as try our hand at writing short pieces, completely unique, but inspired by these stories and essays.