Amy Hempel’s stories require your collaboration.
The Going-Away Party
“Drink up,” the man said to his daughter. “I don’t want to,” the girl said. “You need to understand how this feels,” said the man.
DIY MFA Reading List: “Collected Stories” by Raymond Carver
The tortured collaboration between Raymond Carver and Gordon Lish produced a masterpiece in American short fiction.
DIY MFA Reading List: “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
Truth is stranger than fiction in Tim O’Brien’s brilliant meditation on the Vietnam War.
DIY MFA Reading List: “T.C. Boyle Stories”
T.C. Boyle’s Collected “Stories” Poke Fun at Love, Death … and Everything in Between
DIY MFA Reading List: “Collected Stories and Other Writings” by John Cheever
Cheever channels Kafka and Fitzgerald in his “Collected Stories and Other Writings”.
DIY MFA Reading List: “Jesus’ Son” by Denis Johnson
Denis Johnson’s starry-eyed protagonist fumbles towards ecstasy, in this lyrical collection of linked short stories about addiction, loss, and recovery.
DIY MFA Reading List: “Best American Short Stories 2005″ edited by Michael Chabon
Sometimes it takes science fiction or fantasy to hammer home the most poignant observations about the American Condition.
The DIY MFA in Creative Writing
MFA programs help authors hone their craft. They’re also hugely expensive and, for full-time parents, the residency requirements can be impractical. Introducing the “DIY MFA in Creative Writing”.
Local Hero
Searching for a satisfying, complex plot structure for your next story? Look no farther than your front window – the answer might be closer to home than you think.