Ursula K. Le Guinn discusses the unique relationship between writer and reader: "Indeed I may have to make an act of faith and declare that they will exist, those unknown, perhaps unborn people, my dear readers... because the writer cannot do it alone. The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story." The trick is, how to shape our ideas, our wild imaginings, into stories that can be, not just understood, but experienced, by others. Writing stories that become alive and move our readers takes a coming together of imagination and skill involving the elements of craft; character, plot, setting, dialogue and point of view.

In this class we will study the elements of craft as used by contemporary authors of short fiction: Sherman Alexie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alice Munro, Flannery O'Connor, among others. You will complete writing exercises geared to help you integrate these craft features into your own writing. Each student will write a story and follow it through three drafts over the semester.

Required text will be: Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway and Hudson Book of Fiction: 30 Stories Worth Reading.