Write new short stories with award-winning author and editor Rita Bullwinkel!

Writing is a unique art medium in that it is both made and, generally, consumed in isolation. Through the space of the writers’ workshop, an author can escape the isolation in which they made their work, understand their work from a consciousness other than their own, and procure insight into how to further their creative projects into their fullest, most complex and potent, forms. In this year-long short story intensive, students will read and discuss the work of their peers, and have the opportunity to submit four of their own short stories for group discussion. Students will also read the work of contemporary short story writers alongside the work of their peers in order to identify how their own work, and the work of their peers, is situated within the contemporary literary landscape. 

Attend the Virtual Info Session

Meet Rita Bullwinkel, instructor for our yearlong short story workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered!

Join us on ZOOM, Wednesday September 16, 7-8pm ET.

FREE RSVP >>>

Who is this course for?

This course is for anyone who loves reading and writing short stories. If you are working on a short story collection: fantastic. If you are just beginning, and have only a few drafted stories under your belt, that is great, too. It is likely best if you come to the first class with at least one complete short short you are interested in workshopping. Over the course of the year you will workshop four short stories. It is my great hope that you will find the workshop generative, and that our conversations will draw you to the page to start new work.

Learning Outcomes:

• Write and workshop four short stories
• Meaningfully engage with the work of one’s peers through verbal feedback
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary literary landscape
• Situate one’s own creative practice within the contemporary literary landscape

Required Books:

• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 79
• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 80
• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 81
• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 82
• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 83
• McSweeney’s Quarterly Issue 84

Note: I, the instructor, am the editor of McSweeney’s Quarterly, a literary magazine that primarily publishes short stories. Over the course of the year each student will be asked to select and present on one short story of their choosing from the above issues. More details about this aspect of the class will be provided on the first day of instruction.

Workshop Submissions:

You will submit four short stories over the course of the year. Submissions should be between 10 and 20 pages, Times New Roman, double spaced. Your submission should be a self-contained story, or a series of self contained stories. We will not be looking at excerpts in this workshop. If your submission is slightly longer or shorter than these guidelines, please discuss with me ahead of submitting. Include your last name and page numbers on all pages. Your submissions are due by upload to our class google drive the week before your submission is scheduled to be discussed. We cannot workshop stories that are turned in late. Please do not use one of your four submission opportunities to submit a revision of a story that has been previously workshopped.

The Questioning:

Our group discussions of student work will utilize a pedagogical method called the questioning, which was first outlined by Jesse Ball in his craft book Notes on My Dunce Cap. In our group discussions I, the instructor, and all students whose work is not being discussed, will ask the author questions about their work. We may only ask the author questions. The only person allowed to make declarative statements is the author. If someone in the class other than the author uses a declarative sentence such as, “I liked this part” or “this was confusing” I will ask the student to rephrase their sentiment to the author as a question. The author will speak freely. The author need not know the answers to all of the questions posed to them. Knowing the limits of their knowledge of their own narrative is useful information. This method of questioning the author about their work, and the experience the author gains from having to verbally formulate answers to these questions, openly leads the author to understanding and viewing their work from a perspective other than their own. It also frees the conversation from the superficial “good/bad” binary and provides a more nuanced and generative and in depth engagement with the work. For the last ten minutes of each group discussion the author will have an opportunity to ask their peers questions about any content of the work that they feel has not already been addressed. During this section of workshop anyone may use declarative sentences.

Schedule

This class will meet virtually every other Wednesday, with brief winter and spring breaks. Workshop dates run from October 21, 2026 – July 28, 2027, 7pm-9pm EST (4pm-6pm PST).

• October 21st
• November 4th
• November 18th
• December 2nd
• December 16th

WINTER HOLIDAY BREAK

• January 6th
• January 20th
• February 3rd
• February 17th
• March 3rd

SPRING BREAK

• March 24th
• April 7th
• April 21st
• May 5th
• May 19th
• June 2nd
• June 16th
• June 30th
• July 14th
• July 28th

Attendance Policy: 

Three unexcused absences will result in being dropped from the course.

1:1 Mentoring

1:1 meetings will occur with each student twice during the year: one after the student’s second story is workshopped, and one after the student’s fourth and final story is workshopped. 

To Apply

Application Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026

Admissions are on a rolling basis. Participants are encouraged to apply early. Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering. To apply to the program please submit:

• A 10 to 20 page writing sample (can be any genre).
• A brief cover letter (no more than 250 words) explaining why you want to take this class.
• A list of 10 short stories that you love. Please format the list as simple bullet points, with just the title and the author noted. Please do not elaborate on why you love the stories.
• Please sign and date the following statement: “I, _____________, understand that it is not possible to “collaborate” with a word prediction machine and hereby attest that no AI or LLMs were or will be used in any part of my workshop submissions.”

Please send your application to emily.holland@writer.org.

Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center

The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!

All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.