We’re excited to announce that on September 20 and 21 SmokeLong Co-Editor-in-Chief Christopher Allen and submissions editor Helen Rye will be in Manchester and Birmingham to lead workshops on writing and editing compelling flash fiction.
Manchester Workshop
The Manchester workshop will focus on generating and drafting story ideas, finding the heart of the story, rhythm and pacing and much more. Participants should come away from this morning workshop inspired and motivated to write the stories they need to tell the world. Participants will also leave with a more solid understanding of what flash fiction is and what it can do.
Date: September 20
Time: 9.30-12.30
Place: Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester M2 5NS, UK
Price: *£50 — To reserve your place, send £50 to editors@smokelong.com via Paypal. If you do not use Paypal, please contact Christopher Allen via callen@smokelong.com and other arrangements will be made.
Birmingham Workshops
There will be TWO workshops in Birmingham on September 21. The morning workshop will be the same as the Manchester workshop above. The afternoon workshop will focus on editing flash fiction. We will look at purpose, concept, voice, image, precision, and of course compression with the goal to create honed and emotionally affecting flash fiction.
Date: September 21
Times: 9.30-12.30, 1.30-4.30
Place: St Luke’s Community Hall Great Colmore Street, Lee Bank, B15 2AT
Prices: *£50 half-day, *£80 full-day. To reserve your place, send *£50 or *£80 to editors@smokelong.com via Paypal (if you are booking a half-day workshop, please specify morning or afternoon). If you do not use Paypal, please contact Christopher Allen via callen@smokelong.com so that other arrangements can be made.
*We have several half-price places for writers on a low income (self-defined). If you would like to apply for one of these places, please send an email to callen@smokelong.com.
Earlier this year, Christopher and Helen led similar workshops in Norwich and London. Here’s what some participants had to say:
“I was able to sneak into the London workshop last month. Not only did I walk away with a new feeling of inspiration and a ton of ideas—the other workshop attendees, Christopher Allen and Helen Rye were awesome. All for $60 US. One of the best writing workshops I’ve done. Sign up ASAP!” — Amy Barnes
“The flash fiction workshop was AMAZING. I came away with heaps of story beginnings and ideas and felt so charged. You should go to this. It will be exceptional. I left floating. You folks are so wise and lovely and inspiring! Thank you thank you.” –James Smart
“Thank you to Christopher Allen and Helen Rye for the brilliant SmokeLong flash fiction workshop at The Writers Centre in Norwich today. Met some great people and learned so much. Thank you.” –FC Malby
“I can’t recommend this fun and practical course highly enough. Chris and Helen — two of the best writers and editors of Flash Fiction on the planet — lead the sessions with passion and humour, sharing invaluable hints and tips for writing better Flash. SLQ is, of course, the gold standard for Flash Fiction; this, therefore, is gold straight from the horse’s mouth (although I still need to work on my metaphors).” –Tim Craig
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Christopher Allen is a translator, freelance editor and the author of the flash fiction collection Other Household Toxins (Matter Press). Allen’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Best Small Fictions, [PANK], Indiana Review, Jellyfish Review, Longleaf Review and others. He is the co-editor of SmokeLong Quarterly.
Helen Rye lives in Norwich, UK. She has won the Bath Flash Fiction Award, the Reflex Fiction contest and third place in the 2018 Bristol Short story prize. Her stories have been nominated for Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize, and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. She is a submissions editor for SmokeLong Quarterly and a prose editor for Lighthouse Literary Journal, and she helps out from time to time at Ellipsis Zine and TSS Publishing.
A SmokeLong Summer 24!