Comments on: The Short Story? Dead to Me. http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html Life after the creative writing MFA | Writing tips | Author interviews | Creative writing links, and more. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:14:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: John http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-105599 John Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:23:26 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-105599 Ah, the horror of the modern day short story. Usually, literary mags publish only pretentious "finding yourself" stories about race and/or sexuality... not an inherently bad topic for a story, just that it's WAY overdone. The market has all but withered up for good experimental fiction. I long for the days of the old pulp magazines... good creepy stories, etc. So, for me, the short story isn't DEAD. But the writers I read usually ARE. Ah, the horror of the modern day short story. Usually, literary mags publish only pretentious “finding yourself” stories about race and/or sexuality… not an inherently bad topic for a story, just that it’s WAY overdone. The market has all but withered up for good experimental fiction. I long for the days of the old pulp magazines… good creepy stories, etc.

So, for me, the short story isn’t DEAD. But the writers I read usually ARE.

]]> By: Mark http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-93386 Mark Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:36:58 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-93386 They are dead because like MFA programs themselves they are nothing more than political machinery for aspiring novelists. The people writing and editing them don't really care about them, or even want to be writing them. No one reads them. Dead. They are dead because like MFA programs themselves they are nothing more than political machinery for aspiring novelists. The people writing and editing them don’t really care about them, or even want to be writing them. No one reads them. Dead.

]]> By: charles http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-40457 charles Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:12:45 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-40457 I am unhappy that the short story is dead. How can we bring it back? I am unhappy that the short story is dead. How can we bring it back?

]]> By: Traci http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37944 Traci Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:18:27 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37944 I have recently discovered the pleasure of listening (not reading!) short stories from the New Yorker’s podcast.

In fact, last night I heard for the first time Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brainâ€? that was mentioned as a favorite by another commenter. It’s an amazing story and it was the perfect short-form entertainment for a long subway ride.

Like others on this thread, I don’t think the short story genre is dead. I think we need to think of a way to help stories escape from the margins.

]]> By: Jody Forrester http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37745 Jody Forrester Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:42:10 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37745 Moral Disorder, Margaret Atwood; The Stories of Richard Bausch; The Night in Question, Tobias Wolff; Drown, Junot Diaz; any by Richard Yates. All these collections are exemplary - and lots to learn for our own writing. Moral Disorder, Margaret Atwood; The Stories of Richard Bausch; The Night in Question, Tobias Wolff; Drown, Junot Diaz; any by Richard Yates. All these collections are exemplary – and lots to learn for our own writing.

]]> By: Jeffrey Yamaguchi http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37737 Jeffrey Yamaguchi Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:23:50 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37737 Dan Chaon's Among the Missing -- great collection of short stories. Dan Chaon’s Among the Missing — great collection of short stories.

]]> By: Armand http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37393 Armand Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:21:14 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37393 Sorry to add a second comment, but I had to look up the name of this story: "Near Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera" by Ben Fountain III. Originally published in Zoetrope and then in the 2004 Pushcart Anthology. This story is about a grad student studying parrots in the Columbian jungle who is captured and held hostage by revolutionaries. The story crackles with life and energy. - Armand Sorry to add a second comment, but I had to look up the name of this story:

“Near Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera” by Ben Fountain III. Originally published in Zoetrope and then in the 2004 Pushcart Anthology.

This story is about a grad student studying parrots in the Columbian jungle who is captured and held hostage by revolutionaries. The story crackles with life and energy.

- Armand

]]> By: John Fox http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37315 John Fox Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:10:27 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37315 I loved Jim Shepard: Like You'd Understand, Anyway. The stories were so imaginative. But I understand the frustration with the short story market. It's mainly serves as a foothold so authors can progress into more marketable items like novels. Maybe we should be more like poets. They aren't going into it for recognition or widescale readership, just because it's a lifestyle, and a way of viewing the world, and their calling. I loved Jim Shepard: Like You’d Understand, Anyway. The stories were so imaginative. But I understand the frustration with the short story market. It’s mainly serves as a foothold so authors can progress into more marketable items like novels. Maybe we should be more like poets. They aren’t going into it for recognition or widescale readership, just because it’s a lifestyle, and a way of viewing the world, and their calling.

]]> By: Sharon McGill http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37269 Sharon McGill Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:34:22 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37269 I recently read Granta's <i>Best of the Young American Novelists</i>. While there were a number of duds, I did find several stand-outs: "Passover in New Orleans", Dara Horn--an assassination plot in Civil War New Orleans--who said lit fic can't be thrilling? "Valets", Rattawut Lapcharoensap--sad, funny, bittersweet story about valets at a 1,000-seat, failing restaurant in Thailand "The Barn at the End of Our Term", Karen Russell--dead presidents reincarnated as horses. Need I say more? And some other recent reads: "Bar Joke, Arizona", One Story Issue #97 by Sam Allingham. . ."The Paperhanger" from William Gay's collection <i>I Hate to See the Evening Sun Go Down</i> (creepy! creepy!). . ."A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia", Victor Pelevin (the title says nearly says it all). And I recently re-read some all-time favorites: "Fiesta, 1980" by Junot Diaz and "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried" by Amy Hempel. I've found that that reading some great short fiction gets me back into writing it. It's like you think you know what the form can do, then you go and read something totally different and you realize what a totally versatile and wonderful medium it is. I recently read Granta’s Best of the Young American Novelists. While there were a number of duds, I did find several stand-outs:

“Passover in New Orleans”, Dara Horn–an assassination plot in Civil War New Orleans–who said lit fic can’t be thrilling?

“Valets”, Rattawut Lapcharoensap–sad, funny, bittersweet story about valets at a 1,000-seat, failing restaurant in Thailand

“The Barn at the End of Our Term”, Karen Russell–dead presidents reincarnated as horses. Need I say more?

And some other recent reads: “Bar Joke, Arizona”, One Story Issue #97 by Sam Allingham. . .”The Paperhanger” from William Gay’s collection I Hate to See the Evening Sun Go Down (creepy! creepy!). . .”A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia”, Victor Pelevin (the title says nearly says it all).

And I recently re-read some all-time favorites: “Fiesta, 1980″ by Junot Diaz and “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried” by Amy Hempel.

I’ve found that that reading some great short fiction gets me back into writing it. It’s like you think you know what the form can do, then you go and read something totally different and you realize what a totally versatile and wonderful medium it is.

]]> By: Armand http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html/comment-page-1#comment-37194 Armand Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:50:30 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/the-short-story-dead-to-me.html#comment-37194 Blood by Matthew Cheney, in "One Story", issue 81, 2006. Wildwood by Junot Diaz in the New Yorker Fiction Issue, 2007. Blood by Matthew Cheney, in “One Story”, issue 81, 2006.

Wildwood by Junot Diaz in the New Yorker Fiction Issue, 2007.

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