Winter Wheat 2016: Fiction Panel Features Part III

Fiction, fiction, fiction. Check out the last of our fiction panels at this years Winter Wheat!

 

“Good Girl/Bad Girl: Creating Complexity in Female Characters,” with Bridget Adams

Have you ever begun reading a novel and known exactly what to expect from the female characters? Have you ever wondered why your own female characters seem static, cliché, unreal? It can be tempting to fit fiction women into archetypes—making them “good girls” or “bad girls.” In this workshop, we’ll look at the work of female writers, from Emily Bronte to Jeanette Winterson to Elena Ferrante, who center their stories on unruly, difficult, and complicated women. We’ll examine the techniques each writer uses to develop character, and spend time creating unforgettable female characters of our own.

Bridget Adams is currently a first-year student pursuing her MFA in creative writing at Bowling Green State University. Her work has appeared in The Susquehanna Review and OPUS magazine. She is a winner of SUNY Geneseo Awards in Fiction and Poetry.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 9:30-10:45am. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select C1 when you register!)

 

“Magic in the Making,” with Nathaniel Meals

This workshop begins with a general, if abbreviated, introduction to magical realism as a genre, its post-WWII Latin American origins, its rise in popularity, and its present place in world literature. From there, the focus will shift to a discussion of the typical features of a magical realist fiction. Using notable texts authored by some chief practitioners of the genre, we will explore how these devices are employed and to what aesthetic ends. Finally, the workshop will close with a few short writing exercises to get your magical juices flowing.

Nathaniel Meals is a first-year graduate student in creative writing at BGSU. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and attended Duquesne University, where he studied English and philosophy.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 9:30-10:45am. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select C5 when you register!)

 

“Creating Your Fictional Hometown,” with Eric Wasserman

“Every good writer has a conflicted relationship with the place where he grew up.” Kevin Kline could not have spoken truer words in the movie Orange County. Do you struggle with wanting to write autobiographical fiction? Is where you grew up crucial to those stories, but you can’t seem to get beyond your personal history that rests there? In this writing-intensive workshop we will explore techniques that will help you create your own fictional hometown, similar enough to the real thing that you will not lose that special sense of place, but different enough to free yourself artistically.

Eric Wasserman is the author of a collection of short stories, The Temporary Life (University of Akron, 2005) and a novel, Celluloid Strangers (Second Wind, 2011). He is an Associate Professor of English at The University of Akron, where he teaches fiction writing, literature and film studies. You can visit him at www.ericwasserman.com.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 11:00-12:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select D6 when you register!)

 

“The Seven Deadly First-Page Sins,” with Tex Thompson

There’s no one right way to begin your story—but there are plenty of wrong ones. In this class, we’ll take you on a cautionary tour through the pits of page-one hell, complete with agent pet peeves, reader turn-offs, and “thanks but no thanks” editorial deal-breakers. Don’t let your manuscript suffer in form-rejection torment: Let us guide you through the slush-pile inferno and lead your story toward the light!

Arianne “Tex” Thompson is a “rural fantasy” author, professional speaker, and comma placement specialist. Look for her internationally published epic fantasy Western series, Children of the Drought (Solaris), and find her online at www.thetexfiles.com!

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 3:00-4:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select F8 when you register!)

Winter Wheat 2016: Fiction Panel Features Part II

Fiction galore! Here’s some more fiction-focused panels at this years Winter Wheat!

“The Kitchen Sink, the Teaspoon: Telling It All vs. Telling Barely Enough,” with Brad Modlin

When should writing go maximalist and pack itself full with details, complexities, chewy sentences, asides, long paragraphs, regret from high school days, and nostalgia for the tangerines your aunt gave you? When to—minimalist—seize the jugular? We will explore examples of maximalism and minimalism from writers of all three genres, such as David Foster Wallace, Amy Hempel, Margaret Atwood, and David Shields. And we will flex both kinds of muscle in our own writing exercises. All genres welcome.

Brad Modlin is the author of Everyone at This Party Has Two Names (Southeast Missouri State U Press, 2016) which won the Cowles Poetry Book Prize—and the author of Surviving in Drought, a small forthcoming fiction collection that won The Cupboard’s annual contest. His nonfiction publications include River Teeth, Florida Review,Fourth Genre, and DIAGRAM. Find him at bradaaronmodlin.com

(this workshop will be held on Friday, November 4th from 4:30-5:45pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select B6 when you register!)

 

“Look Who’s Talking: Writing Believable Dialogue,” with Courtney Ebert

Anyone can get stuck when trying to write dialogue that is believable and stays true to their characters. We may even let our own voices overpower our characters’ voices, forget that our characters are doing something while they talk, or let our characters ramble on too long. In this workshop, we will explore different ways to obtain believable dialogue from our everyday lives, to make sure that our characters’ dialogue/voices are not too similar, and to create dialogue with a necessary conflict for the story.

Courtney Ebert is a senior at BGSU studying French and creative writing. She is an intern at Mid-American Review.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 9:30-10:45am. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select C4 when you register!)

 

“Arias and Air Guitar: Writing about Music in Fiction,” with Rebecca Orchard

From A Visit from the Goon Squad to The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes, music plays an important role in the lives of many fictional characters. Just as a vivid description of setting can anchor a work in the physical world, a compelling musical moment can give insight into a person’s inner world. What makes a musical description vivid, interesting, and essential to the dramatic action of a work? This workshop will explore ways to write about fictional encounters with music through prose examples and musical prompts.

Rebecca Orchard holds a degree in music performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and is a current MFA student in fiction at BGSU. In between, she has been a professional baker, a New Yorker, and a wannabe arts commentator.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 11:00-12:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select D4 when you register!)

 

“Brainstorming the Novel,” with Lawrence Coates

“Brainstorming the Novel” will be a discussion / workshop on conceiving and developing your novel idea. The presentation will feature an outline of the seven basic plots, some guided exercises that can be shared, and some questions that can be used to strengthen your idea or the manuscript you’re currently working on.

Lawrence Coates has published five books, most recently The Goodbye House (U of Nevada Press, 2015), a novel set amid the housing tracts of San Jose in the aftermath of the first dot com bust. His work has been recognized with the Miami University Press Novella Prize, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 1:30-2:45pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select E3 when you register!)

 

“Flash Fiction Battle to the Death,” with Brian Lee Klueter and Zachary Kocanda

Back by popular demand! Contestants will have 40 minutes to write a flash fiction piece based on a photo prompt. Two finalists will be determined by the group. Those finalists will read their pieces to a live audience, who, through applause, will determine a champion.

Brian Lee Klueter has a BFA in creative writing from BGSU, and is the former creative nonfiction editor of Prairie Margins. He currently lives in Columbus, OH, and is addicted to chicken fingers.

Zachary Kocanda is a second-year MA student in creative writing at Ball State University. He earned a BFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University, where he was editor-in-chief of Prairie Margins and an intern for Mid-American Review.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 3:00-4:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select F5 when you register!)

Winter Wheat 2016: Fiction Panel Features

Do you like fiction? Check out these 5 panels at this year’s Winter Wheat!

 

“On Writing Horror: Avoiding Ghastly Clichés,” with Olivia Zolciak and Tanja Vierrether

Creepy dolls, dark basements, experiments gone wrong, and groups splitting up and encountering their inevitable doom. It’s all been done before, but there’s something about the horror genre that keeps readers craving that visceral fear of the unknown and unexplainable. Therefore, it is important to engage readers in a genre that is constantly reproducing similar motifs. In this workshop, we will discuss common horror fiction clichés and how to work in a space defined by them.

Olivia Zolciak is an MA student in English at BGSU and an assistant editor with Mid-American Review.

Tanja Vierrether is an MA student in German at BGSU and an assistant editor with Mid-American Review.

(this workshop will be held on Friday, November 4th from 3:00-4:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select A8 when you register!)

 

“Death in the Afternoon—at Winter Wheat: Writing Believable Death Scenes,” with Nick Heeb

In this workshop, participants will learn innovative ways to write death scenes in their fiction. Participants will have an opportunity to write their scene depicting the death of a character—remember, the death doesn’t need to be violent, it just needs to be authentic. Please come prepared with a character you’re ready to kill off!

Nick Heeb was born in western South Dakota. He is currently working towards an MFA in fiction at BGSU.

(this workshop will be held on Friday, November 4th from 4:30-5:45pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select B4 when you register!)

 

“Stories as Jokes/Jokes as Stories,” with Samuel J. Adams

In this workshop, we will examine jokes and stories that follow a punch line/non-sequitur structure. After reading Saki’s exemplary The Open Window, we will review academic theories of jokes and then briefly discuss fictional works that follow this structure, along with some time-honored jokes and acts from comedians who have mastered the art of storytelling. After that, we will generate stories that adhere to this structure, either by fleshing out a joke we already know, or turning a humorous instance from our lives into comedic writing. A few participants will perform their work at the end of class.

Samuel J. Adams was born in Japan and grew up in Northern California. Before entering BGSU’s MFA program in fiction, he taught school in Estonia, wrote for lifestyle magazines, made wine, and managed a vocational program for adults with disabilities. And no, he is not named after the beer.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 9:30-10:45am. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select C2 when you register!)

 

“The Protruding Moment in Fiction,” with Brad Felver

This session will investigate the “protruding moment” in fiction—big, often bizarre, memorable events that tend to stick in the reader’s brain long after finishing reading. We will consider what makes a moment truly protrude: the anatomy of them, their benefits and potential pitfalls, and how to structure stories to best make use of them. Ultimately, we will start sketching out some ideas for protruding moments in our own work.

Brad Felver’s stories have recently appeared in One Story, Colorado Review, Harpur Palate, and Zone 3, among other places. He teaches at BGSU.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 11:00-12:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select D3 when you register!)

 

“Have Some Backbone: Using Unexpected Structures to Challenge Your Prose,” with Jameelah Lang

As a writer, it’s sometimes easy to fall into expected patterns in your work, depending upon a few reliable tricks for plot, structure, and language; this can lead to a writing rut or prevent your work from making leaps and strides. We will amass new tools for dealing with structure in prose, taking a critical lens to the ways that emerging and experimental writers disrupt structural patterns. We will discuss examples of interesting patterns in text, song, and film, establish some ground rules for how they are used, and practice applying them to our own work in freewrites and writing exercises.

Jameelah Lang is an Assistant Professor of English at Franklin College and holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston. Her fiction recently appears in The Kenyon Review and Pleiades. She has received awards from Bread Loaf, Sewanee, VCCA, and Hub City Writers Project.

(this workshop will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 3:00-4:15pm. If you’re interested in attending this workshop, select F6 when you register!)

Interview with Fiction Editor Teresa Dederer, No. 4

Mid-American Review welcomes our new Fiction Editor, Teri Dederer, to the staff! Teri grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently a second-year graduate student pursuing an M.F.A. in fiction from Bowling Green State University, where she takes long walks alongside corn fields with her beloved dog, Ori.

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Q: What drew you to the writing world?

T: A love of reading! My parents are big readers, so our house had hundreds of books, and when you live in the middle of the woods (literally), summer breaks were usually spent reading on a couch. I started writing after a sixth grade teacher gave my class a creative writing exercise. I wrote a story about how Edgar Allen Poe might have died from rabies after an unfortunate encounter with a black cat.

 

Q: How has your time in the MFA been?

T: Being around my cohort and the graduate faculty here at Bowling Green has been expansive. I’ve encountered new authors, new styles of writing, and I think it has pushed my own writing to be more daring. I’ve also made some lifelong writing buddies who have introduced me to the pleasures of wine tastings. Still debating which was the more important discovery.

 

Q: What makes you want to accept a submission?

T: Tough question—I tend to like a variety of things and styles. But if I’m going to take something, it needs to be great on every single page. I like pieces that pack an emotional punch, and quirky and unusual stories tend to draw me in. It needs to feel fresh and new and shiny!

 

Q: What’s your favorite story/poem MAR has accepted?

T: Maybe it’s my favorite story because it’s the first one I accepted since taking over as Fiction Editor, but “Goon” by Micah Cratty, which will be featured in the next issue. The voice is comically tragic, and so well-crafted that I wanted it immediately, and I still can’t stop thinking about the image of a ditch with cows looking on.

 

Q: What’s the best advice a writer has given you?

T: Probably just to keep writing—something that several writers/mentors have told me. It’s easy to say, ‘I’ll write tomorrow’ when you’re feeling stuck or blocked, but sometimes the reason you don’t want to write a scene is because you’re scared to write it. And those are usually the most important ones. I’d rather write it and revise it than sit there feeling guilty about not writing.

 

Q: Best experience in Bowling Green so far?

T: Seeing my dog try to hide in the neighbor’s cornfields. He thinks he’s so clever.

Interview with Sam Martone, On Fiction No. 3

In this interview, Former fiction editor Lydia Munnell chats with Sam Martone. Martone’s fiction story “Night Watch at the House of Death” appears in Volume XXXVI, issue 1.

I’m interested in the way ideas happen for writers—do stories start with an image or a character or a situation or are they fully formed for you? How about “Night Watch…” in particular? What kicked it off?

For me, it’s usually some glimmer of a concept or image. I’ll stumble across the Wikipedia page on spite houses or build off a pun I made on Twitter. For “Night Watch…” specifically, I think a lot of it came from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. It’s been so long now since I read it, but I’m almost sure there’s a section about bodies being rigged up with bells to ensure they were dead. Not sure if it’s one of his stories-within-the-story or if it was based on an actual past practice, but it certainly got my attention, and from there I placed it in the anachronistic setting and expanded on why one might have to do this with the recently deceased.

In some sense you seem like a project-based writer. Your two chapbooks, for instance, both seem to have been conceived as projects. Is that true? If so, talk about the way that process is similar to or different from writing an individual piece. 

 I definitely do tend to work on things with projects in mind, although I often have too many projects I’m juggling at once, which means nothing gets done, or whatever fragments do get done end up coalescing into a new project. That was kind of the case for the first chapbook (from Corgi Snorkel Press). Some of those stories were conceived as parts of other projects, others were just individual pieces, but they all shared a number of similar concerns and ended up working well together. Thinking toward the greater whole is just how my mind works, but I actually think it’s a bit inhibiting. For example, I’m working on all these stories set in Arizona right now and realizing how repetitive all the talk about the heat and the desert landscape will read when they’re put together. Probably my favorite stories, the stories that have been the most fun to write, were ones totally independent of any bigger plan.

What role does the internet play for you? Video games? (of course I’m thinking of your most recent chapbook here but also stories where it might be less apparent) If these places are particularly fertile why would you say that is? And what about a story like  “Night Watch…” that’s less obviously connected?

 I really love the internet and video games and pop culture/media of all kinds as raw material of sorts for fiction. In large part I think they’re fertile grounds for writing because so many writers actively avoid pop culture and contemporary technology in their stories for fear of dating their work or cheapening it somehow, but I think, for example, a Netflix binge is such a familiar part of most of our lives, that to purposefully exclude that stuff from fiction ends up limiting our ability to write about what it means to be human in the U.S. today. Lately I’m finding that I love fictional works within fiction almost as much as I love the fiction itself. Mike Meginnis’s novel Fat Man and Little Boy depicts these great invented movies throughout the second half of the book. They complement (and eventually connect to) the “real” story very well, but they’re also just an immense pleasure to read on their own. “Night Watch…,” even though it doesn’t talk explicitly about any real-world pop culture, still has a narrator who’s deeply affected and driven by the stories he sees in film. I think that’s what I’m most often interested in, in a lot of my work: how the stories we see in art and entertainment cause us to reinterpret and reconstruct the world around us, for better or worse.

 

You’re an editor at Origami Zoo Press. At MAR we see all kinds of (probably coincidental) trends pop up among submissions and work we read. What are you calling out as trendy right now (for better or worse)?

We’ve been closed for submissions for a while now at Origami Zoo, but I recently served as a guest editor for SmokeLong, which meant I read a week’s worth of subs and selected one story to be published in their weekly installments. Among those submissions, I don’t know if it’s something about the 1,000 word limit, but I received a number of fishing stories. Also a tendency toward one word titles that played with archetypal stories (i.e., “Myth,” “Fairy Tale,” “Urban Legend”).

Now, things I’d like to become trendy is another story: 1) lasers. 2) heists. 3) someone saying “you’re going to want to see this.”

 

“Night Watch at the House of Death” is, at least in part, a story about love and connection and loss. What’s a favorite love story? (please use that apply that label as broadly as you’d like)

I’m pretty drawn to love stories in general, both as a writer and a reader, so this is hard to narrow down, but I think “The Ballad of the Sad Café” by Carson McCullers is my favorite story that pretty explicitly examines love and what it means to love.

 

The monotony of work and the waiting associated with work almost make the world of “Night Watch…” feel like a kind of purgatory. Talk about a terrible job. 

Yeah, it’s interesting you mention this, because a lot of my stories involve narrators working terrible, tedious, but nonetheless life-consuming jobs. Oddly enough, in real life I’ve been fortunate to never really have a particularly monotonous job. Maybe I’d be a bit less fascinated with writing such stories if I actually had to experience it on a daily basis…