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Screenshot 2025-12-16 at 1.32.48 PM.png

Writing Short Fiction with Jillian Jackson

$400.00


8 Week Course
Tuesdays 6-8PM
April 21st - June 9th 2026

During this workshop, we will explore the essentials of short fiction and ask ourselves - what makes a short story a short story? Through our reading, writing, and discussions, we will challenge our assumptions and discover - or rediscover - what we consider to be the defining characteristics of the genre. We will develop a shared vocabulary that will shape our feedback to each other and provide us with the building blocks to write our stories in a way that empowers us to realize our creative visions. In workshop sessions, we will utilize a writer-centered approach inspired by Matthew Salesses’ Craft in the Real World to help each writer best achieve their specific goals for their stories. 

Over the course of eight weeks, we will read work from writers such as Lucia Berlin, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Helen Oyeyemi, Laura van den Berg, Denis Johnson, Miranda July, and Alexander Chee. You can expect to devote a few hours per week outside of class to reading course materials and providing written comments for your peers. 

The goal is to write and/or revise two complete short stories (no more than 20 pages each). You will leave the workshop with detailed written feedback on your stories, a stronger sense of yourself as a writer, and a deepened appreciation for what short stories can really do.


8 Week Course
Tuesdays 6-8PM
April 21st - June 9th 2026

During this workshop, we will explore the essentials of short fiction and ask ourselves - what makes a short story a short story? Through our reading, writing, and discussions, we will challenge our assumptions and discover - or rediscover - what we consider to be the defining characteristics of the genre. We will develop a shared vocabulary that will shape our feedback to each other and provide us with the building blocks to write our stories in a way that empowers us to realize our creative visions. In workshop sessions, we will utilize a writer-centered approach inspired by Matthew Salesses’ Craft in the Real World to help each writer best achieve their specific goals for their stories. 

Over the course of eight weeks, we will read work from writers such as Lucia Berlin, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Helen Oyeyemi, Laura van den Berg, Denis Johnson, Miranda July, and Alexander Chee. You can expect to devote a few hours per week outside of class to reading course materials and providing written comments for your peers. 

The goal is to write and/or revise two complete short stories (no more than 20 pages each). You will leave the workshop with detailed written feedback on your stories, a stronger sense of yourself as a writer, and a deepened appreciation for what short stories can really do.

About Jillian

Jillian Jackson is a writer and teacher who has taught writing throughout the greater Boston area. Her short fiction has appeared in the Iowa Review, the New Ohio Review, and the Mississippi Review, among others. Her story “A Leo, Like Jackie O” was cited as a distinguished story in The Best American Short Stories 2019. She earned her MFA from Boston University. She lives in Providence, RI with her husband and three daughters.

Scholarship

We are proud to offer a fully funded seat in each of our classes. To apply, send a cover letter and CV to info@littleniceworkshop.com and include the class you’d like to attend in the subject line.