This month's edition of The Writer (December 2009) has full-page review of The Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teacher, and Writers in the Field. The highly positive review is by Amy Wallen and I am so pleased and fortunate that I got a mention in the review for my own article ("The Myth-ing Link").

A short quote from the review by Amy Wallen:
"All writers of flash fiction-- not just those interested in trying out the form--should own this book. The essays provide inspiration and a variety of perspectives. The sample stories, as a collection, represent the diversity of this genre. The exercises, on the other hand, separate the practical teachers of the bunch from the more esoteric writers who don't know exactly how to explain how they write." (p.44)

And there's more good news about the collection.

We received a *starred* rating from Publisher's Weekly Online http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6676893.html?industryid=47159

And the collection made the Best Seller List for Small Press Distribution http://www.spdbooks.org/pages/bestsellers/nonfiction/default.aspx

See a recent review by Jake Freivald, editor of FlashFictionOnline http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090903-review-field-guide-writing-flash-fiction-jake-freivald.html

Order your copy at http://www.rosemetalpress.com/Catalog/Field%20Guide_more.html

Review Snips for Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction

To order your copy go to http://www.rosemetalpress.com/Catalog/Field%20Guide_more.html

Snip of Review by Sophie Powell:
http://fictionwritersreview.com:80/reviews/the-rose-metal-press-field-guide-to-writing-flash-fiction-tips-from-editors-teachers-and-writers-in-the-field-edited-by-tara-l-masih

"As a creative writing professor at Boston College, I frequently use collections of flash fiction, stories which usually run 1000 words or less. Given time limitations and the varying writing experience of my students, these versatile, word-limited pieces are a very approachable and satisfying form to work within. However, I always find myself floundering about when I try to explain and define this genre for the first time. As Pamelyn Casto, one of the thought-provoking, inspiring contributors, puts it: "Flash fiction is difficult if not impossible to define--and should be allowed to remain so--because this type of writing is protean. It takes takes on various shapes and uses different strategies to achieve its goals." This is why this collection is so successful, and so essential, to anyone in the field of short fiction who teaches, writes, and is interested in its history and practice. These essays are probing and explorative rather than reductive and constrictive. A true 'field guide' in spirit, I came away thoroughly more equipped to teach and write short fiction in a richer, more illuminating way."
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Snip of Review by Miriam Kotzin
www.percontra.net/15fieldguide.htm

"Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction is destined to be a best seller. It's a valuable resource not only for writers and teachers of creative writing, but for readers who want to deepen their understanding of this popular form."
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Snip of Review by Jacky Taylor
http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com:80/2009/07/field-guide-to-writing-flash-fiction.html

"Collectively, the twenty five essays contained here explore the different facets of writing good flash fiction and such a prismatic approach reveals much of the art to writing the very best of them. The authors, many distinguished and multi-award winners amongst them, are all actively engaged in the form as either writers, teachers or editors - some in all three - and precisely because of this experience, they don't mess around but go straight to the heart of what they want to say. Each focuses on an aspect of either writing, teaching or editing flash fiction and, as forceful advocates of the form, what they convey is frequently eloquent, often illuminating, always passionate."
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Snip from Everyday Fiction
http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/category/review

A useful, intelligent addition to the discussion of flash fiction, Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction manages to give readers what they want to know about flash fiction without limiting the genre with "strict definitions."

Flash Fiction Course (Online)

I'll be teaching the next online flash fiction course starting on September 14, 2009. The four-week course always fills quickly so if you plan to sign on, do it soon (the number of participants is limited). To sign up go to
http://www.flashquake.org:80/online-classes/flash-fiction.html

Got my copy of Rose Metal Press Field Guide To Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field (Tara Masih, Editor. Brookline, MA: Rose Metal Press, 2009). The collection of articles on writing flash fiction is outstanding. I am also grateful to the fine writer, Robert Hill Long, for providing me with an outstanding example piece for my own article (on using myth to write flash fiction). To order your copy go to
http://www.rosemetalpress.com/Catalog/Field%20Guide_more.html

I'll be posting some reviews on the collection quite soon.

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field (Tara Masih, editor)

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field is ready for pre-orders!

Be sure to go to http://www.rosemetalpress.com/Catalog/catalog.html to place your order now. (The publication should be available in May.)

I'm very excited about seeing my own article within (on using myth for creating flash fiction) and am eager to read the articles written by all the other writers. These are the fine writers who have articles in the collection:

Steve Almond
Rusty Barnes
Randall Brown
Mark Budman
Stace Budzko
Robert Olen Butler
Ron Carlson
Pamelyn Casto
Kim Chinquee
Stuart Dybek
Pia Z. Ehrhardt
Sherrie Flick
Vanessa Gebbie
Tom Hazuka
Nathan Leslie
Michael Martone
Julio Ortega
Pamela Painter
Jayne Anne Phillips
Jennifer Pieroni
Shouhua Qi
Bruce Holland Rogers
Robert Shapard
Deb Olin Unferth
Lex Williford

Will post more info when I get it. But this is a collection serious writers of flash fiction will definitely want to have, so pre-order now to make sure you get your copy.

Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Writing is a four volume collection of well-researched articles on various types of contemporary literature. (Edited by Ken Womack, Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut & London, 2008).

I'm pleased with my own article on flash fiction (about 8,000 words)
and impressed with all the other articles. Each of the 80-plus articles by experts in the type are carefully researched and all follow the structure of Definition, History, Trends and Themes, Contexts and Issues, Reception, Selected Authors, Bibliography, and Further Reading (each article is 7,500-plus words).

This encyclopedia of contemporary literatures and reading practices merges conventional forms of text with unconventional types in a myriad of ways and each article provides the finer points of each type.

Here are just some article titles I find fascinating (including in-depth
discussions of many types of writing I was not that familiar with).

Magical Realism
Terrorism Fiction
Verse Novels
Transrealist Fiction
GLBTQ Literature
Language Poetry
Latino American Literature
Philological Thrillers
Road Fiction
Asian American Literature
Academic Fiction
Arab American Literature
Cyberpunk
Native American Literature
Literary Journalism
Manga and Anime
(plus many more articles I've not explored yet).

The retail price of this four-volume encyclopedia might be outside the budget of a lot of writers, but asking the local library to order the collection is also a possibility. Writers in general would gain a lot from reading these articles.

Now I'll get back to exploring it more myself. More info another time.

BOOKS AND BEYOND: THE GREENWOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW AMERICAN READING (Ken Womack, Editor, four volumes, hardcover, 2008).

I recently got the news that my 7,500-word (plus) article on flash fiction that's to be part of a four-volume work on contemporary American fiction will be released in October, 2008. The title of the project is BOOKS AND BEYOND: THE GREENWOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW AMERICAN READING.

The Amazon site (where they're taking preorders) says: "each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a definition of the genre, an overview of its history, a look at trends and themes, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading." It also says, "More than 80 alphabetically arranged entries summarize the state of popular literature in America today."

You can see the other details at :
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Beyond-Four-Volumes-Encyclopedia/dp/0313337381/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218401206&sr=1-2

It was a tough job researching and writing the article (took a long time, too), but I'm pleased with how it turned out. So many people were so helpful in providing me with good information--especially Kent Dixon, Robert Shapard,and Jessica Treat thank you so much, Kent, Robert, and Jessica for all the wonderful material you sent me. I'm looking forward to seeing all four volumes of the Greenwood Encyclopedia in October.

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field_ Edited by Tara L. Masih (and due for release/ publication in Spring 2009).

Happy day for me because last night I got the final edits for an article I wrote that will be included in the above anthology. The collection will be on preorder next winter at www.rosemetalpress.com

That was a tough article to write but it turned out quite well. I certainly worked hard enough on it! The editor agrees and that's important too. It was a challenging article to write since I had to come up with my personal/ working definition of flash fiction, had to explain effective techniques for writing it, had to come up with story prompts, and had to have an example story to illustrate what I am saying/ explaining in thearticle. The fine writer, Robert Hill Long, provided my example story so I was happy to get an outstanding one to use.

Anyway, I got lots of fine compliments from the editor so I'm very pleased. It feels good to think you've done a good job and then have it confirmed by the editor.

My topic, by the way, is metamorphosing myth to create short-short fiction.

I'm also exceedingly pleased about the company I'll be with in the anthology. Along with my article there will also be articles by Robert Olen Butler, Sherrie Flick, David Martone, Jayne Anne Phillips, Deb Olin Unferth, Ron Carlson, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Julio Ortega, Bruce Holland Rogers, Pamela Painter, Robert Shapard, and many other fine writers (25 writers in all).

Now... if only my 7,500-word article that's to be part of a four-volume work on contemporary American fiction would also be released soon. It's to be published in England and distributed to colleges and high school throughout the U.S. and Canada. These things take so much time to finally see light of day. But that's okay... hopefully I'll still be around to see it in print when it's finally published. (I expect that will be late next year or early the following year.)

But at least now I can concentrate again on the anthology I'm compiling with Jessica Treat and Lawrence Greenberg. We have some really outstanding stories from some extraordinary writers (this is a by invitation only project and we convinced the best of the best to submit stories). Talk about something that takes a lot of time, though!