A few weeks ago in Chicago, at AWP (Associated Writing Program), a conference attracting more than 9,000 attendees and more than 550 publishers, hundreds of participants attended a panel on the short-short.

Everyone wanted to know more about this form: who’s writing, teaching, and publishing it? Fast becoming a popular genre, the literary community is asking the question: how do you write a flash, sudden, mini piece? 

For four years, I’ve been teaching We Like Short-Shorts! at The Loft Literary Center, a class that answers those very questions.

My students enjoy working with this compressed, challenging structure and we hope you'll get as excited as we are to read and write short-shorts this spring. 

If you're looking for inspiration, here is a fine example of a 100-word short story from one of my current students, George Bernhardt:

Coconuts

Throwing a rock, it disappears in the palms, reappearing when it lands at his feet.

Throwing his machete, it spins smoothly, whack, the trees’ trunk hurling it back with a dangerous wobble.

Tied to a stick with his shoelace, the machete becomes a spear. Deflecting off the fruit, before flying into the brush.

A line of women, baskets balanced on their heads, watch, trying not to laugh.

His other shoelace fastens another stick, on tip-toes, the long pole with the machete tip scratches the coconuts.

Jumping, sawing, poking, yanking. Coconuts bounce in the grass.

The women nod with approval.

Try your hand at writing a compelling story of 100 words or less and send us your entry. (Story titles are not included in the word count.)

Submission deadline: April 4, 2012. 

First, second and third place winners will be announced April 11, 2012. Once again, the prize will be a surprise short-short something.

Contest guidelines: Only Minnesota writers can submit. Only one short-short by an individual will be accepted. Your short-short must be under 100 words. Please put your last name and short-short contest in the subject line of the email. Include your name, address, telephone number, email address, word count and a brief biography (up to 150 words). Send your entry — in the body of the email, or as an attachment — to mbarrett [at] minnpost [dot] com. The file must be saved in Word.

Marge Barrett has published prose and poetry in numerous print and online journals and in The Best of the Web 2009 and The State We’re In. Her chapbook of poetry, My Memoir Dress, was published in 2011. She received an MFA from the University of Minnesota, creative work awards from St. Catherine University and grants to writing programs in Prague and St. Petersburg. Currently she teaches various writing workshops and at The Loft Literary Center.