Kathy Fish

@kathyfish.bsky.social

8391 Followers 5390 Following

Ploughshares | Best American Nonreq'd | Copper Nickel Editors' Prize | The Norton Reader | ElectricLit | Flash Fiction America | Swamp Pink | Wigleaf | Five Points (forthcoming) | The Art of Flash Fiction https://artofflashfiction.substack.com

Image of Five Points literary journal open to show the top of Stuart Dybek's story, "A White Fire Escape," on the left and my piece, "A Red Paint Pagoda" on the right.
Photo of the 100 or so attendees of the Flash Fiction Festival. They are seated in three rows, smiling, clapping, raising their hands.
Cover of Keyhole Magazine, Issue 5, Fall, 2008 Handwritten Issue with names of contributors: Steve Auscherman, Matt Bell, Aaron Burch, Blake Butler, Kim Chinquee, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, Sherry Flick, Roseanne Griffith, Jenny Hanning, Juligh Howard-Hobson, Stephanie Johnson, Karen Lillis, Dennis Mahagin, Corey Mesler, Kevin Sampsell, Noel Sloboda, Claudia Smith, Kelly Spitzer, Beth Thomas, Laura Van Den Berg, William Walsh, Shellie Zacharia
Journal covers L - R, top: f(r)iction, Night Train, Newfound Journal, Indiana Review, Keyhole, Heavy Feather Review, Keyhole again, bottom: Sleepingfish, Cranky, New South, Yemassee Review, Staccato, Best of the Web anthology, ELJ, Wild Strawberries, Split Lip, Staccato again
Trinity College in Bristol, England. Beautiful brick facade amongst trees, green lawn in the foreground. Blue skies.
Photo of my daughter and me taken outdoors in front of the Denver Art Museum.
Photo of my hand holding "Songs from the Bilmp Ruins" by Pat Foran in front of my window looking out to my back yard. Cover features a simple drawing of a dark sun dripping yellow and a figure with arms raised and a heart on the chest. Title above and author's name below.
1638 A.D. Baroque Painting from Spain: Moses holding the stone tablets on which are written the Ten Commandments
Seven beautiful books laid out on a kitchen counter.
A Reason to Write presents a "Generative Flash Workshop with Kathy Fish Nov. 2-6, 2026 with black & white photos of Kathy Fish, Joy Deva Baglio, Sarah Freligh, & Ellen Weeren. Further info at https://areasontowrite.com/workshops/kathy-fish-2026-workshop/
A shot glass containing gin, next to it is a tall glass filled with ice, tonic water, and a slice of lime on a kitchen counter. The shot glass says "Hobart" in large letters and "another literary journal" in small letters beneath it.
cover of Sara Levine's 2011 chapbook, Short Dark Oracles. Artistic image of a woman whose head is full of colorful fruit and flowers on a dark background featuring title and author name at the top.
Subject line of an email that reads, in all caps: HEY KATHY FISH, STILL THINKING ABOUT US?
I’ve always taught the power of repetition in flash fiction, and flash writers these days use it widely. To me, it helps to create a felt experience in the reader. It gives the feeling of incantation, building on emotion and meaning as it goes. The new generation of flash fiction writers understand repetition is not wasteful if used to its fullest advantage.
The Tilled Field, Joan Miró, 1923-1924
"Anyone’s pantheon of fine short-short fictioneers would include Isaac Babel, Lydia Davis, Barry Yourgrau, Diane Williams, Thomas Bernhard in The Voice Imitator, Robert Walser, Mary Robison, and Czeslaw Milosz in Road Side Dog. To that, I’d add Jayne Anne Phillips, Yasunari Kawabata in his Palm-of-the-Hand tales, Kathy Fish, Etgar Keret, Sherrie Flick, Jamaica Kincaid with her luminescent “Girl,” Spencer Holst in The Zebra Storyteller (which features “On Hope,” one of the most enchanting stories I know), Pamela Painter, the Baudelaire of Paris Spleen, and Richard Brautigan, whose winsome Revenge of the Lawn is my most cherished short-short collection." Gary Lippmann
Basic stock image from overhead perspective of wooden table featuring a laptop, cup of coffee, spectacles, stack of books, woman's hands writing in a notebook.
Photo of Kathy Fish, seated and smiling, wearing teal colored top and large glasses. Text above: "Beauty in brevity: Flash Extravaganza - Day One." Text below: "The Art of Flash Fiction, artofflashfiction.substack.com
Thirteen happy writers (men and women of various ages) standing on the steps of a staircase outside a rustic log cabin in Colorado, Shadowcliff Lodge in Grand Lake. Stone chimney, blue sky, aspen tree in the background.
Photo of Patricia and Mark McCloskey, in St. Louis, pointing guns at demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd, attached to a post on X.com from the Climate Defiance account with text: "Patricia and mark McCloskey brought weapons to a protest. They were honored as keynote speakers at the 2020 RNC.
Cover image of the novel, Kamby Bolongo Mean River" by the author Robert Lopez, featuring a gray green cover and image of a black telephone cord, title in black lettering, author name in white.
Session Description for Originality of Language: Voice, Music, Risk: In this session, we’ll focus on our prose and the sentence itself: voice, diction, rhythm, and word choice. Through craft discussion and close readings, we’ll examine how writers create momentum and intensity, how sound and syntax shape meaning, and how risk at the sentence level opens new possibilities. You’ll write to three prompts designed to loosen habits, heighten attention, and encourage bold choices. This session is ideal for writers who want their prose to feel more alive, precise, and daring.
Selfie of me, bundled up in blue coat and faux fur cap, large blue glasses, with snowy Colorado scene in the background.
Testimonial: “Appreciation post for Kathy Fish- the most incredible flash fiction teacher and all-round amazing human! You have inspired so many stories - and I have just finished your Flash in Motion: Writing with Power and Urgency workshop - and a whole story just poured out of me thanks to your prompts. WOW. You never cease to amaze me with your teaching and I am endlessly grateful!” ~Becs Pearson
About the Series “Originality of Language, Form, and Content: A 3 in 90 Workshop Series” is a three-part series of 90-minute workshops offering a concentrated immersion into originality across craft, encouraging writers to take risks, experiment boldly, and generate new work. While each session can be taken independently, the series as a whole provides a layered, cumulative experience that deepens the overall freshness and verve of your writing.
Photo of me, seated and smiling with my back to a window with sunshine streaming in. Long silver hair and ridiculously large glasses.
Five books by Kathy Fish: Wild Life, Rift (with Robert Vaughan), A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness (containing her chapbook with three other writers'), Together We Can Bury It, and Wild Life: Collected works from 2003-2018.
Me, seated and smiling in my study wearing glasses and a blue and white striped shirt with photos and books and a plant in the background. Sun steaming through the window behind me.
Sunny outdoor selfie of me: a sixty-five year old woman with long gray hair and glasses, wearing a white sun visor, sleeveless tee, and blue weighted vest. Sidewalk, grass, and road behind me.
Pink and purple Northern Lights low in the sky over pine trees in the foreground.
A long dining table covered in printed out story pages.
Flyer describing a residential workshop with Kathy Fish from October 20-24th in Charles Town, West Virginia. Sarah Freligh and Andrew Bertaina are also guest teaching workshops. For more information, email Ellen Weeren at ellen@areasontowrite.com
KATHY FISH: READY! SET! WRITE! September 28, 2025 READY! SET! WRITE! Instructor: Kathy Fish Date: Sept 28, 2025, 2-4 PM ET on Zoom Cost: $60 Have you found yourself terrified and intimidated by the dreaded blank page? It’s a common problem for writers! Choreographer and dancer Twyla Tharp says, “in order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” As a big believer in the value of pre-writing, I have developed several exercises and activities aimed at immersion and deep work before we begin the joyful task of creating new art. The result? Fresh, original drafts of surprising depth and beauty. In this engaging, interactive two-hour session we will begin with a series of fun and interesting activities and prompts that will prime our brains for creative expression.
What can flash writers learn from Kang’s approach? The individual pieces read, many of them, like prose poems, but collectively they form a story. What can you subtract from your work-in-progress? How does negation serve to heighten a sense of loss within the text? When you show the reader what didn’t happen, what does this tell them about what did? How loud is the unspoken? What is missing? What words hang in the air? And what crazy mathematics creates a feeling of more from the act of subtraction?
How Does It Feel? Writing Emotion from The Inside Out Before we can effectively and powerfully render emotion on the page, we must first understand how emotion is experienced. Drawing on the sensory-based approach of Robert Olen Butler and the Stanislavski acting method, I’ll guide you through techniques for conveying powerful emotion in the very limited space of flash fiction. Through a series of prompts and timed exercises, you’ll write from memory and the body, channeling feeling through visceral detail and immersive storytelling. Expect to come away from this workshop with three deeply moving flash drafts in hand. 💲 $60.00 📅 Saturday, September 13, 2025
Screenshot of yet another bogus Keanu Reeves account, showing a background photo of Keanu blowing a kiss and a smaller profile photo of Keanu with bear and mustache. Text: Keanu Charles reeves, follows you. 2 followers, following 48, zero posts. Bio: "I'm not a fighter I'm a lover" with heart and rose emojis.
How Does It Feel? Writing Emotion from The Inside Out Before we can effectively and powerfully render emotion on the page, we must first understand how emotion is experienced. Drawing on the sensory-based approach of Robert Olen Butler and the Stanislavski acting method, I’ll guide you through techniques for conveying powerful emotion in the very limited space of flash fiction. Through a series of prompts and timed exercises, you’ll write from memory and the body, channeling feeling through visceral detail and immersive storytelling. Expect to come away from this workshop with three deeply moving flash drafts in hand. 💲 $60.00 📅 Saturday, September 13, 2025
Kathy's husband hiking up a steep path between trees and large rock formations, under a blue sky.
A Siamese / Snowshoe mix cat sitting on the edge of a floral rug with white paws extended, looking to the camera with very blue eyes.
Thirteen men and women writers, participants in a writing retreat, standing on steps leading from a rustic log cabin chapel on a cliffside in the mountains. A blue sky with white clouds and pine and aspen trees also in the photo.
A rustic non-denominational chapel interior with stained glass and large window looking out to a lake, mountains, trees in Grand Lake, Colorado. Two women writers standing before the windows, looking out.
View of Grand Lake, Colorado. Trees and town in foreground, lake in the background, mountain with pine trees to the left. Big, fluffy clouds in a blue sky.
Cover image of Ross Gay's "The Book of Delights" yellow background with silhouetted images of flowers in pale gray, with red lettering for the title. In white lettering: Study Delight, subtitle "if this isn't nice, what is?" And the link to my newsletter at the bottom:
A bullet list: In these 90 minute live sessions (on Webex, similar to Zoom) you will: Learn new concepts in flash fiction Acquire new flash writing skills & tools Be inspired by the best exemplars of published flash fiction Write to prompts aimed at breaking through writing blocks Innovate with the flash form - Be prepared to surprise yourself! Have a blast writing in a safe and supportive environment
Flyer image from the Art of Flash Fiction Substack featuring a photo of Kathy Fish, with long gray hair, a teal shirt, and huge glasses with a vintage typewriter and fan behind her. White text overlaying that says, "Registration Open! Upcoming Workshops - Early Bird Discount Through August 4th. Available July 28th, 2025. ARTOFFLASHFICTION.SUBSTACK.COM
Nancy Stohlman, seated on a picnic blanket outside Trinity College in Bristol, England, wearing sunglasses and a red patterned sundress, next to Kathy Fish, also in sunglasses, wearing a black top and white pants.
Smiling Kathy Fish who slept eleven hours straight for the first time in years and is ready to teach her workshop at the Flash Fiction Festival. Long gray hair and big glasses, teal dress and jean jacket, striped curtains and a desk in the background.
Image of a woman in profile, blowing on a dandelion, with white overlaid text: Flash Extravaganza Day 19 (for all subscribers): The breath of your prose: punctuating flash fiction (or not) Available July 7th, 2025. artofflashfiction.substack.com
Photo of a blonde woman in a black cocktail dress and heels with a blank gaze sitting on her kitchen floor. Text: Seven Flashes (and one poem) I absolutely love to teach: Part one of my flash hall of fame. Available June 16th, 2025. Artofflashfiction.substack.com
Image of cover for the book Malleable and True: A Hybrid Craft Anthology from Brink Books. The book is white with black text in the center and vertical lines in many colors down the middle.
Upcoming workshop description: While flash is celebrated for its brevity and impact, we rarely pause to consider what makes the very short form truly beautiful. We’ll begin by discussing the concept of “beauty” in writing and analyze examples of some of the most stunning flash stories ever penned. Through thoughtful prompts, you’ll develop your own "eye for beauty," learning how to infuse elegance, emotion, and depth into your micros.
Quote from poet Andrea Gibson: "Whoever you are, and whatever helps, I hope today is a day you are finding the softest way through."
Photo from Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. Waterfall into a pool of water surrounded by tall trees and greenery and moss covered branches.
Photo of a beautiful, large, sprawling home in the distance, taken from a country lane in West Virginia. Green grass and a white fence in the foreground. Blue sky.
Bright orange clouds at sunset in Colorado. Pine trees in the foreground. Blue sky beneath the clouds.
A photo of poet Katherine DiBella Seluja posed sitting on the tailgate of a truck somewhere in the New Mexico countryside. Text in white: Point of Entry: A Conversation with Katherine DiBella Seluja + An Awesome Prompt. Available April 14th, 2025. Artofflashfiction.substack.com
Logo for Kathy Fish's Art of Flash Fiction. A graphic of a salmon colored typewriter with a heart and the words "Art of Flash" on it, and a blue bird with pink breast and beak perched on top facing to the right.
Cute two year old girl with short dark hair and blue eyes on the floor smiling with her new toy bus.
photo of author Joyce Carol Oates in dark tones, seated wearing a purplish sweater, large pendant necklace, one hand curled under her chin, one hand resting on the table, a serious expression on her face.
Quote from Georgia O'Keeffe, white text on a blue background: "I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free."