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THE CLASSROOM CORNER

We often hear from creative writing instructors that they find CRAFT to be very useful in the classroom. We listened, and we've made this corner as a quick resource, a curated list of some of our favorites. This list is NOT exhaustive—our pages are full of short fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, critical essays, interviews, roundups of all things literary, and more. This is a handy place to start!

We will continually update this list, so check back when making those syllabi, and for quick inspiration anytime.

alt text: image is the book cover for CHOUETTE by Claire Oshetsky; title card for the new hybrid interview between Cavar Sarah and Claire Oshetsky

Hybrid Interview: Claire Oshetsky

November 1, 2022

  Essay by Cavar Sarah • I have never understood the fear of birds. “Because they are so far from us,” I am told by well-meaning humans. “Because we lack ways to tell what they are feeling.” I try to…

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alt image: image is a gray and blue book cover for ISADORA; title card for Melissa Benton Barker's new interview with Amelia Gray

Interview: Amelia Gray

October 7, 2022

  The editors at CRAFT are thrilled to welcome Amelia Gray as the guest judge of our 2022 Amelia Gray 2K Contest, which is open to microfiction, flash fiction, and prose poetry pieces under two thousand words. Gray is a…

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alt text: image is a purple and pink book cover image for PATHOLOGICAL by Sarah Fay; title card for Sadaf Ferdowsi's new interview with Sarah Fay

Conversations Between Friends: Sadaf Ferdowsi and Sarah Fay

October 5, 2022

  In the winter of 2014, Sadaf Ferdowsi took a creative nonfiction class taught by Dr. Sarah Fay. A longtime contributor at The Paris Review, Fay taught her the interview form while instilling a healthy suspicion on the limits of…

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alt text: image is a photograph of black tires in a matrix against a white background; title card for the craft essay "Wisdom and Wisdom Teeth: Against Relatability" by Karen Babine

Wisdom and Wisdom Teeth: Against Relatability

September 30, 2022

  “The human life is individual; it is not unique.” —Bee Yang, via Kao Kalia Yang “There are two types of people in the world: them who have and them who will.” —Dad By Karen Babine • Over the years,…

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alt text: image is two book covers, HEALING CIRCLE and SUE MELL; title card for a conversation between Coco Picard and Sue Mell

Conversations Between Friends: Coco Picard and Sue Mell

September 26, 2022

  Consider the personal effects one leaves behind, the way those objects, once laid out, recall the idiosyncratic logic of a life—is there more compelling inspiration for a novel? Authors Coco Picard and Sue Mell met through the BookEnds SUNY…

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alt text: image is a colorful book cover for THIS DISCONNECT; title card for Tyler Barton's new interview with Roisin Kiberd

Hybrid Interview: Roisin Kiberd

September 6, 2022

Essay by Tyler Barton • Someone recently asked me why I set many short stories in the aughts. It’s true that I have a fascination with those years because they were my formative ones, ones in which I was not…

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alt text: image is a color photograph of textured orange stripes; title card for the craft essay "Against Twists" by Vera Kurian

Against Twists

August 30, 2022

  By Vera Kurian • How I wish I could go back and watch The Sixth Sense for the first time again, because when I first saw it, someone had already revealed the twist to me. In retrospect, it was…

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alt text: image is the color book cover for YOU NEVER GET IT BACK; title card for Samantha Dilling's new interview with Cara Blue Adams

Hybrid Interview: Cara Blue Adams

August 15, 2022

  Essay by Sam Dilling • Cara Blue Adams’s debut short story collection, You Never Get It Back, is a nuanced portrait of love, loss, and longing. The stories follow the life of Kate Bishop, the central character, from childhood,…

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alt text: image is the color book cover for WHAT'S LEFT TO LEARN; title card for Suzanne Roberts's new interview with Al Landwehr

Conversations Between Friends: Suzanne Roberts and Al Landwehr

August 2, 2022

  In 1992, when I was twenty-two and nearing graduation with a degree in biology, I somehow talked my advisor into letting me replace technical writing with a course in fiction to fulfill my requirements. That’s how I met Al…

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alt text: image is a color photograph of a few birds flying in an overcast sky; title card for the craft essay "Art of the Opening: Microcosm to Macrocosm" by Albert Liau

Art of the Opening: Microcosm to Macrocosm

July 25, 2022

  How “The Ghost Birds” Spreads Its Wings after Taking the Leap By Albert Liau • How does a story begin to enchant us? When speaking with First Draft host Mitzi Rapkin, Richard Powers seems to suggest an answer: “You…

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