Writing Flash Nonfiction — One-Day Online Nonfiction Intensive with Robert Anthony Siegel on Saturday, February 6th, 2027
Writing Flash Nonfiction Workshop: The Micro-Essay in a Day | February 2027 Online
Writing Flash Nonfiction: A One-Day Zoom Intensive with Robert Anthony Siegel
Live Seminar via Zoom on Saturday, February 6, 2027
Class will meet once, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
🌍 Class Times by Time Zone:
- Los Angeles (PST): 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Chicago (CST): 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- New York (EST): 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- London (GMT): 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Berlin (CET): 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Now Enrolling!
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.
Can't make it live? No problem. The session will be recorded and available to watch after the seminar concludes.
Instructor Robert Anthony Siegel is the author of a memoir, Criminals, and two novels, All Will Be Revealed and All the Money in the World. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Paris Review, The Drift, The Oxford American, and Ploughshares, and has been anthologized in Best American Essays 2023, O. Henry Stories 2014, and Pushcart Prize XXXVI. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop.
Who is this class for?
This one-day online nonfiction workshop is open to all levels of experience, with no preparation needed. It is designed for memoirists, essayists, and curious writers of any stripe who want to start exploring the creative possibilities of flash nonfiction. Come ready to talk, ask questions, write short in-class exercises, and share with the group.
What to expect:
We all know flash fiction, the super-short story form that leans on voice and image to capture a moment of imaginative inspiration. But what about flash's nonfiction counterpart, sometimes called the micro-essay or the micro-memoir? Just a page or two in length, flash nonfiction is quick and easy to learn, yet endlessly rich and challenging to practice, perfect for the memoirist looking to capture a telling moment of lived experience, or the essayist bent on making a point in the most concentrated form possible. These pieces can stand alone, be lined up to form longer narratives, or grouped together around theme or subject matter.
In this five-hour live Zoom writing class, we will talk about how the genre works, read a variety of published examples displaying different approaches to form, and generate work of our own through in-class exercises, sharing our writing with the group as time permits. We will also discuss further reading and publishing opportunities for flash nonfiction writers.
What are the writing goals?
In this course, students will draft at least four short pieces of flash nonfiction through in-class exercises, share work aloud with the group as time allows, and leave with a list of ideas for ten more pieces to write at home. The seminar is generative and discussion-based; feedback happens live in the session.
COURSE OUTLINE
Over the five hours on Saturday, February 6, students will:
- Read published examples of flash nonfiction
- Write in-class exercises
- Share work with the group
Along the way, the class will cover the importance of voice, the power of image and metaphor, and the relationship between text and subtext.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- At least four in-class exercises to take home and revise
- A list of ideas for ten more flash nonfiction pieces
- A working understanding of voice, image, metaphor, and subtext in the micro-essay
- Information about further reading and publishing opportunities
TESTIMONIALS:
"Full of richly drawn characters and jolting plot twists—Glasser's time behind bars is especially chilling—Siegel's debut novel works both as a parable of how quickly the high and mighty can fall, and as gripping drama. 'Money' well spent."
— New York Post on All the Money in the World
"Early in this novel, there is a wonderful scene—rich with embarrassment—in which Louis Glasser, the altogether unlikely hero, helps his Harvard-educated son buy a new suit. The son's fortunes founder, but that's nothing compared to the perils that overwhelm his father—a lawyer who operates on the margins and becomes the target of a criminal investigation. Siegel's … portraits (loving and otherwise) of the Glassers, New York prosecutors, and various lowlifes are right on the money."
— The New Yorker on All the Money in the World
"...Well-turned and elegant...Gloriously complex..."
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution on All Will Be Revealed
"...A richly detailed and seedily seductive narrative."
— Publishers Weekly on All Will Be Revealed
"Robert's unique skill as a teacher comes from his enthusiasm not only for talking, which is present in many talented professors, but for listening... He has a reputation for being the best kind of teacher: generous, knowledgeable, demanding, and always at the ready with excellent advice."
— Former Student
"The level of discourse was challenging and interesting and I think part of the reason for that was the casual atmosphere of discussion, fostered by Robert. When people are allowed to speak in an open, non-threatening environment, wonderful things happen."
— Former Student
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Tuition is $150 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.
ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:
- Instructor: Robert Anthony Siegel
- Live Seminar via Zoom on Saturday, February 6, 2027
- Class will meet once, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
- Tuition is $150 USD.
- The session will be recorded and available to watch after the seminar concludes.