by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
When The Masters Review selected Christina Berke's flash nonfiction piece "Wolf" for their prestigious New Voices section, readers encountered a work the editors described as "a small, beautiful moment...rendered tragic with a flash forward." In under six hundred words, Christina achieved what many writers spend years striving for: a piece that moves seamlessly between tenderness and devastation, using second person to pull readers directly into the experience.
Christina is a Chilean-American writer and educator whose work has appeared in The Sun, Khora, Off Assignment, Teen Vogue, and other notable publications. Her memoir manuscript, Well, Body, has been longlisted for Disquiet Literary International and the Miami Emerging Writers Contest, and was named a finalist in Fractured Lit. She has received support from an extraordinary roster of writing institutions, including Tin House, VONA, Sewanee Writers, Juniper, Hedgebrook (as the Carol Shields Residency Fellow), Storyknife, Vermont Studio Center, and Ragdale. Perhaps most notably, she attended Bread Loaf as the Katharine Bakeless Nason Nonfiction Winner, a distinction that marks her as one of the most promising voices in contemporary nonfiction.
Christina has been part of the WritingWorkshops.com community since 2023, continuing to hone her craft alongside our expert instructors. She has explored multiple dimensions of the writing life through our courses, including a 1-Day Online Fiction Master Class: Exploring Strategies for Story Beginnings with Karen E. Bender, where she studied the art of crafting compelling openings—a skill clearly evident in "Wolf," which hooks readers immediately. She also enrolled in Writing Essays About Travel & Food with Diana Spechler, expanding her range across genres and forms.
What makes Christina's work so striking is her ability to transform personal material into universal experience. In "Wolf", she weaves together childhood memory, family tragedy, and the strange elasticity of time through the deceptively simple frame of a father teaching his daughter to feed fish. The editors noted how she "brings the story full-circle with the last unsettling paragraph," demonstrating the kind of structural sophistication that comes from years of dedicated study and practice.
The Masters Review holds a special place in the literary landscape. Their mission is to support emerging writers, and their New Voices section showcases work that represents the best of contemporary short-form writing. For Christina's flash nonfiction to earn a place alongside such carefully curated work speaks to both her talent and her commitment to the craft.
Christina's trajectory offers inspiration for writers at every stage. Even with an impressive list of fellowships and residencies to her name, she continues to seek out learning opportunities and invest in her development. Her success reminds us that growth as a writer is a lifelong pursuit, and that every workshop, every master class, every hour spent studying craft contributes to the work we ultimately produce.
We're proud to count Christina Berke among our WritingWorkshops.com alumni and can't wait to see what she accomplishes next. With her memoir manuscript Well, Body already generating significant recognition, we have no doubt that her name will continue appearing in the pages of prestigious publications for years to come.
Ready to start your own writing journey? Explore our online creative writing workshops and join a community of dedicated writers learning from acclaimed instructors. Whether you're crafting your first story or polishing a manuscript, our courses offer the expert guidance and supportive environment that help writers like Christina achieve their publishing dreams.
