Online | Fiction | Workshop

Online Fiction Workshop: Finding Your Voice

"I'm of the opinion that workshop experiences are directly influenced by the teacher, and Rachel is warm, involved, and genuine enough to get the class to that nice, comfortable place where everyone more or less vibes off of each other." - former student

We each have our own neuroses, fears, and backgrounds that we bring to the table when we write. In other words, you are not me, and that’s a good thing: at its best, imaginative literature gives us insight into someone else’s brain—lets us see the world from someone else’s eyes. In this class, we’ll focus on crafting fiction—specifically, a short story—that is uniquely yours. In readings, writing exercises, and weekly workshops, we’ll work on cultivating your distinctive voice and language. Not sure what story you should be telling? We’ll figure that out too. And we’ll proceed step by step: from ideas to writing and revising, to putting it out in the world.

Real-time online group discussion will be supplemented with written lecture materials, as well as some exemplary short stories by past and current masters of the form. Each writer will workshop twice, and will meet once with the instructor over FaceTime or Skype for an individual conference.

Rachel Khong

Rachel Khong is the author of the novel Goodbye, Vitamin, forthcoming from Henry Holt in summer 2017, and All About Eggs: Everything We Know About the World’s Most Important Food. From 2011–2016, she was the managing editor and then executive editor of Lucky Peach magazine, where she commissioned and edited both fiction and nonfiction. Her writing has appeared in California SundaySan Francisco ChronicleAmerican Short Fiction, Joyland, Phoebe, and she was the winner of Opium’s 250-word bookmark contest. She has an MFA in fiction from the University of Florida.

Testimonials

"Rachel Khong’s first novel sneaks up on you — just like life, illness, and heartbreak. And love. A million small, human, and often deeply funny details gather force to tell a tale that is ultimately incredibly poignant."

Miranda July author of THE FIRST BAD MAN

"Using wit and pathos, Rachel Khong has created a unforgettable narrator in Ruth, who navigates through the ambient grief of adulthood as she struggles to piece together the myths and memories of her family. Equal parts clever and tender, Khong's VITAMIN is a moving meditation on what it means to patient, forgiving, and human."

Karolina Waclawiak author of THE INVADERS and HOW TO GET INTO THE TWIN PALMS

"Half stand-up comic, half a seismographer of the human heart, Rachel Khong's debut novel gives a moving account of the ways in which illness breaks and remakes bonds. Khong writes with vulnerability and penetrating insight, and with a gentle humor that moves you not only to care for her characters, but also to care more fervently for the people in your life."

Alexandra Kleeman author of INTIMATIONS and YOU TOO CAN HAVE A BODY LIKE MINE

"Wry, swift, spiky, heartfelt prose that is a joy to read. Like Aimee Bender or Amy Hempel, Khong has a knack for the spare, potent and adroitly off-kilter image."

Profile Photo Justin Taylor author of FLINGS and THE GOSPEL OF ANARCHY

"In the years we've spent working together since she first took a chance on me back in 2013, Rachel has probably done more than anyone to shape the way I report and write. More than any editor I've worked with, Rachel has been a real collaborator, investing incredible time and energy to make each story the best, most powerful narrative it can be. Virtually all the best work I've done has gone across Rachel's desk. That's not a coincidence."

Michael Snyder contributor to LUCKY PEACH

"I worked with Rachel Khong on two different essays, both of which appeared in LUCKY PEACH. Rachel's a great communicator and has a true gift in the mysterious and unteachable art of collaboration; to this day I tell anyone who asks that it was my best experience in working with an editor, ever. I also teach writing, and appreciated Rachel's ability to suggest changes to my pieces in a way that was consistently positive and upbeat even when fairly substantial changes were being suggested. In both cases, the final drafts of the essays were much better than the original drafts, and I have Rachel to thank."

Jack Carneal contributor to LUCKY PEACH

"The first piece I worked on with Rachel was four years ago, and it was the longest and most challenging piece I have done in my career. I had to touch on the themes of camping in the jungle, taxidermy of exotic birds, food, and gender, and needless to say the first draft was a mess. Instead of rewriting the piece, Rachel took the far more laborious route of asking questions and making organizational nudges. With her help, I was able to craft something of which I was truly proud. Since then, we have collaborated on many pieces. Rachel is a champion of all her writers, a compassionate soul and an articulate speaker. She is an extraordinary writer herself; her prose is disciplined, witty, and beautifully calibrated between light and bleak. She is possessed with a dazzling amount of knowledge. An essay of Rachel’s that will continue to stay with me involves astronauts, meals on Mars, psychopharmacology, and an unflinchingly funny portrait of herself. Finally, Rachel is blessed with an uncanny ear. It gives her, as a journalist, an extraordinary ability to bring every subject she touches to life. As an editor, it makes her attuned to the distinct voices of her writers; what is more, she has the patience to distill her each writer’s voice and vision and craft it into the best piece of prose on the writer’s own terms. Working with Rachel while being able to read her work has been a learning experience, and one that I devoutly hope will continue long into the future."

Mei Chin contributor to LUCKY PEACH