Write Short Stories That Move in this Five-Day Deep Dive into Short Story Craft

April 22–26, 2026, Patricia Henley returns to Wordcrafters to lead a Short Story Intensive for writers ready to go deeper.

This is a craft-forward, generative, revision-minded workshop. You’ll complete reading assignments before the intensive so that when we gather, we can jump right into the work: exploring the shape of short stories, writing thumbnail characterizations, identifying the protagonist’s desire that drives the story forward, and using setting and sense of place as active elements on the page—not just scenery.

What you can expect
-Pre-workshop reading assignments to ground our conversations in craft
-A focused dive into short story shape and structure
-Techniques for writing vivid “thumbnail” characterizations
-Practical ways to clarify your protagonist’s desire (and raise the stakes)
-Strategies for making place and setting do real narrative work
-A revision toolkit: questions, language, and methods you can reuse on every draft

This intensive is for you if…
-You love short stories (or want to) and want stronger control of the form
-You have drafts that need direction, not vague “keep going” energy
-You’re ready to revise with intention and craft vocabulary—not vibes

What you’ll take home with you
-A short story draft (or two!) that you’ll compose over the course of four days
-A developed story-telling voice
-The knowledge of how to craft short stories
-Insight and information on publishing your work
-An experience of community with like-hearted writers

Daily Schedule

Wednesday, April 22
-4:30 – 6 pm: check in, introductions, short story overview at the studio
-6 pm: Welcome dinner at Jazzy Ladies)

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, April 23-25
-10 am to Noon: morning session
-Noon to 3 pm: Writing time in the studio/free time
-3-5 pm: afternoon session
-TBA: A reading/talk with Patricia at a really cool venue (we’re hoping Hodge Podge Books!)

Sunday, April 26
-10 am to Noon: final session
-Noon: farewells

Price: $649

Pricing info: Our classes and events are priced at their actual cost to run.

If paying the full price would keep you from joining us, use the code ACCESS at checkout to reduce your registration amount by 20%—no questions asked. If you’re a Wordcrafters member, use code MEMBERACCESS.

If the full price is within your means, please leave the ACCESS code for those who truly need it.

If you’re able, you can add a donation during registration to support our scholarship fund.

Scholarship info: We want everyone to have access to our writing programs. If you need additional support, please complete our scholarship request form: https://wordcrafters.org/scholarships/

Your instructor
Patricia Henley is the author of three novels, five collections of stories, two chapbooks of poetry, and a stage play. Her first novel, Hummingbird House, was a finalist for the National Book Award and The New Yorker Fiction Prize. Haywire Books published a 20th Anniversary Edition of Hummingbird House in November, 2019. Her short fiction has appeared in The Atlantic, Ploughshares, The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and other journals. Her first collection of stories, Friday Night at Silver Star (Graywolf), won the Montana First Book Award. Her work has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, Circle of Women, The Last Best Place, and other anthologies. Apple & Palm, her collection of linked stories, is forthcoming from Cornerstone Press in 2026. For 26 years she taught in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Purdue University. She teaches a monthly Zoom workshop for women writers and lives in Kingston, Washington.