The Prompt: Choose a song that mattered to you at sixteen (or invent one, if you prefer). Write a braided piece (900–1,100 words) that alternates between: You may quote no more than one lyric, and it must be six words or fewer. Include one sentence that appears exactly three times in the piece, unchanged each time. (Place it … Read moreCar Wash
The writing prompt: A group of friends breaks into a museum to steal a single, legendary macaroni noodle. Write a one-page comedic story about what happens when they find out why it was locked away. &&& Three thieves crept quietly up narrow, spiraling flights of dark, urine-soaked stairs. Inside a tiny attic room waited a … Read moreThe Great Macaroni Heist
The writing prompt: write a one-page scene in the style of the “Valley Heat” podcast, but set in your own neighborhood (or an imagined one). Keep the tone deadpan, hyper-local, and lightly absurd. The narrator should be convinced that a small, mundane neighborhood issue is part of a much larger and deeply important investigation. Include at least … Read moreMoth Pie
The prompt: Begin with the line: “I didn’t realize how loud the silence would be.” Write a short piece of exactly 7 sentences. “I didn’t realize how loud the silence would be,” McGuffin said, looking wistfully out his window at the brick wall of the neighboring building. Speaking of,” Herring said, “my wheels have been squeaking lately, … Read moreMellow Drama
The prompt:One morning, you (or your narrator) wake up with the tail of a completely different animal. It’s not a curse—it’s paperwork. Write a 250-word (or so) story or prose poem tracing the bureaucratic process of trying to return it. “It’s not so bad,” Gilford offered, “I’m sure it will come in handy.” Gilford made … Read moreAll’s Well That Ends Well
The writing prompt: Misguided Guide Write a 200-word how-to manual for something that should never, under any circumstances, have a manual (examples: how to sneeze politely, how to make friends with a cloud, how to get rid of a hiccup that’s actually a ghost).
Writing prompt: Write a postcard message sent from a place no one could possibly visit (inside a snow globe, tomorrow’s sunset, the bottom of a teacup, etc.). Include at least one cliché postcard phrase like “Wish you were here” or “The weather is lovely.” So glad I joined the crew! Did you know water down … Read moreUNDER PRESSURE
It was mid-December, and the morning announcements spoke of a lunch hour pep rally for the upcoming basketball game. They also mentioned the judging of the annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest at the end of the week in which each homeroom decorated their door to reflect a Christmas theme. My homeroom was choir, and my … Read morePep Rally Poison
1918 Midwestern farm bank Greek revival In white brick Oversized windows Brightened the space Until in 1929 Everything went dark Decades later Out of bankruptcy limbo A ready return to the marketplace A barber college Then an upholstery shop A daycare A carpet store A judo studio A vape shop Until in the go-go Subprime … Read moreThe Indignity of Aging
Firm flesh Papery skin Dropped in the crisper For an eventual Soup or sauté Rolls to the back Forgotten Cold Dark Waiting Flesh softens Sprouts appear Weeks pass The onion a time buoy Finally discovered I snap awake In realization I need more onions