Let's Deconstruct a Story

Kelly Fordon talks to Noley Reid about her story "Coming Back" on Split Lip Magazine available here or at www.kellyfordon.com/blog . Noley Reid’s third book is the novel Pretend We Are Lovely from Tin House Books. Her fourth book, a collection of stories called Origami Dogs , is forthcoming from Autumn House Press. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Southern Review , The Rumpus , Arts &am...

Jeff Vande Zande discusses his story, "Load," with host, Kelly Fordon. "Load" was first published in Fiction Circus:   http://fictioncircus.com/story.php?storyid=load and later in his short story collection, "The Neighborhood Division." Please read the story first before listening to our discussion. The PDF is available at www.kellyfordon.com/blog . BIO: Jeff Vande Zande teaches fiction writing, s...

Wendy Rawlings discusses her story, "Coffins for Kids," with host, Kelly Fordon. "Coffins for Kids" was first published in The Kenyon Review https://soundcloud.com/the-kenyon-review/coffins-for-kids-by-wendy-rawlings-read-by-allison-hetzel , and later in her 2019 short story collection, "Time for Bed" (LSU). Please read the story first before listening to our discussion. The PDF is available at ww...

Kelly Fordon and Susan Perabo discuss Susan's story, This is Not That Story. The story is available in The Sun Magazine and linked on Kelly Fordon's blog. Bio: Susan Perabo’s most recent books are The Fall of Lisa Bellow  (2017) and  Why They Run the Way They Do (2016),  both from Simon & Schuster .  Her fiction has been anthologized in  Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories,  an...

Abide by Ellen Birkett Morris published July 2021 Seven Kitchens Press . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsdeconstructastory.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to "Let's Deconstruct a Story" where we read a story and then "deconstruct" it with the author. In order to get the most out of our interview, please read Treena Thibodeau's story first here: www.kellyfordon.com/blog . Treena Thibodeau's work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Rumpus, Atticus Review, Able Muse, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Pithead Chapel, and Barrelhouse. The director of the online...

Welcome to "Let's Deconstruct a Story!" This week I'm talking to Wandeka Gayle about a story called "Prodigal" from her new collection, "Motherland and other Stories." First, please read "Prodigal" by Wandeka Gayle And then enjoy our discussion! Kelly Fordon Bio: Wandeka Gayle is a Jamaican writer, visual artist, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Spelman College and the author of  Motherl...

Kelly Fordon talks to Esperanza Cintrón about her award-winning collection, Shades, Detroit Love Stories, a collection of interconnected short stories published by Wayne State University Press (2019). The conversation focuses on the first story, "The Beard." To read the story please visit www.kellyfordon.com/blog . For more about Esperanza Cintrón, please visit her website here: http://esperanzaci...

Joseph Harris and Kelly Fordon discuss the first book from Harris's thrilling interconnected narrative, You’re in the Wrong Place. Charles Baxter stated that "Joseph Harris has a particular feeling for the Detroit suburbs and the slightly stunted lives of the young people there. . . . You’re in the Wrong Place isn’t uniformly downbeat—there are all sorts of rays of hope that gleam toward the end."...

Please read Rachel's story, Advice for the Haunted, on my website before listening to us "deconstructing" it. https://kellyfordon.com/2020/10/31/rachel-swearingen/ Rachel Swearingen  is the author of How to Walk on Water and Other Stories , winner of the 2018 New American Press Fiction Prize (October 1, 2020). Her stories and essays have appeared in  VICE ,  The Missouri Review ,  Kenyon Review , ...

Laura Van Prooyen’s collections of poetry are Frances of the Wider Field (Lily Poetry Review Books 2021), Our House Was on Fire , nominated by Philip Levine, awarded the McGovern Prize (Ashland Poetry Press 2015), and Inkblot and Altar  (Pecan Grove Press 2006). She is also co-author, with Gretchen Bernabei, of  Text Structures from Poetry —a book of writing lessons for grades 4-12 (Corwin Literac...

#letsdeconstructastory is all about unpacking short stories to see how they work on a cellular level. It's a place for writers to geek out about the work of other writers and hopefully add some new tools to their own toolbox. Here's how it works: 1.  Please read the story first. 2. Listen to our discussion of the story here or on Apple or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...