Patricia Flaherty Pagan
Patricia Flaherty Pagan, MFA was born in Boston and has lived in four countries. She is the author of Trail Ways Pilgrims: Stories and Enduring Spirit: Stories. In addition to writing award-winning literary, fantasy, crime and horror flash fiction and short stories, she has edited several collections of fiction and poetry by women writers for Spider Road Press. She teaches workshops about writing strong, female-identifying characters and writing powerful flash. Learn more about her at www.patriciaflahertypagan.com.
Excerpt from Patricia's flash fiction piece “Rays Of Someday Almost”:
When my cell phone beep-beeps six-thirty A.M., I tame my curls into a pony tail, splash water on my face and put on my running shoes. I brush the eraser crumbs off of the paper on the desk, fold it up and jam the note into the pocket of my jeans. I pick up my bag, take a basket of bulbs off the kitchen table, unlock the thin chain, leave the apartment door gaping behind me and run down the stairs. Once the outside door is locked and the key is stashed, obviously, beneath the snow-smeared mat that once said, "Welcome," I leave. There is nothing left in my apartment worth taking.
I sneaker-slide down side streets to Jack's stoop. I wedge my note into the bottom of the basket below the King Alfred bulbs that could become daffodils if he understands how to nurse them. Put them down. There is nothing to say to the possible plants lying in their basket upon the January ice. The morning is rising in faint rays of someday almost. No one rings Jack's bell. I walk north towards the Amtrak platform and the lulling motion of the train named the Downeaster.
When my cell phone beep-beeps six-thirty A.M., I tame my curls into a pony tail, splash water on my face and put on my running shoes. I brush the eraser crumbs off of the paper on the desk, fold it up and jam the note into the pocket of my jeans. I pick up my bag, take a basket of bulbs off the kitchen table, unlock the thin chain, leave the apartment door gaping behind me and run down the stairs. Once the outside door is locked and the key is stashed, obviously, beneath the snow-smeared mat that once said, "Welcome," I leave. There is nothing left in my apartment worth taking.
I sneaker-slide down side streets to Jack's stoop. I wedge my note into the bottom of the basket below the King Alfred bulbs that could become daffodils if he understands how to nurse them. Put them down. There is nothing to say to the possible plants lying in their basket upon the January ice. The morning is rising in faint rays of someday almost. No one rings Jack's bell. I walk north towards the Amtrak platform and the lulling motion of the train named the Downeaster.
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
- Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Flash Fiction: Very Short Stories, edited by James Thomas, Denise Thomas and Tom Hazuka
- Alchemy of the Word: Writers Talk About Writing, edited by Nicola Morris and Aimee Liu
Anonymous Student Testimonials from Previous Workshops:
"Her exercises and tips helped my sentences have greater impact, making my stories dynamic, clear and concise."
"I learned a lot in this workshop. The examples that we read were so inspiring."
"Her exercises and tips helped my sentences have greater impact, making my stories dynamic, clear and concise."
"I learned a lot in this workshop. The examples that we read were so inspiring."
Teaching Philosophy
I foster a motivating, respectful community of adults learning together about writing fiction. Within this shared, egalitarian learning space, writers can explore, take creative risks and express new ideas.
I foster a motivating, respectful community of adults learning together about writing fiction. Within this shared, egalitarian learning space, writers can explore, take creative risks and express new ideas.