A One-Night Short Course from the Writers’ Annex
How do short stories work? How do they provoke both questions and epiphanies despite not having the longer forms of the novel? In this two-hour course, we will read two to three short stories closely and carefully, exploring how they work and what they can reveal about the small, profound moments in our lives.
Dana Johnson is the acclaimed author of the novel, Elsewhere California and the short story collection In the Not Quite Dark, among other works. She is the Florence R. Scott Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
Register Here
Register for the 2026 Season Pass
Register for all four one-night courses only: Spring 2026 Collection
Dates & Times: Online Sunday, April 19, 2026. Main session runs from 4 pm-6 pm (Pacific) with optional discussion group to follow.
Note: For those who are interested, an intimate Zoom discussion group (Virtual House) will meet immediately after each the session.
Readings
Handouts and readings will be posted online and shared via email prior to the first session.
Dana Johnson
Dana Johnson is the author of the short story collection In the Not Quite Dark. She is also the author of Break Any Woman Down, winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction; and the novel Elsewhere, California. Both books were nominees for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, ZYZZYVA, The Paris Review, Callaloo, The Iowa Review and Huizache, among others. Her most recent work is Trailblazer: Delilah Beasley’s California, a fictionalized account of the life of African American historian and scholar Delilah Beasley. Born and raised in and around Los Angeles, she is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. www.danajohnsonauthor.com
What to Expect:
- One, two-hour session online. The group can be large, depending on the course.
- In the first hour, Johnson will present in a lecture-style format.
- In the second half of the session, Johnson will continue her presentation, and will address questions and widen the discussion. Participant questions and comments will be submitted in the chat.
- Optional small (8-10 person) discussion groups will be available to those with the energy and interest after the formal session is over.
- The session will be recorded, and will be available for later viewing by registered participants for at least 30 days following the final session
Tuition:
- Early Bird Tuition is $54. The Early Bird Deadline is Monday, April 13, 2026.
- Standard Tuition is $60.
- Limited financial aid available. Please contact us if needed.
- Season Pass and other packages available here. (link coming soon)
Register Here
Register for the 2026 Season Pass
Register for all four one-night courses only: Spring 2026 Collection
The Writers Annex
Online, and year-round, The Writers’ Annex is composed of short courses, seminars, workshops, and more. Our vision is to bring the creative insight and experience of our staff poets and prose writers to our community in all seasons, not just in the summertime, and not just here in our Valley. Our online offerings will address such topics as eco-poetics, translation, and generative sessions. Some will be one or two days, some will be weekend intensives, and some will meet weekly for a month or two. In addition, we hope these offerings will help offset the tremendous expenses we face as an organization for our traditional in-person events in Olympic Valley. Join our Mailing List