Boise City Writer-in-Residence - Matthew Denton-Edmundson

About this event

Short Fiction, Class Two: Middles

Stories (and novels) all too often sag in the middle. Even a very good opening can give way to a predictable story. This class will focus on the principles of complication (making the central conflict increasingly pressing) and oscillation (shuttling characters between emotional "poles" or "story values") as ways of avoiding the mid-narrative slump. Participants will write the middle to a story that doesn't even have a beginning yet.

No registration is required, but space is limited. This workshop is geared toward writers of all levels and genres. Please bring writing materials, such as a notebook and pen.

ABOUT MATTHEW DENTON-EDMUNDSON

Matthew Denton-Edmundson is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Boise State University. He grew up in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, where much of his writing takes place. He was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and got a degree from Florida State University, before he moved to Boise. His debut novel, Reclamation is forthcoming from Doubleday and will also be released in the United Kingdom and France. Denton-Edmundson's writing has been published in The New York Times, The Missouri Review, The Massachusetts Review, The American Scholar, The Hedgehog Review, Raritan, and Hobart. He was the winner of the 2024 Jeffery E. Smith Editors' prize and his essay, How to Love Animals, was anthologized in the 2025 Best American Essays.

ABOUT THE BOISE CITY WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

Founded in 2023, the Boise City Writer-in-Residence is a collaborative program between the Boise City Department of Arts & History, Boise Public Library, and The Cabin. Funded by the City of Boise, these six-month residencies offer local writers dedicated time and a stipend to support their creative practice and connect them to the community through free monthly literary public programs and events. The Boise City Writer-in-Residence call for applications opens annually in the summer.