Tomorrow, but Tonight: Experiments in Flash Fiction
Located in the Salle des célébrations, Casa d’Italia
A 90-minute workshop for writers ages 14 to 20 with Jen DeLeskie, fiction writer and Editor-in-Chief of Quist, the youth literary journal of the Quebec Writers’ Federation.
Even the shortest stories need a turn: a moment when something changes. Flash writers have tricky ways of getting there fast. Although technically a poem, Laura Gilpin’s “The Two-headed Calf” pivots on “tomorrow” and “tonight” and shows one way to capture a full arc in a few lines. We’ll discuss Gilpin’s poem and a few other very short pieces, borrow forms like recipes and lists, and write our own flash fiction using prompts. No experience necessary! Bring a notebook or a laptop. You’ll leave with a draft, some new tools for writing flash, possibly some new friends, and an invitation to submit your work to Quist. Limited to twelve participants.
Jen DeLeskie (she/her) is a writer based in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal). Her work, which spans literary, horror, science fiction, and fantasy, has appeared in Prairie Fire, The Globe and Mail, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Dalhousie Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, Everclear, a YA adventure set in near-future northern Quebec, was published by Flame Arrow in 2026. She edits Quist, the Quebec Writers’ Federation youth literary journal.