June 8th to 12th, 2026 • 6pm to 8:30pm ET Daily
5 Days • Short Fiction • Online • 10 Participants
Getting feedback from others on a first draft can feel intimidating. That’s why the Short Fiction Intensive focuses around becoming more thoughtful readers and editors of each others’ work, constructing feedback with the writers’ intent in mind rather than defaulting to a list of “shoulds” and “should nots.”
As the instructor for this course, Daisuke Shen will provide daily craft lessons via Zoom, moderate group discussions, and provide each student with developmental feedback on their work. Daisuke is known for their innovative fiction and engaging teaching style, inviting students to articulate their writing practice and develop new understandings of craft.
Together, we will discuss techniques utilized in different narrative traditions across a variety of cultures, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
Due to the nature of the workshop, participants are expected to attend all five days and provide written and verbal feedback on each others’ pieces. To ensure that this remains a supportive and constructive environment as possible, it is highly recommended that students have prior experience in providing and receiving feedback on fiction pieces, as well as a general understanding of fiction craft, before joining the class.
After enrolling, you will be asked to submit one short story, up to 3,500 words, to receive feedback on. While there are no strict genre requirements, you will be asked to provide a framework through which others can understand the piece — meaning, any narrative traditions you might be writing in, helpful context for plot or background, and what you’re trying to accomplish with the work.
By the end of the course, you will have received:
Please note, this workshop will be strictly limited to just ten students. No exceptions.
If you are interested in joining us, you are encouraged to enroll right away.
Daisuke Shen is leading a five day virtual writing workshop, with daily Zoom meetings, so you can hone your craft in a supportive group workshop.
Five days of two-hour workshops, with instructor-led discussions designed to empower authors to develop their craft in a supportive, collaborative setting.
Two rounds of personal, written, feedback on your writing from Daisuke Shen.
Collaborative feedback from fellow students during the live workshop sessions.
Daily in-class exercises to develop your craft and spark seeds for new writing.
A personal list of publishers who may be interested in your writing, provided by Daisuke Shen.
Access to live office hours with all of our instructors, available exclusively to students of Authors Publish, after the course is finished.
Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students
“One of the best writing decisions I ever made!
This fiction intensive was a welcome respite at a time when the world felt hectic…Daisuke is a wise instructor, thoughtful, informed, a brilliant writer with a discerning eye as a workshop leader -- I could go on and on about the positive things about Daisuke and this class. However, the best thing you could do in signing up for this course is to enjoy the journey you will take with fellow writers, your work, Daisuke, and yourself. Thank you.”
Nicole B.
“As usual, Daisuke always aims to impress. The writing exercises were thought provoking and fun, their personal feedback is always intricately given and done with courtesy, and they kept the group workshopping well-focused and up beat. If only I had time to devote to this class every week of the year instead of just the one!”
Michael W.
“As for Daisuke, I can't sing their praises loud enough! The amount of editing they did to my work showed that they wanted to provide feedback, would not be content with a brief and cursory glance, and truly wanted to make me feel as if they had fully read and thought about what I wrote. Definitely what I hoped to see in an editor and I was not disappointed.”
Andrew Long
“Daisuke is a wonderful caring teacher, full of love and encouragement… The edits on my work were absolutely wonderful and to the point. I loved the edits, and the direction they gave me to expand the piece. ”
Radhika Iyer
“Daisuke was so encouraging and supportive while giving extensive and thoughtful feedback on assignments--both optional and required to complete the course. Love the course and the instructor!”
Teresa Aguinaldo
“Daisuke is an affable, encouraging instructor, and gives feedback that is both helpful and precise. In this workshop, Daisuke built a feeling of trust, allowing the participants to feel encouraged to share their work. Thank you Daisuke for allowing me to be part of this course, it has without a doubt in my mind helped me become a better writer. ”
Carlos Preising
“I felt growth as a writer with each assignment. While it was challenging to have to write a new story in relatively short time, it was also fun and exhilarating, and the instructor’s feedback inspired more progress.”
Robert K.
Daisuke Shen is the author of the short story collection Vague Predictions & Prophecies (CLASH Books 2024), which was a 2025 CLMP Firecracker Award Finalist in fiction.
They are the co-author, alongside Vi Khi Nao, of the novella Funeral (KERNPUNKT Press 2023).
Their work has appeared in journals such as Joyland Magazine, The Baffler, Cleveland Review of Books, and Autostraddle, among many others.
An instructor at Authors Publish, they teach courses on speculative fiction, revision, and the novella form. They are represented by Michael Mungiello. www.daisukeshen.com
Each student will get one round of feedback on a piece of their writing (up to 3,500 words total) as part of the workshop. Daisuke will give written feedback on this piece, as well as an additional round of feedback on a revised version. They will also provide a list of three publications that may be a good fit for your work.
Each participant in this course will get individual, in-depth, feedback in a collaborative and supportive environment. To make this possible, and to make sure each student gets the attention they need during the five day workshop, there is only room for ten participants.
A smaller group allows for a more collaborative and supportive environment. To ensure that each participant receives the attentiveness their work deserves, and that feedback remains as extensive as possible during the five day workshop, there is only room for ten participants.
Your workshop piece should be sent in one week ahead of the course starting. You will be asked to submit the revised version of this piece for Daisuke’s feedback two weeks after the course is over; however, if you need more time you may coordinate with Daisuke to submit your revision up to six months after the course is over.
While Daisuke primarily writes between speculative and experimental fiction, your work does not need to fit into these genres to enroll. Daisuke has many years of experience in working with literary fiction in a number of roles, including teaching at the undergraduate level, serving as a guest editor for different literary journals, and working as a developmental editor for fiction manuscripts. To get a sense of some of their work, please visit their website.
This workshop is strictly limited to 10 participants.
Early bird tuition is available until June 1st.
Full Tuition
Early Bird Tuition
