The short story is an evolving form, and writers explore a multitude of ideas, themes, and genres through the short story. But…what exactly is a short story? How short is too short? At what point is it a novella? Lydia Davis writes one-sentence stories; Franz Kafka wrote a pretty long one about a guy who turns into a cockroach. Where are the lines drawn? In this course, we will examine this question, and read short stories of differing lengths, but our writing focus will be on the novella and linked-story form. Prerequisite: 3 hours of a 2000-level creative writing class in the appropriate genre and consent of the instructor.