Meet Kathy Fish | creative writer & writing teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathy Fish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathy, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was never completely happy in non-artistic, non-creative jobs. I got all kinds of “messages from the universe” about this that I just kept ignoring. I found myself always drawn to writing and the arts in general. My brain just isn’t cut out for an office job. I can concentrate for hours on writing a short story, but in my previous jobs I struggled. I just didn’t care. A creative career gives you so many opportunities to grow and change. I do find teaching writing as fulfilling and creative as writing itself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write flash fiction. This form is also referred to as short shorts or sudden fiction. Basically it’s fiction of one thousand words or fewer. I love this form as it often comes very close to prose poetry. It’s sort of the new kid on the block of the literary world (though in truth, the form has been around for decades). It seems to invite innovation and experimentation. How to create a sense of a full story in such a limited space?

I was something of a late bloomer as a writer. Though I was always interested in reading and writing, I never thought of it as something I would do as a career. so my first story was published when I was forty. The timing was perfect because the internet was just taking off and there were all these new literary journals that cropped up online. They really took to the idea of flash fiction as it was easy to publish online and didn’t require a lot of scrolling. So many of us were really getting into flash fiction just as editors of these journals were seeking it.

Back in 2015, I started teaching flash fiction workshops online. It was also around then that I began teaching for the Mile High MFA at Regis University. I guess I began to make a name for myself as both a teacher and writer, having published in several anthologies and literary journals.

I learned a certain degree of tenacity. Writers receive so many rejections, so many setbacks along the way. You have to learn to live with disappointment and not give up. I think as long as you work hard, don’t lose heart, and be generally kind out there in the world, you will succeed. It’s not about succeeding monetarily, but gaining the respect of your peers. Being a good person to know and someone others are happy to work with. I feel successful because I just love what I do and look forward to my work each day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out the Mile High MFA program at Regis University! It is an amazing program with incredible instructors and mentors. As a low-residency program, it caters to students who are also parents or who have jobs or who are, for any reason, unable to commit to an on-campus, traditional graduate program. I taught with this program from its inception and thoroughly enjoyed both the wonderful students and my peers on the faculty.

Website: kathy-fish.com

Instagram: @kdfish1

Twitter: @kathyfish

Facebook: Kathy Fish https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100072261693259