In the many years we’ve been doing this series and through two previous books, River Street’s founder, Hollay Ghadery, has never been a part of our Power Q & A series—but that all changes now! Hollay’s debut collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, (Gordon Hill, September 1, 2024) has scored some pretty sweet advance reviews, being praised for its “jewel-tone richness” (Molly Peacock) and “tight, sharp-witted, and expertly crafted stories” (Kathryn Mockler).
The form of Hollay’s short fiction is particularly interesting to many readers. The stories, which explore fantasy and the act of fantasizing as a way to subvert and explore misogyny, are not only short but really short. Many pieces are flash fiction and knowing Hollay as we do, we know she never wrote flash fiction before this collection.
So, we wanted to know, why? And also, how?
Bring home Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery.
Q: Is there a reason the stories in Widow Fantasies are often shorter than the average short story? Do you have any advice for people looking to write flash fiction?
A: I definitely didn’t begin writing these stories knowing why I was adamant on sticking to flash fiction (though as mentioned, some are a little longer than conventional flash). I just knew I wanted to try my hand at flash. I was drawn to the form. Later, when my publisher and I were emailing about the collection, he asked if I’d consider changing the length of a few, to make them longer. My response was immediate: no.
Now, understand: I am not overly precious about my writing and am always open to suggestions so I was surprised by how certain I felt about my reply. The reason for my certainty revealed itself immediately. In my experience, as a woman of multitudes forced to slosh around the heteronormative confines of domesticity, I don’t have time to fantasize for prolonged periods. I can grab a few minutes while washing dishes or folding laundry, but before long, something or someone almost always interrupts me. The length of my stories felt like a natural reflection of the space I was inhabiting at the time. It also felt like a natural reflection of the space I was writing from. I have four children and when I began this collection, not all of them were in school and I was working full-time. I couldn’t commit to long, involved storylines but I could manage shorter short fiction.
Which is not to say flash is easy. It’s not. There’s an attention to detail and precision that’s painstaking. It’s just that, with flash fiction, I don’t find myself consumed in a world the same way I am when writing longer forms. I don’t forsake my family and live in my head for months and months. But of course, I still did a lot of work to complete the collection. Even before I began writing. I devoured copious amounts of flash fiction. Crucially, I read Brevity: A Flash Fiction Handbook by David Galef, which was a game changer. The book provided examples, tips, and exercises. A few of the stories in Widow Fantasies are the result of the Galef’s exercises. I’d recommend Brevity to anyone looking to write flash fiction and flash fiction to any writer looking to tighten up their craft.
Hollay Ghadery
More about Widow Fantasies:
Fantasies are places we briefly visit; we can’t live there. The stories in Widow Fantasies deftly explore the subjugation of women through the often subversive act of fantasizing. From a variety of perspectives, through a symphony of voices, Widow Fantasies immerses the reader in the domestic rural gothic, offering up unforgettable stories from the shadowed lives of girls and women.
More about Hollay Ghadery:
Hollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, is scheduled for release with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children’s book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, and a co-host of HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist and the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com.