Available in the Following Formats
- E-book ASIN: B097CNSZPC
- Paperback ISBN: 979-8-5218-8042-3
View an Excerpt
Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction - Book 15
Marian Wright Edelman said: "Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world
better than you found it." Lending credence to these words are many of the 38 stories here about students and teachers.
The tales, both serious and humorous, were selected from among the 438 stories found in Books 1 through 6, incl., of
the authors' Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction anthologies. Included as well are selected offerings from Cohen's two
short-story anthologies, The Road Less Taken, stories from his Mementos series of anthologies, and, in one case, an
excerpt from one of Cohen's mystery/thrillers. This anthology is unique because the stories were inspired by
photographic prompts that were related by Cohen to students and teachers. Whether they be in high school or college
settings, in classroom or campus situations, or even absent from the scene altogether, here, for example, the subject
of a murder investigation.
Praise for Theodore Jerome Cohen's Writing Style
"Brilliant! Above all, Cohen is a masterful storyteller." ~ Mark Mitchell, former editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal"Cohen is a writing virtuoso!" ~ Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
"A fresh voice in literary journalism." ~ Richard Blake for Readers Views
"Great entertainment . . . sure to delight." ~ Lee Ashcroft for Readers' Favorite
"Stands out from the crowd." ~ Krista Schnee for Hollywood Book Review
Featured Review
"The stories are serious, humorous, even whimsical and some read like memoirs of another era, each one focusing on education: either from the teacher’s perspective or from the student’s. For someone enmeshed in the education system as I have been for many years, this definitely is a fascinating read." ~ Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite"Debra is posing for a graduate picture with a distinguished older man. Her friend, Brian, approaches and introduces himself to the man he believes to be Debra's father. He goes on and on about how proud this man must be of Debra's accomplishments, only to discover, when he stops long enough to allow Debra to speak, that the man isn't Debra’s father: 'in a way he is responsible for my being here today. Jeff's the firefighter who rescued me from my crib 21 years ago during our house fire.' A poignant final line to a short piece of flash fiction. And there's more: a few stories about Einstein (you can't get away without bringing him into a story or two), a few war heroes, and so many other telling stories about teachers (like the forever-late professor) and students. Memories are interwoven intricately into education, both in the form of public education in schools and the education we receive at home (like a boy enhancing his reading skills studying a forbidden girly magazine).
"Theodore Jerome Cohen and Alyssa Devine have done it again with another fascinating and telling anthology, this time dedicated to education: Flash Fiction Stories for Students and Teachers. There are short-shorts in the anthology, as well as longer pieces, and an excerpt from one of Cohen’s mystery/thrillers. Each selection is concise, well structured, and full of compelling meaning and good reading story material. Each story begins with a photograph (or, as the author calls them, photographic prompts) that suggests what the famous saying insists; that 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' Many of the stories are based on actual people and events, but some are creations from a mastermind of storytelling and there are endnotes to further explain specific references. The stories are serious, humorous, even whimsical and some read like memoirs of another era, each one focusing on education: either from the teacher’s perspective or from the student’s. For someone enmeshed in the education system as I have been for many years, this definitely is a fascinating read."