Up Front - Flash Fiction by Ken Rivard

“Rivard’s writing is honest, refreshing, startling, imaginative and gets the reader emotionally involved.”

— W.P. Kinsella

COMING SOON!

Following the enormous success of CanalWatch, Ken Rivard reaffirms his place as an original master of flash fiction with Up Front...

Up Front is an electrifying collection of flash fiction stories, each approximately 500 words in length, that are based on actual events that occurred during the beginning and ending years in an inner-city, secondary school. Each story attempts to capture the energy of a specific moment in the real lives of adolescents while pulsating with the raw energy and emotion of these young lives. Some stories ingeniously loop back on themselves, with the final line echoing the opening, creating a captivating narrative frame.

“In Up Front, Ken Rivard continues his mastery of the flash fiction form. These pieces contain his characteristic inventions and truths woven together into a wide variety of vividly drawn characters. The plot of each keeps the reader off-kilter just enough but in a good way. Each piece is linked by the Up Front voice. That voice is, of course, the voice of the teacher, but it is also the voice of authority, the voice of the adult world, and, of course, the adolescent voice. Although most of the pieces are limited in length, we get to know these characters and their situations better than we often do in much longer stories. Rivard conveys his perspective with complexity, authenticity, compassion, sensitivity, and care. There is a truth and honesty in the writing that will keep you reading story after story. Rivard proves again that flash fiction contains much power and depth.”

— Robert Hilles, Governor General’s Award-Winning author of Don’t Hang Your Soul On That and From God’s Angle (2021) and The Pink Puppet (Mosaic Press, 2023)

KEN RIVARD was born in Montreal and received his Masters Degree from McGill University. He has published 11 books in a variety of genres, including flash fiction, poetry, children’s literature, and the novel. His writing has appeared in numerous anthologies, publications, and on CBC Radio. The expansive Alberta sky drew him to Calgary, where he has lived since 1976.