Ecofictions, Ecofutures - Remote!

Class Description

Our new climate future has begun to arrive and it’s already nasty. Fires, floods, hurricanes, decreased snowpack, increased global temperatures, mass extinction, declining wildlife populations, drought, food scarcity—we’re at the beginning of an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe. While we might consider what political conditions have given rise to our current crisis, the questions this class will seek to answer are more modest: how do we write the climate disaster? Do we write it big? Do we write it as background radiation, or give it more room in a narrative? What responsibilities do fiction writers have in an ecologically fragile future?

First, we’ll come up with a working definition of ecofiction. Then, we’ll turn to a number of writers, which may include Jesmyn Ward, Margaret Atwood, Richard Powers, Diane Cook, Jeff VanDermeer, César Aira, Jenny Offill, and Octavia Butler to help us better understand how we might craft our own stories. Finally, students will have opportunities to workshop stories in progress, and begin new stories implementing ideas discussed in class.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.