Class Description
The worlds of speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, dystopia, steampunk, cyberpunk) are worlds of social and ecological extremes. These settings operate on a sensory as well as conceptual level. How can we as genre writers make the most of the environments we create, in terms of character, craft, and sociopolitical implication? This class will explore both environmental speculative fiction and real-world nonfiction that documents the extremes of Earth or considers the philosophy of space. We’ll explore the genres of cli-fi (climate fiction) and ecofiction, discuss the “poetics of space", write, and brainstorm new world ecologies. This is a generative class, and students should expect to leave with new worlds/environments created or with environmental sketches that they can turn toward their existing projects. Writers discussed may include Jon Krakauer, Edward Abbey, Gaston Bachelard, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.