Class Description
Speculative stories often start with a question, specifically, “What if…?” Sometimes these questions come from science. (What if the rich implanted computer in their brains?) Sometimes they come from fairy tales. (What if the little mermaid were in space?) And sometimes we take inspiration from history. (What if aliens invaded Ireland instead of the British?) In this session we’ll brainstorm new ways of finding inspiration, discuss the benefits and drawbacks of allegory, and discover the magic of “Mooreeffoc.” We’ll read from writers like Naomi Novik, Isabel Yap, Nnedi Okorafor, Annalee Newitz, and Tomi Adeyemi to explore how speculative fictions handle their implicit and explicit relationships with our world. Then, students will have a chance to develop new or existing work through prompts and exercises. Whether your inspiration came from an article in National Geographic, a folktale, or a historical factoid, you’ll leave with a few new ideas and a better understanding of how to grow an original story from real-world events, legends, and innovations.
Class Format
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. 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!
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.
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.