Strange Realms

Class Description

Weird worlds, peculiar places, and eerie environments. That’s where we’ll find ourselves in this workshop. We’ll ask ourselves: What is it about Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Hunger Games that we find so interesting? Is it that they take place in worlds so different from our own? Or is it that they resemble our own world too much? It is in these strange realms that we will explore what it means for something to be weird, science fiction, mythical, or magical.

We will create and destroy worlds. We will become cruel gods and puppeteers pitting our characters against mythical creatures, disastrous events, and maybe even apocalypses. We’ll explore fiction, poetry, and hybrid-genre worlds. We will engage in world-building exercises and generative free-writing to help writers build out their worlds. Other exercises will include creating an entire world on the back of a napkin and writing your characters into (or out of) someone else’s world.

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.