Class Description
We are living in a moment where the reality of massive, human-made global climate change has become unavoidable. In report after report, we are faced with the changes that are already taking place in our world. In response to the oncoming and present disaster, there has been a call for literature that explores and imagines this massive, inescapable contemporary problem. Article after article describes the rise of ecofiction, even as critics such as Amitav Ghosh ask “where is the fiction about climate change?”
Over the course of six weeks, we will be exploring how we can write stories represent environmental change. Throughout the class we will be asking questions about representation and imagination: how can you write about a world in flux? Are ecofiction and “cli-fi” genres, and what do they look like? What does it mean to imagine the end of humanity or the end of the world? How do you write narratives about environmental loss?
We’ll come up with a working definition of ecofiction, thinking through different futures, reading writers such as Jesmyn Ward, Richard Powers, Megan Hunter, Claire Vaye Watkins, Jeff VanDermeer, Omar El Akkad, and Octavia Butler to help us better understand how we might craft our own stories. Each week, students will have opportunities to workshop stories, though the primary goal of the class will be generating new material.
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.