Class Description
*Note: Parents/guardians must complete this permission form online if your teen is under 18.* Unlike previous forms, you only need to fill this out ONE TIME, not for every class. If you cannot remember whether you have already filled it out, please email [email protected] and we will check for you!
If you do not complete the form, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]
Class Description:
Due to the popularity of shows like "Stranger Things," celebrities and civilians are coming out of the nerd closet to play the venerable fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Now you can, too, and become a better, more inspired fiction writer at the same time. In this new, mashup workshop designed for newcomers and experienced gamers, we’ll be using an easy to learn, customized version of the game to get rolling dice pronto.
We’ll explore some of the conventions of D&D -- quests, elves, dwarves, wizards, magic, evil foes --- and the literary influences that shaped it, like mythology, legends, and authors such J. R. R. Tolkien. Each day of our week-long adventure, we'll add more to our collective fantasy. You'll not only play the game, you'll help build our fantasy world together. Each student will develop a unique character with rich backstory, quirks, and stakes. You'll describe lands, and populate them with monsters, magic, and legends of your own imagination. You'll learn about plot, characterization, scenes, pacing, story arc, and improvisation --- all while slaying some orcs and dragons, solving puzzles, and scoring some cool treasure along the way. Dice, miniature figurines, Doritos, and Mountain Dew provided. Bring an open mind, embrace the unexpected, and join us!
Takeaways: By the end of our week, you should have plenty of ideas and passages written for a potential fantasy fiction project, and have a much better idea how to run your own D&D game.
Scholarships:
Classes marked as “full” can still have scholarship spots available. So apply!
GrubStreet is happy to be able to offer some full scholarships for our teen writing camps. Please wait to hear from our Scholarship committee before registering for the class, as scholarships cannot be applied retroactively. Scholarships are distributed on a rolling basis, right up to 48 hours before class start. However, the sooner you apply, the better your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Who Should Register?
For writers ages 13 - 18 ONLY. Writing notebooks are available, but feel free to bring your own.
Remember, parents/guardians must also complete this permission form online before the start of the class. Otherwise, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]
*If you are registering on behalf of your teen, add their email information in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen before you check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet.
(After adding the class to your cart, click "Checkout" and click “Add” next to “For a Friend or Child?” on the right-hand side to fill in their email. This is an easy way of linking the class to your child and encourages them to create their own account.)
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.