Class Description
“Whether we believe in or do not believe in ghosts, at least we are all deeply interested in them. There is in this interest something that makes all the world akin.”
-Arthur Reeve
This workshop is designed for those who want to write and receive critique on a ghost story, horror story, gothic story or short story with supernatural elements. Topics will include the uncanny, trauma, the unconscious, haunted spaces, and technology. Each week new ghost stories, handouts on elements of the ghost story, and a cluster of prompts will be provided for reading and inspirational material; stories will be drawn from the English tradition and the international sphere and may include the writing of authors such as Shirley Jackson, Hilary Mantel, Haruki Murakami, Muriel Spark, Kazuo Ishiguro, A.S. Byatt, and Jorge Luis Borges. Writers can expect to write two longer stories or three shorter stories over the course of three weeks, and gain knowledge of the origins of the ghost story, as well as the techniques which will elicit “a pleasurable shudder” from our readers. A bibliography of suggested reading and a list of journals which accept ghost stories will be provided at the end of the series. All writers, any level, welcome.
1) Elements of the ghost story-an introduction
2) The (new) haunted settings
3) Time and memory
4) Psychic phenomena, dreams, and the uncanny
5) Doubles and revenants
6) The ghost in the machine: from the intercom to the internet
*Note that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Assignments will be given on a weekly basis. Students will have access to the online class portal starting at 5pm on the first day of class. Instructions for logging onto the online portal will be emailed to registered students before 5pm the first day of class.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To find out more, check out our scholarships page. To apply for a scholarship, click the 'APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP' button above.
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.