Week of Speculative Fiction Writing for Teens

Class Description

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, this class is being offered tuition free. Sign up while spots are still available! If you would like to support our ability to make more teen classes free, please consider making a donation to GrubStreet here. Please know that we have a robust teen scholarship fund available for any of our tuition-based classes as well.

Class Description:

Have you ever inserted yourself in a memory that wasn’t yours? Woke up with a sense of deja vu you couldn’t shake? Or maybe swore you saw something that no one else saw? If so then this course is for you! In this workshop we will practice entering our DreamSpaces–memory guided planes constructed under fragments of our past present and future–to sharpen world building in our writing. Through select pieces from Nalo Hopkinson’s SkinFolk Misha Green’s adaptation of LoveCraft Country and pop-culture figures such as Miles Morales, we will discuss how to tap into DreamSpaces, how memories can bolden and instruct dreams, and the connection between folklore and dreams before crafting our own short stories. Please feel free to bring any sci-fi / fantastical work you’ve been working on or come to start a new piece. Writers of all prose genres (memoir, fiction, non-fiction, and etc) are welcome! Students will leave class with a fluid understanding of their DreamSpace(s); a personalized writers toolkit for world-building; the beginnings of a new piece; and an understanding of how folklore can inform the present. For writers of all experience levels, age 13 - 18 ONLY.

Accommodations:

Snacks, pens, notebooks, and a limited number of loaner laptops will be provided.

Additional meal stipends & MBTA passes can be requested using this Food and Transportation Request Form.

Space Accessibility:

Our space is ADA accessible with automatic door openers, ADA compliant restrooms, desk and table spacing, braille signage, and elevator. Our classrooms can be equipped with ALS for hard of hearing individuals. We cannot guarantee a scent-free environment. For more accessibility requests, please contact our Operations team at [email protected] or (617) 695-0075.

Registration Instructions:

• Register for the class by clicking the red "ADD TO CART" button and following the checkout instructions through our website. If you do not have an account, you will be able to make one easily. When making the account, please use your preferred name.
• If you are registering on behalf of a student, add their email in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen at check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet.
• If the student is under 18, parents/guardians must complete this Teen Participation Permission Form. You only need to fill this form out one time, not for every class. Please complete it with the student's preferred name. 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 this form, your registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply.
• If the student is 18, simply let us know by emailing [email protected].

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If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected]. We’re excited to write with you this summer!