Between the plague and creeping authoritarianism, you’d be forgiven if your fiction has taken on a dystopian tone in the past year. Speculative stories have long provided a creative outlet for authors who want to challenge the status quo and call out emerging threats to our culture and humanity. And because the genre has so few restrictions, they can be incredibly fun to write!

In this course we will study how great authors create immersive worlds, introduce unforgettable characters, and build suspenseful plots in the service of societal critique. We will discuss the foundational aspects of great dystopian narratives and hone our skills through in-class prompts, with the opportunity to workshop short stories (or novel excerpts) in our final class.

3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31 Online

Wednesdays 7:00-8:00pm EST 

Tuition: $125

CEUs: n/a

Faculty:

Duncan Whitmire is a writer (and NaNoWriMo winner) in South Portland, Maine. His stories and essays have appeared in McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Portland Magazine, Quarterly West, Colorado Review, and Hobart. Learn more: www.duncanwhitmire.com.

Supplies:

 Laptop or a computer, internet access.