Magic and Metaphor: An Introduction to Speculative Fiction (with Leonora Desar) - ONLINE
Sometimes telling a realistic story doesn’t feel as emotionally honest as, say, having a rebellious teenager fly out her high school window. Or showing how a woman—feeling alone—mummifies herself in toilet paper. Or perhaps a woman feels stifled in her marriage. She could sit around drinking too much white wine—or—her husband could bury her in the backyard after binge-watching The Bachelor. Magic is a way of elevating what’s familiar. It’s revealing, illuminating something about character. In this class, you’ll learn how to use magic in a way that gives resonance to the stories only you can tell. This class is designed for beginners and those new to speculative writing. It will combine a discussion of craft, examination of the pre-assigned reading, and generative exercises. You’ll be invited to share your work and receive verbal instructor feedback. After the class, you'll have working knowledge of speculative fiction, multiple story ideas generated from the in-class exercises, and the beginning of a speculative piece. Prior to the class, you’ll be expected to read two short pieces, each less than a page. For writers of all levels and genres. Limited to 12 writers.
WHEN: 2 Hours: Saturday, February 18 (1 - 3pm EST)
WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
LEONORA DESAR's fiction has appeared in places such as River Styx, Passages North, The Cincinnati Review, Black Warrior Review, and Columbia Journal, where she was chosen as a finalist by Ottessa Moshfegh. She has been selected for The Best Small Fictions 2019 and 2021, Best Microfiction 2019, 2020, 2021, and the Wigleaf Top 50 (2019, 2020, 2021). She was a runner-up/finalist in Quarter After Eight’s Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest, judged by Stuart Dybek, and Crazyhorse’s Crazyshorts! contest. Her journalism has appeared in Psychology Today, WomansDay.com, Parenting magazine, WomansDay.com, Business Insider, and others. She holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she taught creative writing, and an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
COURSE GOALS
- Learn how magic can make stories more resonant and compelling
- Use memories and real-life experience as a springboard for magical, surreal stories
- Complete exercises that ease writers unfamiliar with speculative fiction into writing magically
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about 3 - 5 days before. Please mark your calendars when you first register and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the class, please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org before contacting us. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference a few minutes before the start of the session, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with the Zoom format, though we are not able to offer technical assistance beyond basic Zoom orientation.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
Because of non-refundable fees that we, PVWW, must pay for every transaction that happens, we are not able to give full refunds to those who register then withdraw from a workshop or class. If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop or class of equal value OR a refund minus 10%. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive full credit toward another class OR a refund minus 30%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a partial refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class within 3 months will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.