Workshop for Weirdos
with Carolyn Abram
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult/Children's Lit, Novel, Short Story
In Person
In Person Intermediate, Advanced
Intermediate, Advanced 8 Sessions
8 Sessions This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.
You don’t write stories that fit neatly into genre boxes—and you’re tired of workshops that expect them to. Whether your fiction leans surreal, high-concept, experimental, absurd, speculative, or gloriously unclassifiable, this class is a refuge for your weirdest, wildest, and most impossible-to-categorize stories.
Over eight weeks of close reading, craft discussion, and workshop, this class will help you hone your creative vision, clarify what your stories are really doing, and identify how you can shape your writing—without sanding off those wonderfully weird bits that make your writing yours.
Each week, we’ll read writers like Aimee Bender and Kim Fu—artists who bend genre and expectation in service of something deeper. You’ll examine how voice, structure, POV, and worldbuilding operate in offbeat narratives, then test those tools in your own writing. You’ll also get one full-class workshop and two small-group critiques designed to meet your work on its own terms.
This is an intermediate workshop best suited for writers who’ve felt out of place in more traditional spaces. You don’t need to be an expert in genre-bending, but you do need to be open to weirdness, possibility, and risk. Neurodivergent and queer writers have often found this to be a space where their creative instincts aren’t just welcomed, but celebrated.
This class focuses on:
- Craft & Technique: Focuses on improving writing skills, exploring elements like plot, character, or dialogue.
- Close Reading & Analysis: Engages deeply with published texts to examine craft, language, and style.
- Workshop: Students submit work and receive feedback from the instructor and/or classmates.
What to expect:
- Reading & Analysis: Published works will be closely read as part of the learning process.
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Writing Time: Class will include dedicated time to write.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- Instructor Feedback: Students receive direct feedback from the instructor.
- Peer Feedback: Students share and critique each other’s work.
- 2-3 hours of reading and/or writing outside of class per week.
Students say…
“I appreciated how well Carolyn translated aspects of the craft of weird fiction for us. She clearly knows her stuff!”
“Carolyn is a wonderful instructor. She is fun, insightful, engaging, generous, and supportive. She made every class interesting.”
“I am so grateful for this being my first-class experience at Hugo House. It helped me remember why I enjoy writing so much, and I am excited to continue.”
“Every generative exercise was productive in ways that were often unexpected- in that I got new skills / perspectives out of them that I couldn't have anticipated … Carolyn built trust among us and provided opportunities for small-group interaction, which is a helpful thing, feeling like you are part of a community.”
Registration Dates:
- August 12: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 19: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 26: Scholarships open
- August 31: Last day of Early Bird discount
Carolyn Abram
Carolyn Abram is a Seattle-based writer. Her work tends to focus on the intersection of technology and everyday life. Her short fiction has appeared in various publications, including the New California Writing Anthology and The Offbeat. Her work has also appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Lilith. She is the author of eight editions of Facebook for Dummies. She holds degrees from Stanford and California College of the Arts.
Website: carolynabram.com
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
You’ll get your class information, including Zoom link if applicable, three days before the first day of class.
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program, operated in partnership with the Seattle Public Library. Two take place onsite at SPL locations, one takes place online.
Sliding-scale classes are offered every quarter. Find them in our Class Catalog.
We announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
At this time, we offer payment plans on classes 8 sessions and up. Email education@hugohouse.org with the name of the class you’re interested in to set up a payment plan. Please note that you can only have 2 active payment plans per quarter.
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We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
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Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
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We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
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If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
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If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
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If you’re interested in contributing your skills, Hugo House accepts volunteer applications for a variety of roles, including event support, administrative tasks, and more. Learn more on our Volunteer page.
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