Yearlong in Speculative Fiction
Over the course of the year, students will work toward completing a speculative fiction project of their choosing, whether that be a novel, a story collection, a flash fiction series, or another project. Built-in accountability checks and feedback sessions will give students the opportunity to discuss their progress with peers and receive guidance on their manuscripts. Ongoing project work will be interspersed with craft lectures, writing and revision exercises, and readings of contemporary SFFH (science fiction, fantasy, and horror).
Payment plans are available for this class. Please email education@hugohouse.org to get a payment plan started.
Guest speaker: One guest speaker with expertise in publishing will visit the course.
Syllabus: View syllabus here
No class dates: 11/22/2023, 12/20/2023, 12/27/2023, 1/3/2024
Registration dates:
August 7: Scholarship Donation Day
August 8: Member registration opens at 10:30 am
August 15: General registration opens at 10:30 am
August 21: Last day of Early Bird pricing
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CLASS FAQS WITH INSTRUCTOR RUTH JOFFRE
Who is this class best suited for? How much writing experience do I need to take this class?
Writers working in any genre within speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, fabulism, new weird, etc.). All experience levels welcome.
What will I learn over the course of this yearlong?
Generative writing practices, revision strategies, worldbuilding, alternative workshop models, how to incorporate feedback, how to submit work for publication, general industry knowledge.
What's the balance of in-class generative writing, lecture, and workshop?
This class is built around workshop, but each class will hold space for goal check-ins, mini lectures, group discussions, and/or writing prompts.
How much time outside of class will I need for this class each week?
2 to 3 hours
How much feedback will I receive on my work, peer, or instructor?
Students will select the workshop format best suited to them. Generally, this involves a group discussion facilitated by the instructor, though students may choose to workshop in smaller groups or in alternative formats where the student leads discussion.
Who will we be reading?
Contemporary authors publishing speculative fiction today, including writers who have won or been nominated for Hugo, Nebula, Aurora, or World Fantasy Awards
Ruth Joffre
Ruth Joffre is the author of the story collection Night Beast, which was longlisted for The Story Prize. Her fiction and poetry have appeared or are forthcoming in Kenyon Review, Lightspeed, Pleiades, khōréō, The Florida Review Online, Reckoning, Wigleaf, Baffling Magazine, and the anthologies Best Microfiction 2021 & 2022, Unfettered Hexes: Queer Tales of Insatiable Darkness, and Evergreen: Grim Tales & Verses from the Gloomy Northwest. A graduate of Cornell University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Ruth served as the 2020-2022 Prose Writer-in-Residence at Hugo House and co-organized the Fight for Our Lives performance series. In 2023, she will be a visiting writer at University of Washington Bothell.
