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Speculative fiction is often dismissed as mere escapism, lacking depth and real-world relevance. However, the genre has a rich history of spotlighting injustices and challenging norms, as evidenced by the works of writers like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin.
Ink & Impact: How to Craft Black Speculative Stories that Speak to Social Issues empowers writers to unleash their creativity while critically examining societal structures. This course guides participants through the journey from conceptualization to execution, teaching them how to create compelling narratives that address pressing social issues.
Attendees will learn to wield essential craft elements such as character development, point of view, and world-building, learning to weave these elements into nuanced stories that critique and explore societal concerns. Through targeted exercises, writers will delve deeply into the issues that resonate with them and consider how their intended audience might shape the way they tell their stories
Writers will receive guidance on how world-building can be used to heighten and highlight themes, and strategies for developing emotionally resonant characters who function as more than mouthpieces in the story. Discussions will feature the works of authors like Akwaeke Emezi, N.K. Jemisin, and R.F. Kuang.
Ideal for writers of both short fiction and novels, the course primarily focuses on speculative fiction but offers valuable lessons for authors across genres. While it is open to writers at all levels, those with a basic understanding of writing craft elements such as character, plot, point of view, and setting will find it particularly beneficial for enhancing their work.
All class meetings will be held via Zoom. The link to join your Zoom classroom will be provided on the morning of your class. Please check spam folders if you do not receive an email confirmation upon registration. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here.
H.B. Asari is a Niger Deltan writer and educator. Her work explores current and possible future climate realities, complicated familial bonds and the nuances of queer coming-of-age experiences. She facilitates creative writing workshops privately and as part of the SBMEN faculty. She has served as a mentor for the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Her fiction was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Stories Prize 2023 and has appeared in Voyage, Strange Horizons, FIYAH, and adda. She is a Pushcart-nominated poet, has been shortlisted for the Climate Change Poetry Prize 2022 and won the Stephen A. Dibiase Poetry Prize 2024. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in FIYAH, Ake Review, Fantasy Magazine and Consequence Forum. She is working on a novel that seamlessly integrates all her interests. You can find her on Instagram at @draft_oroguitas.
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We offer full refunds for cancellation with written notice up until 7 days before your class start date. From 6 days to more than 24 hours before class begins, we offer a 25% refund. If you drop a class less than 24 hours before the class begins or after it has started, you are ineligible for a refund.