2024 Odyssey Workshop Online Classes

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced its online classes for 2024.

Barbara Ashford will teach “The Heart of the Matter: Bringing Emotional Resonance to Your Storytelling” from January 9 to February 6, 2024.

Gregory Ashe will teach “Writer’s Toolkit: Taking Your Story from Idea to Manuscript” from January 18 to February 15, 2024.

Jason Ridler will teach “Right Voice for the Right Story: Discover the Variety of Voices Inside You ...Read More

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Summer Workshops

Clarion

The Clarion workshop ran from June 25-August 5, 2023 in San Diego CA. Their 2023 faculty included Andy Duncan, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Anjali Sachdeva, Rae Carson, C.C. Finlay, and Jac Jamc (faculty director).

Alpha Workshop for Young Writers

The 2023 Alpha Workshop for Young Writers workshop ran from July 19-July 30. Their guest authors were Ayana Gray, Cassandra Khaw, Sarah Gailey, and Tamora Pierce.

Clarion West

Clarion ...Read More

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Photo Story: Salam Award Writers’ Workshop

The inaugural Salam Award Writers’ Work­shop was held March 5-11, 2023 at Lahore University of Management Sciences in La­hore, Pakistan. The workshop brought in 14 international writers, with instructors Eliza­beth Hand and Mary Anne Mohanraj, for daily workshops, evening panels, and tours of the city. Organizers say “this week-long residency was the first of its kind in the country.” Attendees included former winners and finalists of the Salam Award, given ...Read More

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Locus Bay Area Writers Workshop: Writing Master Class with Connie Willis, June 2023

June 25, 2023Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.At Locus Magazine HQ Preservation Park, downtown Oakland (near the 12th St BART) $195.00

Join the legendary award-winning author Connie Willis for a one-day intensive writing master class in downtown Oakland this June!

TICKETING FOR THE WORKSHOP IS CLOSED. “AND THEN STOP” – ON THE BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS OF STORIES

The King’s advice to Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was very simple: ...Read More

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2023 Wayward Wormhole Workshop

The inaugural Wayward Wormhole workshop will run November 1-21, 2023 at Castle de Llaés in Gurb, Spain. The instructors are Tobias Buckell, Ann Leckie, Sarah Pinsker, and Cat Rambo. Applications open April 10, 2023 and the fee is $4,915, which includes “Twenty-two nights shared accommodation in a 10th Century castle (anticipating two students per room), instruction, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, commemorative T-Shirt, and other SWAG, plus one night’s hotel stay
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2023 Horror University Workshop Open

The Horror Writers Association‘s 2023 Horror University Online is currently open for registration for the next quarter (February, March, and April 2023). They are offering virtual workshops on a variety of topics for “horror writers everywhere interested in refining their writing, learning new skills and techniques, or perfecting their manuscript presentation.”

Live courses include:

  • The Master Plotting Crash Course with John Skipp, February 6
  • Decoding Screenwriting with L. Marie Wood,
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Workshop News

The Odyssey Workshop has announced the “Space Cowboy Books Working Class Writers Scholarship”:

Funded by the award-winning Space Cowboy Books, which has the mission to spread the love of science fiction, literature, literacy, and print media, the Space Cow­boy Books Working Class Writers Scholar­ship is offered to provide financial support for a working-class or impoverished writer to attend Your Personal Odyssey. To be considered for this scholarship, you must complete ...Read More

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Your Personal Odyssey Workshop

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has transitioned away from its old in-person, six-week workshop model, continuing the online approach that began in during the pandemic: Your Personal Odyssey Workshop.

Director Jeanne Cavelos explains,

Holding Odyssey online in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic revealed to me that a huge number of talented writers want an in-depth, challenging program to build their skills but can’t attend a six-week, in-person workshop. More ...Read More

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2023 Clarion West Workshop Going Virtual

Clarion West announced via email that the 2023 Summer Workshop will be held virtually. Per the announcement:

The workshop dates are June 25 – August 5, 2023. We accept 15 students in virtual classes to keep the workload and screen time manageable for all. Tuition is $3,200, and applicants can apply to scholarships through the workshop application. Applications are open January 4 – March 1.

No changes to the instructor ...Read More

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Salam Award Writers Workshop 2023

The inaugural Salam Award Writers Workshop will be held March 6-10, 2023 in Lahore, Pakistan. Elizabeth Hand and MaryAnne Mohanraj are the lead instructors. There will be a Clarion/Milford style workshop, lectures on craft, guest sessions from members of the Salam Award board, and a sightseeing tour.
Since 2017, The Salam Award has honored the best Pakistani and Pakistani-diaspora writing in the SFF genre. This workshop will exclusively focus on
...Read More Read more

Summer Workshops

Taos Toolbox

The Taos Toolbox master class in writing science fiction and fantasy, delayed for two years by COVID-19, took place June 12-25, 2022. Because its normal site at Angel Fire NM was under threat by a massive forest fire, the workshop was moved to the Sonesta ES in Albuquerque. Taos Toolbox hopes to return to Angel Fire next year.

Launch Pad

The 2022 Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers ...Read More

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2023 Odyssey Workshop Online Classes

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced the instructors for its online classes in 2023.

Gregory Ashe will teach “Angled Dialogue: Crafting Authentic-Sounding Dialogue to Convey Information, Escalate Conflict, and Advance Character-Driven Stories” from January 5 – February 2, 2023.

Barbara Ashford will teach “One Brick at a Time: Crafting Compelling Scenes” from January 3-31, 2023.

Scott H. Andrews will teach “Emotional Truth: Making Character Emotions Real, Powerful, and Immediate to ...Read More

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Summer Workshops

The Alpha Workshop for Young Writers was held on the campus of University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg from July 20-31, 2022.

The 2022 Clarion Workshop took place on June 19 – July 30, 2022, on the University of California at San Diego campus.

This report and more like it in the September 2022 issue of Locus.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring ...Read More

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Aspen Words Announces New SF/F Writing Workshop

Aspen Words, a longstanding literary program of the Aspen Institute, has announced the addition of a new Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writing Workshop, led by author Fonda Lee, expanding their current workshop offerings into genre literature.

The workshop is sponsored by the General Motors’ Future Fiction Collective, which “aims to decolonize the sci-fi/fantasy genre by increasing the diversity of authors and readers in STEM based literature.” They will provide 10 scholarships for writers ...Read More

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SCBWI Free Workshop for Writers of Color

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) has organized a free workshop “geared towards writers of colour” called Need To Know: Knowing Your Power as an Author of Colour. “This workshop is aimed to help you break down the processes of being published so you know where your power lies.” The event is scheduled for January 15, 2022 and will take place virtually. Workshop leaders are Patrice Lawrence ...Read More

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Odyssey Workshop Online Classes

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced the instructors for its online classes in 2022.

Gregory Ashe will teach “Scene & Sequel: How to Generate Character-Driven Momentum, Control Pacing, and Write a Page-Turning Story” from January 6 – February 3, 2022; Barbara Ashford will teach “Getting the Big Picture: The Key to Revising Your Novel” from January 4 – February 15, 2022; and Scott H. Andrews will teach “Emotional Truth: Making ...Read More

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2021 Odyssey Writing Workshop Applications Open

The 2021 Odyssey writing workshop is accepting applications until April 1, 2021. The six-week workshop will be held June 1 – July 7, 2021, though exactly where and how is yet to be determined:

If the world has returned to a post-COVID state of near normality, it will be held as usual on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. If social distancing is still neces­sary but ...Read More

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Odyssey Workshops Going Virtual

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced that its summer 2021 classes will be held online. The six-week course is normally held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester NH, though the 2020 session was also held online due to COVID concerns. Odyssey director Jeanne Cavelos said,

Odyssey brings together adult students of all ages from across the globe. Many may not have the opportunity to be vaccinated by summer. If one ...Read More

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Alvaro Zinos-Amaro Reviews Pocket Workshop: Essays on Living as a Writer, Edited by Tod McCoy & M. Huw Evans

Pocket Workshop: Essays on Living as a Writer, Tod McCoy & M. Huw Evans, eds. (Hy­dra House 978-0997951073, $17.95, 196pp, pb) February 2021.

Gathered here are 28 essays (six reprints, 22 originals) by instructors of the Clarion West Writers Workshop, intended, as Tod McCoy explains in his foreword, as “a way to give back to a community who may not be able to attend the workshop by delivering thoughts ...Read More

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Clarion West Offers Free Online Workshops

Clarion West is offering free writing workshops for teens and adults on a first come, first served basis. The classes and writing sprints will run from March 30 – April 24, 2020. Instructors include K. Tempest Bradford, Marie Brennan, Tobias Buckell, Curtis Chen, Andy Duncan, Eileen Gunn, Elizabeth Hand, James Patrick Kelly, Fonda Lee, Henry Lien, Seanan McGuire, Ian Muneshwar, Brooks Peck, Laurie Penny, Erin Roberts, Nisi Shawl, James Sutter, ...Read More

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2020 Odyssey Writing Workshop Scholarships

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced several scholarships available for students attending in 2020, ranging in size from several hundred dollars to over $4,000. Scholarship applications and information queries should be made by contacting director Jeanne Cavelos. Scholarships include the Miskatonic Scholarship funded by George R.R. Martin for writers of Lovecraftian cosmic horror; the Walter & Kattie Metcalf Singing Spider Scholarship for novelists (applicants must submit a novel excerpt as ...Read More

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Locus Bay Area Writers Workshop: Writing Master Class with Ellen Klages, March 2020

DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19, THE MARCH 2020 LOCUS WRITING MASTER CLASS WITH ELLEN KLAGES HAS BEEN CANCELED. STAY HEALTHY! Locus Magazine HQ Preservation ParkDowntown Oakland (near the 12th St BART)

“Whenever I start to read a new story by the incomparable Ellen Klages, I feel as if I’m on the edge of my seat in the front row of the theater: keen-eyed and determined, this time, to ...Read More

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Locus Bay Area Writers Workshop: Writing Master Class with Annalee Newitz November 2019

November 16, 2019Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.At Locus Magazine HQPreservation Park, downtown Oakland(near the 12th St BART) $150.00

A revolution is happening in speculative fiction, and Annalee Newitz is leading the vanguard.” —Wil Wheaton

TURN YOUR OBSESSIVE RESEARCH INTO AMAZING WORLDBUILDING

In this class, Annalee will give you the tools to build another world. They’ll talk about how to create believable, nuanced cultures, environments, and geographies ...Read More

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Locus Writers Workshop 2019 with Connie Willis & Amal El-Mohtar

Join Connie Willis and Amal El-Mohtar for a two-day intensive writing workshop held in Seattle this June. Early registration is open! Further details, including session topics, will emerge later down the line. The workshops will bookend the Locus Awards weekend. Friday, June 28, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 30, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

$265

SESSION ONE: AMAL EL-MOHTAR: USING POETRY TO WRITE PROSE

Poetry and ...Read More

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2019 Odyssey Workshop Scholarships

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced several scholarships available for students attending in 2019. Scholarship applications and information queries should be made by contacting director Jeanne Cavelos.

The Miskatonic Scholarship, funded by George R.R. Martin, covers full tuition, textbook, and housing. It will be awarded to a promising new writer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Martin said, “What we want are nightmares new and resonant and profound, cosmic terrors that will ...Read More

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2019 Odyssey Writing Workshop

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced instructors and dates for its 2019 summer session. Guest lecturers are Scott H. Andrews, Joshua Bilmes, Holly Black, Neil Clarke, Sara King, Nisi Shawl, Fran Wilde, and Paul Witcover. The workshop will be held June 3 – July 12, 2019 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester NH.

Early action application deadline for “those who, if admitted, need several months to arrange their affairs” is ...Read More

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Odyssey Workshop Announces Online Instructors

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced the instructors for its online Winter 2019 classes: Barbara Ashford will teach “Getting the Big Picture: The Key to Revising Your Novel” from January 2 – February 13, 2019; Lucy A. Snyder will teach “Riveting Descriptions: Bringing Your Story to Life in the Reader’s Mind” from January 3-31, 2019; and Scott H. Andrews will teach “Emotional Truth: Making Character Emotions Real, Powerful, and Immediate ...Read More

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Photo Story: Alpha Workshop 2018

The Alpha workshop for young writers was held July 25 – August 5, 2018 in Greensburg PA.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and ...Read More

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Photo Story: CSSF YA Novel Writing Workshop

Tina Connolly taught a YA-novel writing workshop at the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas, held June 24-29, 2018.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT ...Read More

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Locus Writers Workshop 2018 with Connie Willis & Yoon Ha Lee

Join award-winning authors Connie Willis and Yoon Ha Lee for a two-day intensive writing workshop held in Seattle this June. The workshops will bookend the Locus Awards weekend. Friday, June 22, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 24, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

$255 DAY ONE: YOON HA LEE: “DESIGN-A-WORLD: MAKING UNIQUE WORLDS FROM START TO FINISH”

Worldbuilding means different things to many people, whether it’s starting ...Read More

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Odyssey Workshop Scholarships

The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced several scholarships available for students attending in 2018.

The Miskatonic Scholarship, funded by George R.R. Martin, covers full tuition, textbook, and housing costs. It will be awarded to a promising new writer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. The winner will be selected by a panel of three judges.

The Parasite Publications Character Awards, funded by Sara King, will provide three scholarships in the amounts of ...Read More

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