I’m very excited to announce that I will be teaching Phantasmagoria: Writing Monsters & Myths at Seattle’s Hugo House this coming Spring quarter! I love Hugo House as a resource for local creative writers, and I’m so glad that I have an opportunity to teach there.
My original pitch: from wyverns to werewolves and goblins to ghouls, our literary landscape is filled with imaginary creatures ranging from the mischievous to the downright diabolical. But how does one effectively capture the essence of something that doesn’t exist? How does one weave a nightmare or conjure a fairy tale? How can we, as writers, capture the essence of something fantastical? This class will provide an instructive framework through the reading and discussion of prose focusing on or featuring unreal creatures so that students can produce three short stories. Most writing will begin in class, with a focus on feedback and revision.
I can’t wait to start gathering reading materials, because that means I get to read lots of scary stories! 😀