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Your generosity funds scholarships and free programs, allowing more teen and adult writers to participate in creative writing workshops at our new center in the Seaport, in neighborhoods around Boston, and online.

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Write

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Xujun Eberlein's photo

Instructor Spotlight

Xujun Eberlein Xujun is the instructor for GrubStreet's Memoir Incubator Program.

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  • Workshop
  • Online: Zoom
  • Intermediate
  • 3 Weeks

Writing the Supernatural - Remote!

No Longer Enrolling

  • $225.00 Non-Member
  • $215.00 Member

Class Description

I think fiction starts with something really unusual,” says the writer Samanta Schweblin. “Normality is a big lie.” If you are a writer who’s drawn to the unusual, be it the unreal, the uncanny, or the undead, or if you’d like to learn how to bring elements of horror, fairy tale, sci-fi, or surrealism to your writing, this class is for you. Many of us read and write scary or fantastical stories in order to escape. But supernatural writing also has a long history of engaging with the social norms and fears of its time. What is a haunted house story in the era of home quarantine? How does a pandemic encourage us to rethink vampire and zombie narratives? Can a fairy tale or fable help us communicate ideas during a time of social upheaval? In this generative class, we’ll experiment with prompts and exercises meant to help us imbibe our work with the magical, the scary, and the strange, and we’ll provide feedback on each other’s pieces. We’ll look to the experts for inspiration, reading work by authors such as Steven Graham Jones, Silvina Ocampo, Angela Carter, Julio Cortázar, Nalo Hopkinson, Lily Hoang, Sofia Samatar, and Octavia E. Butler. Whatever your goals are for writing the supernatural, you’ll come away from this class with gleefully weird work and a range of thrilling new ideas.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

Scholarships Format/Location

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Zoom Participation:

Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.

Zoom Accessibility:

We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!