Imagining the Future: A Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop

with Tara Campbell

This workshop will empower participants to start imagining—and writing—the world of the future. Presented by Humanities WA.

Science fiction isn’t just about men in a lab or robots in space—it’s also about us, all of us, our families and our communities. 

In this hybrid lecture and interactive writing workshop, audiences will learn a brief history and definitions of speculative fiction—an umbrella term that encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, space opera, supernatural, horror, etc. We’ll then engage in writing exercises to give participants an opportunity to write in the genre, starting with a warm-up prompt before tackling questions about how issues like climate change, genetic manipulation, or artificial intelligence might affect them in the decades to come. 

Developments in science and technology affect people of all genders, races, and nationalities, so we should all have a voice in exploring the changes we’ll face. This workshop will empower participants to start imagining—and writing—the world of the future.  

Tara Campbell (she/her) is an award-winning writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, and fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse. She graduated from American University’s MFA in Creative Writing. She teaches flash fiction and speculative fiction at institutions such as American University, Johns Hopkins University, Clarion West, The Writer’s Center, Hugo House, and the National Gallery of Art. She’s the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, is forthcoming from Santa Fe Writers Project in fall 2024.

Learn more at Humanities WA https://www.humanities.org/ 

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