About

Speculative fiction is a big umbrella genre. It includes any work that uses fantasy, science fiction, horror, science fantasy, superhero, and supernatural. From Harry Potter to The Man in the High Castle, speculative fiction gathers stories from many corners of the writing universe, and so is of interest to a wide range of readers. 

Craft focus will include setting (world building), dialogue, conflict, the use of time (flashbacks, parallel timelines, etc), and in particular, the development of characters. 

This is a 6 session class held Wednesday evenings. This will be a workshop for writers with at least one chapter or story in progress. The group will offer supportive feedback under the guidance of a well-published author, as well as brief craft lessons on character development that will enable you to develop confidence in your own ability to edit. We will read a couple of short examples along the way to give us common ground for discussion. The class will have a maximum of twelve and a minimum of six people. 

Instructor: Kathleen Alcalá is the author of six books of fiction and nonfiction. A graduate of the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop, she has also served as an instructor in the program. Kathleen earned her MA from the University of Washington, and her MFA from the University of New Orleans. Until recently, she was a fiction instructor at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts on Whidbey Island. Besides her short story collection and three novels, Kathleen has published fiction in numerous anthologies, most recently in the speculative fiction anthology Latin@ Rising, edited by Matthew David Goodwin and published by Wings Press. Her most recent book is The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, from the University of Washington Press.