Mondays, October 2nd - November 6th, 6-8pm Central, Virtual
why generative climate fiction?
The climate crisis will touch everyone, if it hasn’t already. But it’s not all about doom. In fact, in this workshop, doom is not on the table. Instead, we will engage with the topic of global warming in ways that are fruitful and life-affirming. Climate change can instead be a problem waiting to be solved or a mystery waiting to be uncovered. There’s a world of perspectives to explore, and this informative and generative workshop will walk you through them. We’ll talk about eco-utopias, fables, political novels, thrillers, romance, fantasies, and slipstream weirdness. We’ll talk about fields of butterflies, deep-sea life, and scientists resurrecting mammoths to repopulate the tundra steppe. We'll talk about anxiety and politics and how to love in crisis. The lessons will extend beyond climate change, by asking the question: how do the stories we tell transform or change us?
what kind of writer should take this course?
Anyone from a seasoned to newly minted writer is welcome. We will focus on fiction and story-telling modes, but these ideas can be applied to poetry and creative non-fiction. Anyone looking for new story ideas or a new way of thinking about their writing. Anyone hoping to learn about the transformative power of story.
what are the requirements?
Ready to be present
A positive, open mind
Curiosity about possibilities
Willingness to contribute to a group discussion
One or two short readings each week
Strong internet connection and comfort navigating an online learning platform
Computer with camera and audio to join via Zoom
how does this remote class work?
This course takes place on Elephant Rock’s course platform: Mighty Networks. Our course has a designated course page with course materials, a private group chat, and an events tab where each session runs as a Zoom meeting.
Most weeks will involve a short reading ahead of time, which will be discussed during the workshop. The readings will be excerpts from various and diverse subgenres of “climate fiction,” from sci-fi to realist and everywhere in between.
Each workshop will also feature a generative prompt and time to write. The participants will have the option to share their work aloud during workshop and/or to send their writing to group participants. Each participant will receive one piece of editing from the teacher.
what will writers take away?
Several new story ideas
A deeper knowledge about climate fiction
A new framework for approaching stories in a positive, meaning-making way
At least one new writer friend
One “flash workshop” devoted to your work
who is the teacher?
Denise S. Robbins is a Pushcart-nominated author of fiction and poetry and has had work published in the Barcelona Review, Chicago Review of Books, The Creative Independent, Gulf Coast Journal, and more. She has been facilitating community writing workshops in the Washington, DC area for eight years. She co-authored the book Rising Tides: Climate Refugees in the Twenty-First Century and is a graduate of the Jenny McKean Moore writing workshop. Her website is www.denisesrobbins.com.
what is the cost?
Elephant Rock tuition for this six week course is $449**. Under normal circumstances, full payment is due at least 15 days before the workshop begins. Extended payment plans may be available in cases of severe economic hardship. Please send an email to Elephant Rock to inquire.
**Elephant Rock tuition is nonrefundable but may be transferrable upon request.
sliding fee scale
We don’t want anyone to be excluded from this workshop for financial reasons. Therefore, Generative Climate Fiction offers a sliding fee scale. It’s an honor system, so we ask only that you be honorable. If you can afford to pay full tuition, please do, to make workshops like this more feasible. But if you cannot afford the full tuition, please send an email stating what you can afford to pay without hardship (no personal details or documentation is needed, just the amount you can pay) so we know what to expect and can provide a payment link. And you are always welcome to pay it forward by letting others know about the workshop!
what have other writers had to say about Denise?
“Denise has a narrative voice that is imaginative, unique, and engaging. She looks carefully at a story’s structure and literary elements and discerns its beating heart. Denise is also a committed architect of writing communities: I admire her ability to build, lead, and nurture several groups over the course of a decade. In these settings, she is never afraid to open the floodgates—offering encouraging commentary and thoughtful critique”.
—Jeremie Amoroso
“Denise understands the architecture of a compelling story and she is skilled at delivering feedback to her colleagues and students in a way that resonates with each individual and builds upon the strengths of their work. Her passion for helping writers strengthen their works-in-progress is evident in the depth of her feedback and her ability to convey constructive criticism in a way that motivates and encourages.”
—Joanna Urban
how do I sign up?
Please click below to complete course registration: