Outer Alliance Spotlight #95: Workshops and Classes January 13, 2012
Posted by juliarios in : links, news , trackbackWelcome to Outer Alliance Spotlight #95. The Spotlight features news about (and sometimes interviews with) allies who are active in supporting and celebrating QUILTBAG speculative fiction. Today we’re taking a look at some QUILTBAG friendly writing classes.
Before we dive into the wide world of writerly education, there’s one bit of news I wanted to share. A lot of OA members have said they’re fans of Diane Duane, and cited her as an influence on their own work, so I thought I should pass on her call for help. Earlier this week someone fraudulently cleared out her bank account, and she’s scrambling to make ends meet while the bank sorts through fraud paperwork. A quick infusion of cash would be very welcome, so she’s offering a 20% discount on her personal e-book store. If you’d like to help her out and get some excellent books at a bargain price, just go over there and use the promotional code DDGOTSKIMMED.
Okay! Writing workshops!
The beginning of the calendar year is one of those times when a lot of people resolve to improve and grow. If you’re a writer, you might be drawing up plans to complete big projects, or making goals for submissions counts, or you might be trying to figure out how best to learn more about your craft. There are a lot of writing classes out there. Here are a few which are QUILTBAG friendly. All of these have either been recommended by OA members, or are taught by OA members.
I’m going to list these in order of pricing from high to low. I’m not valuing any workshop or class over another, though, just to be clear.
Clarion Workshops — These are six week intensive workshops. They’re competitive, and they’ll set you back a couple thousand dollars (though there are a few scholarships available). Several OA members have praised them for the diverse and knowledgeable instructors, and the residential setting, which focuses students on learning and making connections with their peers. Many Clarion students go on to sell a lot of work. If this sounds like your cup of tea, applications are open until the 1st of March for both Clarion and Clarion West. Both workshops this year feature instructors who have written stories with QUILTBAG content themselves, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be supportive of yours if you bring it.
Viable Paradise — Like Clarion, this is a residential intensive workshop with several instructors, and it’s also going to cost you a couple thousand dollars when all is said and done. Unlike Clarion, all the instructors are there together, and the whole experience lasts one week instead of six. It’s also competitive, and many Viable Paradise students go on to sell a lot of work. If the intensive residency idea appeals, but you have a job or family you can’t leave for long, this might be a good choice for you. Applications for Viable Paradise are open until the 15th of June. Again, the instructors here have written (or published) QUILTBAG material, so yours will be welcome.
Lambda Literary Writing Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices – If you want to spend time with other QUILTBAG writers, this might be a good choice for you. It’s another weeklong intensive residency program, which, again, will cost a couple thousand dollars after you’ve accounted for transportation and room and board on top of the tuition (though there are scholarships available). Applications are open until mid-April. Lambda Literary has more information here.
Loft Classes — The Literary Loft is a Minneapolis area organization which offers lots of different classes for writers both in person and online. These are a good option for people who have less money to spend, and they’re not competitive–anyone may enroll. If you live in the area, you might consider taking Catherine Lundoff’s one day class on writing and selling QUILTBAG fiction on the 18th of February (a steal at $46.50). If you don’t live in the area, you might like Lyda Morehouse’s science fiction class, Mars Needs Writers ($425.00 for six weeks of online coursework starting on the 6th of February–video introduction here). Both of these instructors are most certainly open to QUILTBAG work. To find either class, visit the Loft site, and look them up under the teaching artists field in the search page.
Cat Rambo’s Online Classes — For the writer who wants to experience a workshop classroom environment without leaving home, this is a great choice. These classes run from $99 to $249, and Cat teaches over Google+ hangouts, which are video chats. I’m currently taking one, and can personally attest it’s been helpful. Again, this is a non-competitive open enrollment situation, so your class will likely contain people at different levels. I’ve found that perfectly agreeable, as Cat gives equal time and attention to everyone and is very good about tailoring classes to specific students’ needs. And Cat’s an OA member, so you know QUILTBAG content is welcome. You may find info on how to sign up at Cat’s blog.
That’s what I’ve got for now. If you have other QUILTBAG friendly writing education recommendations, please tell us about them in the comments!
Finally, there are still a few days left to enter the drawing for a signed copy of Natania Barron’s Pilgrim of the Sky. Just comment on this post to get your name into the hat!
Comments»
I recommend the summer workshops at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction. http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/
I took Kij Johnson’s Novel Writer’s workshop (http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/novel-workshop.htm) and knew the leaders had to be GLBT+ because of the content of my novel, but was very pleasantly surprised to discover there I was 1) not the only queer writer there and 2) Lawrence, KS is a wonderfully progressive little town. Kij was an awesome teacher and I really value both the friends I made and what I learned that summer. I’ve been able to return for her ‘repeat offenders’ workshop once since, and had all my initial positive impressions confirmed.
[...] The Outer Alliance on Workshops and Classes. [...]
I second K.’s rec of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction – I was in the same workshop! I found the writing instructors and students from both the novel and short story workshops to be friendly, open, and supportive of GLBTIQ writers, stories, and themes.
[...] read this post (and added my two cents, too) on the Outer Alliance, about workshops and writing teachers who are friendly to and supportive of GLBTIQ writers and writin…. (They use the term QUILTBAG, which I love, and which may be gaining enough traction that I can [...]