Begins Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom + Wet Ink on Wednesdays, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PT): 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM / Chicago (CT): 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM / New York (ET): 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM 

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. 

Instructor Alex Temblador is the award-winning author of a writing craft book, Writing An Identity Not Your Own, and two magical realism novels, Half Outlaw and Secrets of the Casa Rosada. In addition to receiving her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma, Alex's creative work has been published in literary outlets like PALABRITAS, D Magazine, and Colorado Review, as well as two anthologies—Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America and Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology. Alex has taught creative writing seminars, workshops, and classes with WritingWorkshops.com, the Women's Fiction Writers Association, the Writer's League of Texas, StoryStudio Chicago, WorldShift: The Speculative Fiction Writer's Summit, Texas Book Festival, Macmillan Publishers, Abydos Learning Conference, and more. When she's not writing her next book, Alex is working as an award-winning journalist, traveling, gardening, or exploring her home base of Dallas with friends.

Who is this class for?

This online writing workshop is for writers who are new to the magical realism genre and work in fiction, memoir, or poetry. It's open to introductory and intermediate writers of all backgrounds and experiences.

What to expect:

Magical realism is both a literary and writing style in which the author combines realism with imaginary or fantastical elements that readers are meant to take as "real." In this four-week magical realism writing workshop, we'll explore the history of the genre, how to identify it in text, and the major players in this literary movement—from Franz Kafka to Gabriel García Márquez, Toni Morrison, Isabel Allende, Ana Castillo, and more.

Each week, students will read excerpts from magical realism and short stories, then practice writing in this style through a variety of exercises. Class discussions on reading materials will take place during our live Zoom sessions, while additional readings, exercises, and resources will be available on Wet Ink for asynchronous engagement.

This creative writing course is writing-intensive, but designed to be fun and target your creative side in ways you didn't know were possible. Students will have the opportunity to write one magical realism short story, a personal essay, two poems, or the first chapter of a novel, and receive personalized feedback from the instructor on six pages.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will learn how to write magical realism through a variety of exercises, come to better understand the genre through reading short stories and novel excerpts, and will have the opportunity to write one magical realism short story, a memoir essay, two poems, or the first chapter of a novel. Students will receive written feedback from the instructor on up to six pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman). Submitting work for feedback is voluntary and must be submitted by agreed-upon deadlines.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, and Half Outlaw by Alex Temblador; short stories including "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel García Márquez and "Americaa" by Aimee Bender; and potentially others.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introduction to Magical Realism

Week 2: Deep Diving into Myths, Legends, Magic/Supernatural, and Religious Beliefs

Week 3: Magical Objects and Nature

Week 4: Using Magical Realism to Connect to Culture, Community, and Tough Topics

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Learn how to write in fantastical ways while grounding the story in reality
• Explore how magical realism can capture a unique perspective or experience
• Discover techniques for discussing tough topics through metaphorical storytelling
• Understand how magical realism can contribute to social activism
• Practice blending real and unreal elements through targeted writing exercises
• Receive personalized instructor feedback on your magical realism writing

What writers are saying about Alex Temblador:

"Alex's friendly personality helped relax her class. Her exercises led to insightful writing." — Former Student

"I took the Magical Realism class with Alex Temblador. It was a great class, and so much fun! Alex is a very good instructor. Her writing exercises were stimulating and got the whole class talking." — Former Student

"Alex is positive, engaging, and encouraging. Terrific at listening to participants and pulling out/distilling/reinforcing salient points from their questions/comments." — Former Student

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