Class Starts Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

Class will meet weekly via Zoom (Thursdays, 5PM EST - 7PM EST).

Note: We will skip the week of Halloween and conclude on November 14th.

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Led by Pingmei Lan, whose work has appeared in The Florida Review, Blackbird, Epiphany, Smokelong Quarterly, Tahoma Literary Review and others. She is a winner of the 2019 PEN/DAU Best Debut Short Stories prize, a finalist in the Atlanta Review's 2019 International Poetry Competition and a 2021 Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the 2022 Nancy Zafris Memorial Scholar at the Kenyon Review Writers' Workshop.

Get to know Pingmei in our Meet the Teaching Artist series.

In this course, we will explore origin stories, family mythologies and read works from Carmen Maria Machado, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Yoko Ogawa, Aimee Bender, Nikolai Gogol to better understand where and how literature meets magic. Sample works can also include films that use the uncanny to depict the extraordinarily human.

We will dissect narrative techniques found in these works to recognize, understand and learn where the magical meet the realistic and synthesize ways to apply these in our own projects.

We will examine speculative design patterns to see how these frameworks may aid in story design rather than limit or inhibit creativity. As a natural extension, we will also study some alternative forms and non-traditional narratives to learn how literature may work in surprising and inevitable ways here. Along with these, writers will walk away with concrete tools and practical guides on creating first drafts and managing revisions.

Each writer will also have the opportunity to submit one to two stories or novel excerpts for workshop and receive in-depth feedback from the instructor and fellow writers. It is not strictly necessary for these submissions to be speculative though writers are welcome to do so or ask for specific feedback tailored to their needs.

This course, open to writers with all levels of scene-writing experience, is designed to help writers to discover new possibilities in their writing as guided with specific craft techniques.

Whether you are a realism fiction devotee or an intuitive writer of the uncanny, this class will take you through specific steps to peel back the structure, characterization and narrative techniques used in fiction and film that is either fully speculative or only lightly touched by it.

The readings and exercises are designed so you could unlock a deeper understanding for realism and beyond, discover the uncanny and how to merge the two to create a cohesive yet uncanny story world. Writers would be supported through collaborative workshop sessions and be given detailed, encouraging feedback. Throughout the course, writers will be given writing prompts and revision guidelines to help them enhance their learning and apply them to their own work.

Each student will have the opportunity for a thirty minute one-on-one conference with the instructor.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Concrete tools in reading and writing speculative fiction.
• Key ways to incorporate magical element into a work of fiction.
• A polished draft or revision on submitted stories or excerpts.
• A step by step guide on how to study examplry works of fiction or film.
• Thirty minute one-on one conference with the instructor.
  

By the end of the class, you will have the tools you need to create a polished work of fiction.

COURSE SKELETON:

• Week 1: Introductions, Overview of the Uncanny World
• Week 2: Workshop one, The Surrealist Observer
• Week 3: Workshop two, The Invisible Antagonist
• Week 4: Workshop three, Time Warps & Loops
• Week 5: Workshop four, Film & Alternative Forms
• Week 6: Workshop five, The Crux of the Story

TESTIMONIALS:

Pingmei's class unlocked something deep in my memory or subconscious and I wrote a scene that I didn't think I could write. -former student

Pingmei gives very generous feedback to other writers and her comments are humorous and helpful. -former student

Pingmei's critique notes are very impressive. I shared them with my writing group as well and they were equally impressed. -former student

Pingmei leads a wonderful workshop. Her comments are insightful, and she leads discussion in an encouraging and inclusive manner. She takes into account the writer’s intention, highlights what is working as well as points of confusion, and asks questions that allow both readers and the writer to look at character, pacing, and theme in different ways. Her critiques are incredibly in-depth and thought-provoking. I felt completely comfortable while in workshop, and came away with both new ideas and increased confidence in my own writing. -former student

Pingmei was a wonderful, straightforward, and kind teacher, and I am eager to take another class with her. -former student

This was a fantastic class. Pingmei was a thoughtful instructor who really challenged me to think about the way realism and magical realism interact. -former student

I’ve loved Pingmei Lan’s workshops. She offers: Creative, interesting and intelligent course design and presentation. Research-based awareness and experience. Engaging and exploratory discussions. Supportive and advancing feedback. Keen insights. A spirit of adventure. Heart. Wisdom. Pingmei is a well-deserved recipient of awards and accolades by academics and peers. She is the best writing instructor I’ve encountered. Her workshops are a combination of live coaching and online learning. Two workshops currently offered as of February, 2024: Pacing Structure and Timeline, and Beyond Realism: Writing the Magical, Cultural and Mythical. I’m pestering her to offer many, many more. Pingmei’s workshops have been pivotal for me as a writer and creative. -former student

Pingmei Lan is one of the best Writing Instructors I've ever had. -former student

This was an amazing learning experience and while the class focused on Magical Realism, the skills taught could apply to other areas of writing. I would recommend anyone interested in writing to take this class. -former student

I loved this class for so many different reasons. Here are some of the things I appreciated especially (in no particular order):  1. The lectures were extremely useful. I was so glad there were lecture notes available in the shared drive, along with extra readings. I appreciated how specific the lecture topics were and getting introduced to a wide variety of authors. 2. The workshops were very detailed, friendly and full of insights on the lecture topics. I liked that Pingmei helped connect the craft ideas in lecture to particular examples in students' workshop pieces and comments. It was also great to see comments trickle in as the week progressed. Making workshop pieces due several days before the class was helfpul, so that people can take their time to provide written comments (that the author can refer back to easily, and won't have to desperately take notes during the session as much).  3. Pingmei is very friendly and her style of critique was so generous - she provided well thought out and detailed feedback for work submitted along with suggestions. She also has so much knowledge about other authors to check out, and was willing to stay after class and meet separately to talk about writing. She is a great teacher, I am really thankful to have gotten to take this class. -former student

This course helped open my eyes to the craft behind writing magical realism! There was a good balance of lecture, recommended readings, resources, and group discussion. Pingmei is an excellent instructor - I would highly recommend her course! -former student


ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!

• Instructor: Pingmei Lan
  
• Class size limited to 12 writers
• Class Starts Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
• Class will meet via Zoom on Thursdays, 5PM EST - 7PM EST.
• Note: We will skip the week of Halloween and conclude on November 14th.
• Tuition is $395.

Instructor Pingmei Lan holds an MFA in creative writing. Her work has appeared in The Florida Review, Blackbird, Epiphany, Smokelong Quarterly, Tahoma Literary Review and others. She is a winner of the 2019 PEN/DAU Best Debut Short Stories prize, a finalist in the Atlanta Review's 2019 International Poetry Competition and a 2021 Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the 2022 Nancy Zafris Memorial Scholar at the Kenyon Review Writers' Workshop.