1 Session: Saturday, July 26
2:00-4:00pm ET
Daniel José Older

Daniel José Older, a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic, is the New York Times best-selling author of many comics and twenty books, including the Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, which was named one of the best fantasy books of all time by TIME magazine and one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read. He won the International Latino Book Award and has been nominated for numerous others. Daniel has taught at VONA, VCFA, Antioch, Grub Street, and many other sites.

The common understanding of worldbuilding positions it mainly as a skill for sci-fi/fantasy writers. The truth is that every story — whether a picture book, memoir, history, or contemporary novel — demands that we put as much care, craft, and analysis into the creation of its world as we do for its characters. We ignore worldbuilding at the cost of great storytelling.

In this course, we will begin with a working definition that takes us beyond the simplicity of "setting." We'll place the always political act of contextualization into a deeper dialogue with the other elements of story. We'll build dynamic, living worlds and learn how to weave them through the larger narrative. Here, we understand place to be a crossroads, always. The ever-shifting dynamics of time, power, and spirit meld with the movements of people at these intersections, and that's what breathes life into them.

This class is for everyone, all experience levels welcome.

Workshop Highlights:

• the foundational nuts and bolts of worldbuilding, and why it's for everyone.

• going deeper: a place is meaningless without a power analysis.

• how to put settings in conversation with other narrative fundamentals and the secret heart of your story.

This course has 1 full scholarship available. To apply, please fill out this form by Wednesday, July 16.