Writing the Weird: How to Craft Surreal, Uncanny and Magical Moments

How can extraordinary moments bring us closer to the truth of our lived experiences? In this generative workshop, writers will follow creative prompts to explore how strangeness, fabulism, dream logic and magical disruptions can reveal the emotional or psychological realities beneath everyday life. Through readings from writers like Helen Oyeyemi, Carmen Maria Machado, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum and Julio Cortázar, we’ll study how fantastic or unlikely moments can deepen realism rather than replace it entirely. Open to writers of all genres who are curious about using imagination to heighten reality.

Open to writers of all levels and genres. This is a 2-hour session. Please prepare for approximately 2 hours of reading ahead of the session (optional).

This 2-hour workshop meets from 12-2pm at LitArts RI on Sat, March 28.

About Your Teaching Artist

JD SCOTT (they/them) is the author of the story collection Moonflower, Nightshade, All the Hours of the Day (&NOW Books, 2020) and the poetry collection Mask for Mask (New Rivers Press, 2021). Scott’s writing has appeared in Best Experimental Writing, Best New Poets, Denver Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Indiana Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and elsewhere.

Community Access Lottery

LitArts RI offers a lottery for free admission to those who are from a community that has faced institutional barriers in the writing and publishing worlds or who lack access to resources and could not otherwise afford to attend. The lottery closes 2 weeks before each workshop, at which time entrants will be notified if they are a recipient of one of the free seats.

To enter the lottery, press the red "Get tickets" button at the top right of your screen, then scroll down to add a "Community Access Lottery Ticket" to your cart and check out.

Safe and Brave Space Policy

Writing workshops can be vulnerable spaces. As a literary arts organization, LitArts RI is committed to providing a safe, brave, inclusive and accessible space to all participants, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, citizenship status, age, size, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Be sensitive, be supportive, be respectful and engage with care. Discriminatory, hateful, and threatening content will not be tolerated; we ask that you bring any concerns to our attention immediately.

Accessibility

LitArts RI is wheelchair accessible. The organization is actively committed to cultivating a community that values and reflects diversity, equity and inclusivity and to providing programming that is accessible to all attendees. Please let us know about any accommodations we can make to allow you to participate fully in this event.

Health Safety Guidelines

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 within a few days of attending an event at LitArts RI, please contact Staff so we can let others know of possible exposure. We ask that you wait 14 days or until testing negative to return to the Center.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.