Writing the Future

Member price: $22

Instructor: Alison Lyke

What breakout technology and trends will alter the future’s societal landscape?  It’s up to you, a speculative and science fiction writer, to propose the answer to this question. In this workshop, we’ll explore some of history’s most intriguing pieces of postulate science fiction, including works by Margret Atwood and Kurt Vonnegut. Employing articles from current science, tech, and social magazines as a jumping-off point, you’ll use creative writing to take an emerging idea to its logical, illogical, or extreme conclusion. You’ll leave with the ability to speculate on everyday news stories and to identify developing trends worth exploring in your fictional works.

Alison Lyke is an English professor and the author of two science fiction and fantasy novels. Inspired by her artist father’s mythological painting series, her first novel, Honey, explores the interplay between religion and legends while following a young woman’s spiritual awakening. Her second novel, Forever People, follows cyberpunk conventions, delving into a world of technology-generated immortals seeking to undo the consequences of their achievements. Alison also contributes macabre poetry and horror short stories to literary magazines, including Aoife’s Kiss and Sounds of the Night.