Magical Realism: The New Wave Writing Workshop [Durham, NC]

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

What would life be like if you could outsource feeling sad? Imagine a real world where employees at a call center can feel anyone's grief for a fee, and feeling pain becomes a service that some can afford to outsource and others are paid to do. These are some of the questions that Charles Yu’s short story “Standard Loneliness Package,” inspires. In Yu’s story, the fantastic meets the everyday in an attempt to explain the complexities and contradictions of modern society, providing a great example of new wave Magical Realism, a literary fiction genre with an important lineage.

Magical Realism developed as a literary style used by artists and writers to cope with trauma and to critique the social and political issues of the world around them. Magical Realism is most notably linked to LatinAmerican writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but represents a global movement that includes writers Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Leslie Marmon Silko. Their stories remind readers of the limits of language and the profundity of feeling. While it is a genre born of mythology, spirituality, fantasy and magic, the contemporary application of magical realism blends otherworldly occurrences within a real world context, and includes tech horror, surrealism, the paranormal and the psychological.

Expand your reality and join new wave writing in Magical Realism, The New Wave. Over the course of five weeks, students will be introduced to contemporary fiction within the Magical Realism genre and will explore its tropes from a craft perspective. In addition to selected readings and group discussions, students will practice writing with exploratory prompts meant to generate new work and to encourage both practice and play. New and experienced writers are welcome!

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

What would life be like if you could outsource feeling sad? Imagine a real world where employees at a call center can feel anyone's grief for a fee, and feeling pain becomes a service that some can afford to outsource and others are paid to do. These are some of the questions that Charles Yu’s short story “Standard Loneliness Package,” inspires. In Yu’s story, the fantastic meets the everyday in an attempt to explain the complexities and contradictions of modern society, providing a great example of new wave Magical Realism, a literary fiction genre with an important lineage.

Magical Realism developed as a literary style used by artists and writers to cope with trauma and to critique the social and political issues of the world around them. Magical Realism is most notably linked to LatinAmerican writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but represents a global movement that includes writers Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Leslie Marmon Silko. Their stories remind readers of the limits of language and the profundity of feeling. While it is a genre born of mythology, spirituality, fantasy and magic, the contemporary application of magical realism blends otherworldly occurrences within a real world context, and includes tech horror, surrealism, the paranormal and the psychological.

Expand your reality and join new wave writing in Magical Realism, The New Wave. Over the course of five weeks, students will be introduced to contemporary fiction within the Magical Realism genre and will explore its tropes from a craft perspective. In addition to selected readings and group discussions, students will practice writing with exploratory prompts meant to generate new work and to encourage both practice and play. New and experienced writers are welcome!

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.