Unprecedented weather events, higher food prices, rising temperatures, climate migration: how can we deal narratively with the enormity of these changes in our world? Can climate fiction make any kind of effective difference? According to Matthew Salesses, “If cli-fi acts as warning, and it is too late for warnings, what is the point? … But maybe the point of future-oriented climate fiction is not to warn us of the dangers of global warming, but to make us ask, as Min Hyoung Song does in Climate Lyricism: 'What is possible now?'" This course will provide an introduction to the genre through a variety of readings (which may include work by Kim Stanley Robinson, Octavia Butler, or Ursula K. Le Guin) and writing exercises. Each week, we’ll read and discuss works of climate fiction, ranging from realistic to otherworldly and apocalyptic to surprisingly hopeful. We’ll then apply lessons from these readings in creating our own works -- short fiction or novel chapters. Class sessions will include weekly prompts focused on craft elements, such as worldbuilding, character development, and plot structure to support you as you generate writing. You will also have the opportunity to engage in peer-to-peer workshopping.
---
Details: Writing Climate Fiction happens Thursday, May 1, May 8, May 15, May 22, May 29, and June 5 from 6:30-8:30pm in person at the Literary Cleveland office (13002 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland OH 44120).
Prerequisites: None
Genre: Fiction
Level: All Levels
Format: Generative writing workshop with reading elements
Location: This class takes place in person at the Literary Cleveland office (13002 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland OH 44120).
Size: Limited to 12 participants (including scholarships).
Scholarships: Two scholarship spots are available for this class for writers in Northeast Ohio. Apply by April 15.
Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.
Work with the best...
Johnny Caputo is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and a voter for the Nebula Awards. His speculative fiction has appeared in Escape Pod, Mithila Review, Cast of Wonders, and other venues. When not writing, he spends his time teaching at various institutions and wandering the woods around Cleveland.
Mary Grimm has had two books published, Left to Themselves (novel) and Stealing Time (story collection). Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Antioch Review, and the Mississippi Review, as well as in a number of journals that publish flash fiction.
Literary Cleveland
13002 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland OH 44120
Related Classes
Dangerous Visions: Getting Political in Your Science Fiction
Intro to Fiction - Spring 2025
