Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop

PurrFiction (Detroit, MI) | March 11, 6:00-8:30pm

In this session, we will explore some of the key elements of speculative fiction and fantasy, and the question of when it might make sense for your piece to move beyond the bounds of the “real world.” Local author Laura Dzubay will guide you through some warm-up writing exercises and at least one longer generative prompt. By the end of the session, you will have fleshed out a picture of a fictional world to explore in your own story or novel, complete with rules, boundaries, mysteries, and characters. There will be opportunities to share your writing with others and gain initial feedback.

Taylor Swift as Craft: An 8-Week Generative Fiction Intensive

Writing Workshops | 2023, 2025

This 8-week workshop will explore fundamental elements of creative writing (primarily fiction) through the lens of Taylor Swift. Our priority will be generating new writing and sharing it with each other; in each session, we’ll complete focused exercises practicing key writing elements like characterization, setting, scene building, perspective, conflict, and physical detail, using song lyrics as guideposts.

There will be optional “homework” as well as tools and exercises participants can use to further their writing outside of class, but this is mainly meant to be a fun, low-stress workshop to be taken alongside whatever else writers are doing in life, so there won’t be any required reading or listening outside of what we examine together.

Together, we will explore why we love what we love, and how we can carry that feeling of inspiration into our own ideas and storytelling. What is it about Swift’s music and her lyrics that so many people around the world have connected with? What narrative tools does she use, and why are so many people drawn to the ways in which she uses them? What can we learn from the ways in which she seeks out inspiration, and from her relationships with criticism and revision? How can we find good balances between personal details and universal themes in our own stories?

Important note: Swifties of ALL exposure levels and backgrounds are more than welcome in this class! Anytime we discuss a song in detail, we will listen to it together as a group first. This is meant, ideally, to be an invigorating creative space for anyone, and there is absolutely no need to have any particular level of familiarity with Taylor Swift’s music beforehand.