Wofford College is once again offering “Shared Worlds”, a two-week workshop in fantasy and science fiction worldbuilding for students in grades eight through twelve. Applications are now being accepted for the “camp”, which will run from 18 to 31 July 2010. And this year’s camp will center on a Bestiary of Strange Beasts.
From the camp, we hear “Here there be monsters! And beasts! And fantastical creatures. The faculty of Shared Worlds creative writing camp has called on some of speculative fiction’s most compelling storytellers to chase down and gather up all manner of wondrous beasts, and you can examine them all at this link. Featuring contributions from: Elizabeth Bear, Michael Bishop, Tobias Buckell, Jesse Bullington, Gail Carringer, Cory Doctorow, Steven R. Erikson & Ian C. Esslemont, Ed Greenwood, Daryl Gregory, Lev Grossman, Elizabeth Hand, Will Hindmarch, Kathe Koja, Nancy Kress, Jay Lake, Jeff LaSala, James Morrow, Nnedi Okorafor, James O’Neal, Robert V. S. Redick, Ekaterina Sedia, Paul G. Tremblay, Marly Youmans, and Zoran Zivkovic. As part of the program, this year’s students will illustrate the fantastic beasts in our bestiary, so be sure to return at the end of the summer to see what they’ve done.”
The program will be held on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and offers “an intensely creative atmosphere in which students learn all aspects of building their own fictional world through instruction in creative writing, history, art, philosophy, and physics, and then apply that knowledge by creating fiction, games, and more.” Working with director Jeremy L.C. Jones and assistant director Jeff VanderMeer, this year’s instructors will include: Christine Dinkins, Christopher Dinkins, Tim Schmitz, and Joseph Spivey.
Although the emphasis of this think tank for teens is on fantasy, according to VanderMeer the things that the participants learn will be very useful in real life. “This really is a unique opportunity for talented teens to mix having fun and flexing their imaginations with developing skills that will serve them well no matter what they decide to do with their lives.”
Tuition is $2,250, which includes room, board, instruction, and all needed program material (but not transportation to/from Wofford). Students who pay in full before 1 May will receive a $250 discount. For more information, including an application, see the Shared Worlds web site.