Manticores, Rock Eaters, and Lesser Known Monsters with Tara Campbell

In this class, author and instructor Tara Campbell will lead a close reading exploration of some of the most exciting short fiction being written today, learning from the work of three much-lauded women writers: Brenda Peynado, Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, and Kim Fu. Each week, participants will discuss a selection of stories from their recent collections, where they will encounter themes of love, rage, migration, environment, family, society, the price of conformity, and ways to break free.

The class will discuss the stories as writers, gleaning lessons like how to maximize sensory information, create and manage tension in a story, experiment with nontraditional formats, and inhabit non-human characters effectively.

Participants will may be given discussion questions to spark thought ahead of class, and guest speakers will augment the discussion. The discussion questions don't have to be answered in writing--they are offered to help guide the discussion. 

Attendees will be expected to participate via chat, voice, and/or video. This class will not be recorded.

This class meets online for three 2-hour sessions.

Meeting Dates: Oct 27, Nov 3, and Nov 10, 10:00 am to 12 pm.

Required Texts (you are responsible for acquiring your copies for this class - we suggest checking with your local library or supporting your favorite indie bookstore!)

• Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu (Tin House 2022)
• The Rock Eaters by Brenda Peynado (Penguin Books, 2021)
• What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri (Tin House 2022)

The instructor will assign specific stories to read before each class, approximately 80 pages of reading per week. 

About the Instructor: 

Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing. Publication credits include Masters Review, Wigleaf, Electric Literature, CRAFT Literary, Uncharted Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, and Escape Pod/Artemis Rising. She's the author of the eco sci-fi novel TreeVolution, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections from feminist sci-fi publisher Aqueduct Press. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, is forthcoming from Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) in fall 2024. She teaches creative writing at venues such as Johns Hopkins University, Clarion West, The Writer's Center, and Hugo House.
Website

This event will be held in Zoom. By registering for this class, you agree to follow the Clarion West Code of Conduct and Zoom policies. 

Limited Free Seating: 

We offer a percentage of seats in every class to People of the Global Majority (Asian, Black, African, Latina/o/x, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and/or have been racialized as 'ethnic minorities') for free, regardless of financial need. 

Eligible folks should complete this form to enter the lottery for free seats.  If a seat is available, we will email you 7-10 days before the class begins. For more information, see our equity and inclusion policies.

A limited number of free physical copies will also be available to free seating attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact us for more information.

Sliding Scale Pricing:

The Supporting Tuition rate is shown for each class or workshop for folks who can pay it. Paying the Supporting Tuition rate enables us to continue to pay our staff and instructors equitably and support access to classes for others who may be in a different situation. 

The Helping Hands rate is available to folks under more limited economic circumstances, no matter your background.

For more information, see our financial aid policies.

Our Refund Policy:

Clarion West will refund all class fees if the request is made 30 days before the class date. Refund requests made within 30 days of the class will be honored if we can fill the seat.

Any exceptions are subject to approval by our workshop staff.