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"We should always remember that the work of art is invariably the creation of a new world" –Vladimir Nabokov
Worldbuilding is an essential part of creating alien planets and fantasy realms, but it's also an important skill for writers in any type of story where setting plays a major role. How can setting inform story and character? How do we make it come alive in the reader's mind? This event will start with a talk about different worldbuilding techniques for both realist fiction and speculative fiction (as well as the differences between them) and then offer some exercises for a generative writing session.
Lincoln Michel is the author of the story collection Upright Beasts (Coffee House Press 2015) and the forthcoming novel The Body Scout (Orbit 2021). He's the co-editor of the anthologies Tiny Crimes (Catapult 2018) and Tiny Nightmares (Catapult 2020). His fiction appears in The Paris Review, Granta, Tin House, NOON, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, and elsewhere. His essays and criticism appear in journals such as The New York Times, GQ, BOMB, and The Guardian. He is the former editor-in-chief of Electric Literature and has received awards and residencies from The Millay Colony, VCCA, LMCC, The Mastheads, and CATWALK Institute. Purchase Lincoln Michel’s work here.