10th Anniversary Workshop
September 11-14, 2025
| Workshop the first 6,000 words of your Novel |
| 6:1 Student-Faculty Ratio |
| Polish Your Query Package (Query & Synopsis) |
| Work with Top Agents & Authors in Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror |
| Our Faculty have won Hugo, Nebula, Newbery & World Fantasy Awards |
| Apply Early - Seating is Capped and Competitive |
2025 Keynote Speakers
Author: Fran Wilde
Two-time Nebula Award-winner Fran Wilde has (so far) published eight novels, a poetry collection, and over 70 short stories for adults, teens, and kids. Her stories have been finalists for six Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, four Hugo Awards, four Locus Awards, and a Lodestar. They include her Nebula- and Compton Crook-winning debut novel Updraft, and her Nebula-winning, Best of NPR 2019, debut Middle Grade novel Riverland. Her short stories appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Tor.com, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer, Nature, Uncanny Magazine, and multiple years' best anthologies.
Agent/Editor Keynote: Coming Soon
2025 Fall Workshop Faculty
Futurescapes faculty have won or been nominated for numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Nebula, Compton-Crook, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker, Newbery, Locus, Norton, and the National Book Award.
Monica Rodriguez
Agent, Context Literary
Monica's solution-driven strategies support our clients’ books before and after they’ve hit the shelves. She loves maximizing the career potential for our authors and brainstorming new ways to discover life-long readers.
In addition to her Director of Brand Management role, Monica is also a Junior Agent. She is on a mission to help uplift underrepresented voices in publishing, specifically within the Latinx community.
Maeve MacLysaght
Agent, Aevitas Creative
Maeve MacLysaght is a queer ex-classicist based in Oakland, CA. She holds a B.A in Comparative Literature from Occidental College, a publishing certificate from NYU, and an MLitt in Ancient Greek Monsters from The University of St Andrews in Scotland. The goal of her list is to increase the amount of queer and BIPOC joy in the world, and to make space for marginalized authors to rework the tropes that historically oppressed them.
She is looking for strong commercial genre concepts with beautiful prose in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and graphic novels for all age ranges. She is drawn most to stories with big, campy stakes but surprising emotional cores, lovably immoral characters, queer coded villains, and people kissing while things explode.
Shannon Lechon
Agent, Azantian Literary
Shannon is an associate agent with Azantian Literary Agency. She began her career with literary agency internships at P.S. Literary and Cake Creative, as well as an editorial internship with Penguin Random House. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in criminology and English from Florida State University and a master's in publishing from New York University.
Vicky Weber
Author & Agent, Creative Media Agency
Vicky Weber has always loved literature, even from a young age. In 2015, she began her career as an elementary school teacher and earned her Masters in Teaching & Learning with a concentration in ESL. Her first children’s was published in late 2019, and she’s never looked back! In April 2021, she gave birth to her daughter and left the classroom several months later to pursue writing full-time. She founded At Home Author, a coaching company to help other aspiring picture book authors learn the industry. She joined The Purcell Agency as an associate literary agent in 2022 and was promoted to literary agent in January 2023. In April 2023, her family grew once more with the arrival of her son and in May 2024, she joined the team at CMA. As a Latinx agent and author, she strongly prefers to work with traditionally underrepresented voices whenever possible. She firmly believes that growing her author list is like growing her little family and she does so with intention.
Coming Soon
More information to come.
Check back soon for more information as we finalize our faculty for this workshop.
Morgan Wilson
Agent, Belcastro Agency
Morgan’s love for writing and books and was fostered from an early age by a grandmother that wrote them bedtime stories and taught them how to write poetry. As they grew this love evolved into devouring books faster than their bookshelves could keep up and writing their own stories in magical kingdoms galaxies away. With over a decade of work in classrooms across the Midwest, Morgan wants to uplift the stories that their students needed so that everyone can see themselves on the page using magic, finding love and defeating the bad guy. They are dedicated to being an agent for change in the publishing industry and working with marginalized voices so that every child and adult can experience the joy of a book that speaks to them.
Andie Smith
Agent, Booker Albert Agency
Andie Smith is a Junior Agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency and a member of the AALA. She is also a writer and editor of multiple genres. Andie has previously served as a writer and editor for several local newspapers and magazines in Central Florida and is the Founder of Sun & Spines Editorial, where she offers a variety of editing services for authors. When she’s not agenting, she’s spending time with her husband and two kitties or hanging out at Disney World.
Coming Soon
More information to come.
Check back soon for more information as we finalize our faculty for this workshop.
Fall Workshop Add-Ons
Classes available individually, in three-class bundles, and through an all-class pass. Available for add-ons exclusively to Spring Workshop attendees.
Roll for Story: Using TTRPG Tools to Develop Character and Drive Story
A strong character voice leaps off the page to grab the reader, but developing that character and voice can be one of the most elusive elements to master as an author. In this workshop, Maeve MacLysaght will show you how to use elements of Tabletop Roleplaying Games to develop characters with active backstory, plot-relevant drives, and authentic voices. This class will be accessible (and fun!) for all levels of gaming experience who love character-driven narrative.
Class will take place virtually October 5, 2025 from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST.
The Texas Hold 'Em Structure and Other Non-Three-Act Structures
In this class, Mia will guide students through the Texas Hold 'Em structure, a four-act based on the poker variant of Texas Hold 'Em. She will also discuss how other non-novel structures can be adapted for novels or short fiction pieces and hold a brief, anything-goes AMA at the end of class. Students are expected to bring a detailed outline of a novel or several short stories to rework and workshop during class. As this is a class on structure, Mia would prefer students to bring novels or short fiction pieces that are already in the editing process but are not yet at the polishing stage because of the heavy developmental nature of the work.
Class will take place virtually October 4, 2025 from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST.
Advanced Craft Class with S.T. Gibson
Details coming soon! Stay tuned for an exciting session tailored to elevate your writing craft.
Class will take place virtually October 5, 2025 from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM EST.
Advanced Craft Bundle
Perfecting Your Query Letter with Andie Smith
All-Access Class Pass
$490
Access all six classes—three-submission-focused and three-advanced craft sessions—in one package. Perfect for writers looking to fully immerse themselves in skill-building and manuscript refinement. Classes will take place virtually August 10, 2025 and the weekend of October 4-5, 2025.
$340 each
Submission Package Bundle
Prepare your manuscript for querying and the workshop with this comprehensive bundle. Featuring three focused classes on synopsis writing, crafting captivating first pages, and perfecting your query letter, this package is idel for writers looking to refine their submission package and make a strong impression.
All classes take place virtually on August 10, 2025.
Distilling Your Story with Vicky Weber
Bundles
Self-Editing Techniques with Kesia Lupo
Your first pages are your story’s handshake with readers, agents, and editors—make them count. In this workshop, Kesia Lupo will guide you through the art of self-editing, with a focus on crafting openings that captivate and compel. Learn to identify common pitfalls, refine your prose, and establish the voice, tone, and stakes that will leave a lasting impression.
Class will take place August 10, 2025 from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM EST.
Perfect for intermediate to advanced writers, this bundle includes three advanced craft-focused classes designed to help you polish your manuscript and deepen your storytelling skills. An excellent way to cap off the workshop experience.
All classes take place virtually on October 4-5, 2025.
Individual Classes
Your query letter is your foot in the publishing door. Join Andie Smith for an in-depth session on crafting a query that stands out in the slush pile. From pitching your story’s hook to nailing the tone, you’ll learn actionable strategies to write a query letter that showcases your manuscript and makes agents eager to read more.
Class will take place August 10, 2025 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM EST.
Summarizing your novel in a single page doesn’t have to be daunting. In this workshop, Vicky Weber will break down the process of writing a compelling synopsis. Learn how to highlight your story’s key beats, balance plot and character development, and create a synopsis that hooks agents and editors while staying true to your vision.
Class will take place August 10, 2025 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST.
$140 each
Regular Admit
Futurescapes Alumni
Pricing
Super Early Bird
Apply by April 27
$298
$248
Early Bird
Apply by June 1
$348
Regular
$398
Late
$298
Apply by July 31
$348
Apply by August 10
$448
$398
Scholarships and tuition payment plans are available
Applications Open Now
Futurescapes is extremely competitive. You must apply for admission. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. It is recommended that you apply early as the workshop’s limited spots will fill quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
We make a promise both to you and our faculty that we will not accept your hard-earned tuition money unless your writing is at least approaching professional level. Our faculty love Futurescapes because they know that the writing will be of an exceptionally high caliber. They don’t do Futurescapes just for the fun of it, they want make connections, too, and find potential clients.
-
Acceptance rates vary by workshop, but generally Futurescapes is as competitive as admissions to many top tier graduate programs. The Fall workshop has a lower student cap and is likely to be more competitive than most.
-
We prefer you make your tuition payment within two weeks. We also participate in the PayPal Pay-in-Four (or Pay-in-Three) program that allows you to pay in installments over a longer period of time.
-
We’re looking for a few things:
Mastery of the fundamental mechanics of writing.
Compelling plot, characters, dialogue, and world.
Evidence of at least one standout attribute (e.g., sharp dialogue, great humor, impressive world building, etc.)
-
You will need to submit your up to 5,000 word excerpt and query letter by August 10, 2025.
-
You will move with your cohort and work with three different faculty leads; 1) one will review and provide feedback on your manuscript excerpt; 2) one will provide feedback on your query letter; and 3) one will provide feedback on your first page.
Included with your tuition are master classes taught by our incredible faculty.
You will have an (up to) 4 hour block each day of the workshop. You’ll be able to choose either a morning or evening block (based on U.S. Eastern Standard Time).