2025 Fall Futurescapes Workshop
General Information
Links to all you need for the Fall Workshop! Links will be added as we get closer to the workshop:
General Recordings — note: you must be logged in to Google Drive with the email you registered with. If you need to use a different email, please request access.
Faculty Q&A Questions — fill out this form if you have any questions you’d like answered during the Q&A
2025 Fall Opening Ceremony
5:30 PM EST
Event Schedule
Please note, this is just a sample schedule while we finalize the logistics.
Thursday, September 11
2025 Fall Faculty Q&A
6:15 PM EST
Faculty Q&A Questions — fill out this form if you have any questions you’d like answered during the Q&A
2025 Fall Socials
7:30 PM EST
Friday, September 12
2025 Fall Excerpt
MORNING 9:30 AM EST
EVENING 5:30 PM EST
2025 Fall Second Excerpt Session
Saturday, September 13
MORNING 9:30 AM EST
EVENING 5:30 PM EST
2025 Fall Workshop — Class
12:30 PM EST
2025 Fall Core Faculty Wrap up
Sunday, September 14
2025 Fall Keynote Address
12:30 PM EST
2025 Fall Workshop Closing Ceremony
2:00 PM EST
MORNING 10:45 AM EST
EVENING 6:45 PM EST
2024 Fall Query Session
MORNING 9:30 AM EST
EVENING 5:30 PM EST
2025 Fall Add ons
Miriam Cortinovis is an agent with Ki Literary. They are seeking speculative fiction for all ages groups and markets.
The long manuscript workshop offers a unique opportunity to workshop a large chunk (30,000 words) of your workshop with a leading agent or editor over multiple sessions. In the first session in late-November (tentatively Nov. 22) you will get feedback on the overall structure of your novel by workshopping your synopsis with your faculty lead. In the second session (early January) you will receive feedback on your 30,000 word excerpt. Finally, in early February, you’ll receive feedback on your revised first chapter (3,000) words.
More details on Miriam’s wishlist:
For Fantasy, Miriam seeks intersectional diverse stories ripe with unique magic, immersive atmosphere, and memorable characters, especially from BIPOC and/or LGBTQAI+ perspectives. In both Adult and Young Adult, they hunger in particular for romantic queer fantasies like THE MAIDEN AND HER MONSTER, A TREACHERY OF SWANS, and A DARK AND DROWNING TIDE—although a romantic plotline is never a requirement for their list. They’re not impartial to a good multiverse/portal story (see their beloved A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC or VOIDWALKER), fairytale-tainted quests (SOMEONE TO BUILD A NEST IN), epic-leaning series the likes of PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE and THE JASMINE THRONE, quieter, elegant settings—particularly if Catholic-inspired (THE SACRED SPACE BETWEEN)—and outrageous genre-blenders (ROAD TO RUIN). Of recent, they’d love to find something horror-adjacent that excites them as much as THE STARVING SAINTS or the perfect lady knight via THE EVERLASTING or THE ISLE IN THE SILVER SEA
That being said, Miriam also would love to see fantasy stories set in our world, whether through an urban feel like LEGENDBORN, a small-town undertone like STARLING HOUSE, a paranormal allure like IMMORTAL DARK, a sentient dark setting like TOGETHER WE ROT, and a historical perspective like VESUVIUS or THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH.
While for upper middle-grade Miriam leans more toward the speculative side of things, (WITCHLINGS, ARU SHAH, and GHOST SCOUT’S HONOR) they’re also eager to find authentic contemporary stories that, in particular, discuss grief, home, moving places, losing friends, or disability/chronic illness (themes that apply to their list overall).
For Science Fiction, Miriam is eager to have their brains teased and blown. Though no book in their heart will ever compare, they won’t stop chasing the perfect companion to GIDEON THE NINTH. They’d love space shenanigans (SOME DESPERATE GLORY), heist dystopias (HAMMAJANG LUCK), capitalist critique (METAL FROM HEAVEN), and AI that surpasses our current understanding (ANCILLARY JUSTICE or THE ARCHIVE UNDYING).
In addition, Miriam takes an interest in Young Adult Contemporary novels that draw on their fascination with American high school from immigrant perspectives and with summer camps/adventures, in the veins of SMASH OR PASS. They’re also looking for queer YA Horror & Thriller the likes of WHAT THE WOODS TOOK and THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT.
What they don’t want: Poetry (including novel in verses). Picture/Chapter Books. Nonfiction. Contemporary Mafia Fiction. Contemporary Adult Romance. Erotica. Werewolves. Novels set during WWI and WWII.
This is available for a limited time as an add-on (this is a discounted price: $990 long manuscript workshop, $200 for the all class pass). If you already registered for the all-class pass, email taylor to request a discount code.
Access all class bundles—the submission bundle, the advanced craft bundle, the villain bundle, the worldbuilding bundle, and the sentence level craft bundle—in one package. Perfect for writers looking to fully immerse themselves in skill-building and manuscript refinement. Classes will take place virtually.
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 ideal for writers looking to refine their submission package and make a strong impression. This includes Perfecting Your Query Letter with Andie Smith, Distilling Your Story with Vicky Weber, and Self-Editing Techniques with Kesia Lupo.
All classes take place virtually on August 10, 2025.
If we're all on the darkest timeline, we might as well lean into it by perfecting our villains! These classes aren’t just about antagonists, however. Classes will focus on mastering villains, monsters, criminal networks, and existential horrors.
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 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM EST.
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 12:00-2:00 PM EST.
What makes a villain compelling, evocative, and memorable? Does your villain inspire fear? Invoke disgust? Are they physically imposing—and threatening—to the protagonist? When you hear the word “villain,” how does that make you feel, and how will you inspire that feeling in your readers? In this brainstorming workshop, dark fantasy indie author Kassidy Coursey will walk through the process of creating a villain that checks all the boxes—and even plays upon twists of classic tropes. How does one take the Devil Itself and freshen up that old bastard? Come find out, take inspiration, and leave to devise the most salacious villain of your lifetime.
This class will take place on Sunday, October 26 at 12:00pm EST.
Kassidy is a Pacific Northwestern native who has re-cultivated her love of demon-wrangling and conservation after a long hiatus during school to get a "real job" as a physician.
Her Sins of the Maker trilogy is set for release from Shadow Spark Publishing with the first installment coming September 19, 2025, and she cannot wait to introduce the world to her Seven Deadly Sins fire babies.
When she isn't writing, Kassidy is either drinking coffee, side-seat video gaming, giving loves to all her fur babies, or crafting delicious cocktails (bourbon is her favorite).
You can connect with Kassidy on her social media accounts @KCDCWrites, or on her website.
Great writing often emerges not in the first draft, but in the careful art of revision. In this hands-on, active class, award-winning author Matthew Kirby will guide students through the mechanics of self-editing—how to sharpen prose, deepen meaning, and make every page more effective. Together, we’ll explore practical techniques for pushing your work beyond surface polish and into the realm of resonance and impact.
Participants are encouraged to submit 3–5 pages by September 20 for in-class examples. Matt will select a couple of examples and connect with the authors ahead of the class. These pages do not need to be clean or polished—in fact, rougher drafts often provide the most instructive demonstrations.
Come ready to dive in, get your hands on your own work, and leave with new strategies to elevate your writing through the self-editing process.
This class will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 11:00 AM EST.
Matthew J. Kirby is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of the middle grade novels The Clockwork Three, Icefall, The Lost Kingdom, Infinity Ring Book 5: Cave of Wonders, and The Quantum League series, the Dark Gravity Sequence, and the Assassin’s Creed series, Last Descendants. He was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, he has won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, the PEN Center USA award for Children’s Literature, and the Judy Lopez Memorial Award, and has been named to the New York Public Library’s 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, and the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults lists. He is also a school psychologist, and currently lives in Utah with his wife and three step-kids.
Ground your worlds in the realities of rocks, landscapes, and planetary forces. This class shows how geology and planetary science can inspire believable settings, natural phenomena, and challenges for your characters.
This class will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 PM EST.
Dianna Vega is an editor with Tor Books. She works with authors across all subgenres of speculative fiction.
The long manuscript workshop offers a unique opportunity to workshop a large chunk (30,000 words) of your workshop with a leading agent or editor over multiple sessions. In the first session in late-November (tentatively Nov. 22) you will get feedback on the overall structure of your novel by workshopping your synopsis with your faculty lead. In the second session (early January) you will receive feedback on your 30,000 word excerpt. Finally, in early February, you’ll receive feedback on your revised first chapter (3,000) words.
This is available for a limited time as an add-on (this is a discounted price: $1,190 long manuscript workshop, $200 for the all class pass). If you already registered for the all-class pass, email taylor to request a discount code.
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. Includes craft classes with Mia Tsai, Maeve MacLysaght, and S.T. Gibson
All classes take place virtually on October 4-5, 2025.
This will be a multi-class package relying on both accomplished authors, agents and editors, as well as real world experts in everything from physics to economics to help you build worlds so real you could live in them. For this set of classes, the aim is to be as comprehensive as possible, dealing with every aspect of worldbuilding - from magic to weather. Individual classes will be listed soon.
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.
Whether you identify as a gardener, a discovery writer, a platnser, or a headlights writer, many of us excell when we approach drafting with a combination of planning and spontaneity. In this class, students will become acquainted with a variety of blended drafting strategies and tools they can use to discovery-write themselves to a finished draft. They will learn where their novel's outlined "setpieces" and "tentpoles" should be while getting in tune with their artistic instincts and agility. We'll discuss how to recover when we hit the walls of planning gone wrong or get mired in the muck of misfiring intuition, revising with an eye for structure, and what sort of modifications to our processes different speculative subgenres may require.
Class will take place virtually October 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM EST.
What makes a villain truly unforgettable? In this class, you’ll explore the keys to crafting compelling antagonists—from believable motives and human complexity to questions of scale, fear, and moral limits. Learn how to balance humanity and monstrosity so your villains resonate with readers long after the story ends.
This class will take place on Sunday, October 19 at 2:30pm EST.
Zachary Tyler Linville grew up as a fan of 80’s and 90’s horror which has translated into his young adult writing. After earning a Bachelor’s in Film, he worked for MTV and HBO while writing his debut novel, Welcome to Deadland, a coming-of-age story set against a zombie apocalypse. He currently works as a middle school language arts and literacy intervention teacher in Denver, Colorado.
Writers are constantly bombarded by advice and "rules" -- often conflicting -- on how to craft the perfect story. This class will not only deconstruct some of the most common writing "rules" out there, but also give you the tools to analyze future advice and find out how to make it work for your unique process.
This class will take place on Sunday, October 5 at 4:30pm EST.
K.M. Veohongs is a mixed race Thai-American writer of speculative fiction and poetry. As the daughter of an immigrant to the US, she’s often pulled to write about diaspora feelings and the harms perpetuated by colonialism. She is on the board of Dream Foundry and won a 2023 Ignyte Community Award as part of the Flights of Foundry convention. Her work is featured in Translunar Traveler’s Lounge, Trollbreath, and elsewhere, including the Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthology Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. She is represented by Hana El Niwairi at CookeMcDermid and can be found on her website: kmveohongs.com
Explore the science of living systems to bring depth and realism to your creatures, plants, and environments. You’ll learn how biology can inform everything from ecosystems to character survival in your stories.
This class will take place on Saturday, October 4 at 3:45 PM EST.
Sophie Sheumaker is an agent with Bookends Literary. She is looking for fantasy and speculative fiction for all ages.
The long manuscript workshop offers a unique opportunity to workshop a large chunk (30,000 words) of your workshop with a leading agent or editor over multiple sessions. In the first session in late-November (tentatively Nov. 22) you will get feedback on the overall structure of your novel by workshopping your synopsis with your faculty lead. In the second session (early January) you will receive feedback on your 30,000 word excerpt. Finally, in early February, you’ll receive feedback on your revised first chapter (3,000) words.
More details on Sophie’s wishlist:
Middle Grade
Adventure-filled or cozy fantasy. In this space, I really love fantasy that feels like a fairy-tale but isn’t necessarily a Disney-eque retelling (think The Girl Who Drank the Moon/The Phantom Tollbooth/The Princess Bride). I’ve always enjoyed a third person narrator that feels like a character even when they aren’t actually a part of the story and I’m very drawn into any middle grade that highlights friendships and is driven by the wild, ever-changing, ever-learning emotions of early adolescence
Quiet magic that’s woven subtly throughout a story
Big families, big communities that feel like characters, and all of the complications that come with that—Encanto, a MG Gilmore Girls, Ponyo
Middle grade that can be reread as an adult and still feel relevant and enjoyable. Middle grade that doesn’t speak down to the reader or treat the reader like they’re a child
YA/Adult
If you can translate any of the above into a YA/Adult setting, I would love to see it
Fantasy, Romance, Light sci-fi, Speculative, Horror
Fantasy can run the gamut from cozy with a soft magic system (Maiga Doocy’s Sorcery and Small Magics) to high-fantasy with an intricately woven magic system. For the second, I love a deeply immersive setting with a well thought out world (think Godkiller, The Jasmine Throne).
I am particularly interested in queer romance, especially sapphic romance. Witty dialogue and banter are my go-to (Emily Henry/Talia Hibbert), scenes that make me kick my feet and giggle and have to put my book down to gather my thoughts. A hooky beach read with the melodrama of a K-drama. Contemporary/fantasy/romantasy, tried and true tropes in your typical straight romance done through a queer lens. I also love a surprising magical/speculative twist (One Last Stop). Niche wants: Lesbian vampires, sapphic hockey players, sapphic F1
I am not seeking hard sci-fi (no space opera and no apocalyptic or dystopian future). I am seeking genre-bending sci-fi driven by emotions (Ted Chiang) and influenced by our current events and environmental activism (Shaun Tan)
Grounded speculative fiction with high-concept plots
Romance in horror (NOT romanticizing abuse, think more an all-consuming love within a horror setting). Themes of revenge and feminism and female rage. Not opposed to body horror. Dark female friendships definitely welcome here
Characters with richly developed relationships that are central to the story, especially female friendships and stories of sisterhood
Quirky, off-beat storytelling that can deliver serious messaging without taking itself too seriously
This is available for a limited time as an add-on (this is a discounted price $990 long manuscript workshop, $200 for the all class pass). If you already registered for the all-class pass, email taylor to request a discount code.
What’s the best way to perfect your writing craft? Start honing at the most granular level and work your way up. We're bringing in experts on the crafting of beautiful, powerful prose. Classes will focus on perfecting the sentence, the paragraph, the chapter, and the overall structure of your novel. Individual classes will be listed soon.
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 9, 2025 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM EST.
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 12:00-1:30 PM EST.
Not every villain is destined for defeat. Some steal the show—and the reader’s heart. From the magnetic menace of the Darkling in Shadow and Bone to the twisted charisma of Dexter Morgan, this class dives deep into what makes a villain compelling enough to become the love interest—or the main character.Whether you're writing fantasy, thriller, horror, or dark romance, we’ll explore how to craft morally gray characters who keep readers hooked, blurring the line between desire and danger. This class is perfect for writers who want to explore:
Romantic dynamics built on power, manipulation, or forbidden longing
Villains who take center stage without losing their edge
How to maintain reader empathy for characters who do terrible things
Strategies for showing inner conflict, transformation, or compelling justifications
This class will take place on Sunday, October 19 at 4:30pm EST.
Taylor Munsell’s debut, Touch of Death—a Georgia Peach Book Award nominee—captures her love for stories about prickly girls and the magic of being truly seen. Away from the page, Taylor can usually be found snacking, reading, or chasing adventures both on-screen and off. She calls the misty mountains of North Carolina home, where she writes among the trees.
Description to come! This class will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 1:30 PM EST.
Learn how political systems shape cultures, conflicts, and everyday life in speculative worlds. This class will help you design governments that feel authentic, from monarchies and councils to revolutionary movements.
This class will take place on Saturday, October 4 at 2:00 PM EST.