Writing the Contemporary Gothic

Gothic fiction never disappeared—it traded castles and candlelight for suburbs, campuses and inherited homes. In this three-session generative workshop, we’ll explore how contemporary writers reinvent Gothic traditions through atmosphere, haunting, psychology and place. Readings will include work by Mariana Enriquez, Toni Morrison, Leslie Marmon Silko, Kelly Link, and Mona Awad, among others. We’ll start with an introduction to the genre and its history, spend some time with the haunted house subgenre, then focus on the "regional Gothic” (with a special look at New England as a Gothic site). Through discussion and creative prompts, participants will learn techniques for building dread, crafting charged settings, layering the past into the present and transforming ordinary places into sites of unease, then apply them to their own works-in-progress.
Open to fiction writers of all levels. This is a 3-week workshop, with a 2-hour session each week. Please prepare for approximately 2 hours of work between sessions.
This 3-week workshop meets on Saturdays from 2-4pm at LitArts RI on the following dates:

Sat, Sept 19
Sat, Sept 26
Sat, Oct 3

About Your Teaching Artist

JD Scott (they/them) is the author of the story collection Moonflower, Nightshade, All the Hours of the Day (&NOW Books, 2020) and the poetry collection Mask for Mask (New Rivers Press, 2021). Scott’s writing has appeared in Best Experimental Writing, Best New Poets, Denver Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Indiana Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and elsewhere.

Community Access Lottery
LitArts RI offers a lottery for free admission to those who are from a community that has faced institutional barriers in the writing and publishing worlds or who lack access to resources and could not otherwise afford to attend. The lottery closes 2 weeks before each workshop, at which time entrants will be notified if they are a recipient of one of the free seats.
To enter the lottery, press the red "Get tickets" button at the top right of your screen, then scroll down to add a "Community Access Lottery Ticket" to your cart and check out.
Funding for LitArts RI’s Community Access Lottery was provided in part by a Community Priority Grant from the Rhode Island Foundation.

Safe and Brave Space Policy

Writing workshops can be vulnerable spaces. As a literary arts organization, LitArts RI is committed to providing a safe, brave, inclusive and accessible space to all participants, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, citizenship status, age, size, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Be sensitive, be supportive, be respectful and engage with care. Discriminatory, hateful, and threatening content will not be tolerated; we ask that you bring any concerns to our attention immediately.

Accessibility

LitArts RI is wheelchair accessible. The organization is actively committed to cultivating a community that values and reflects diversity, equity and inclusivity and to providing programming that is accessible to all attendees. Please let us know about any accommodations we can make to allow you to participate fully in this event.

Health Safety Guidelines

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 within a few days of attending an event at LitArts RI, please contact Staff so we can let others know of possible exposure. We ask that you wait 14 days or until testing negative to return to the Center.

LitArts RI Refund Policy
All ticket sales are final except in the case of illness or emergency. If you are unable to make an event due to illness or other circumstances outside of your control, LitArts RI will issue a refund for the amount of the ticket (not including Eventbrite fees) as soon as we are notified.
If an event is cancelled at the discretion of the organization, we will issue refunds in the full amount (including Eventbrite fees) to all registrants.