Speculative fiction takes readers on an adventure into worlds entirely different from the one they live in. This genre proposes novel realities using diverse characters, new rules, and the promise of exciting possibilities. The focus of this class will be Science Fiction as a subgenre of the broad speculative fiction category. You will learn how to build stories around themes that engage futuristic sciences and technologies. With a focus on the African terrain, this class will show you how to craft peculiar narratives unbeholden to the western gaze. It will also cover tips on how to write an effective science fiction story, embellished with otherworldly elements, yet grounded in reality and entertaining to readers.
For the duration of this class, there will be readings geared towards broadening your horizon. You will study the works of various science fiction writers, particularly those of African descent, unravel their styles and attempt to assimilate same into your work. The class is open to writers at all stages, especially those with a keen interest in the science fiction genre who have hopes of producing work in the short fiction form. The class will be taught by Wole Talabi, engineer, Nommo Award winning author of the critically-acclaimed speculative fiction collection Incomplete Solutions and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology.