Sep 18, 2024 by Fija Callaghan

 

We were working in the library late one night

When our eyes beheld an eerie sight

For our monsters, from the page, began to rise 

And suddenly, to our surprise…

they did the Monster Mash! 

 

This Halloween, you’re invited to the baddest bash in town.  

We are SO thrilled to announce our upcoming autumn programme. The Monster Mash is a five-week, asynchronous course in which we’ll explore some of the major players of classic horror movies: werewolves, vampires, mad scientists, and witches.

Why?

There’s a reason writers of all mediums, from poetry to novels to film, keep coming back to these particular ghoulish figures. It’s because each of them represents a hidden element inside of us.

We all have an inner wildness that we shelter from the world.

We all hunger for something — whether that’s love, validation, acceptance, or, yes, blood.

We’re all curious about how the world works, and what we could be capable of.

And we all long for the power to take control of our destinies. 

Throughout The Monster Mash, we’ll look at how these feature creatures have been portrayed in literature and media across time, and how our perceptions of them have changed. We’ll explore where they originated in folklore around the world, how they continue to manifest in the world today, and what they can teach us about our own inner natures. Finally, we’ll give you some tips and tools for creating your own monster story… which may not be monstrous at all. You’ll also receive instructor feedback on your work and become part of an extraordinary community of writers. 

Because this course is offered in a remote asynchronous format, you can study the materials from anywhere in the world, at any time of day or night. 
 

What you get:

*An introductory lesson on classic monsters as creative prompts;

*four in-depth modules dedicated to specific monster tropes (werewolves, vampires, mad scientists, and witches);

*a selection of related tales, including contemporary works and old stories you might never have read before;

*discussion questions to deepen and extend your engagement with historical, cultural, and social impact of these classic characters in literature and film;

*a series of generative writing prompts created to encourage and engage creative inquiry;

*instructor feedback of a poem, drabble, micro-fiction, vignette, or flash fiction for each of the four monster modules;

*and access to a dedicated discussion platform for further exploration of these classic characters.

 

The Monster Mash launches on Monday October 7th. We cannot stress how excited we are to be exploring these classic terrors with you! Think of it as the ultimate storyteller’s Halloween soirée. You can sign up on Teachable here.

PS— Did we mention there’s a private, invite-only community platform? There’s no better place to connect with like-minded writers, folklorists, and dreamers. See you there!

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