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Writing Workshop |
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Science Fiction Writers Workshop |
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"James Gunn is as sage as they come." |
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Starting in 2011, author and CSSF Director Christopher McKitterick leads the workshop, and guest author Bradley Denton - another former student of Workshop founder James Gunn - hopes to join the workshop for the second week. James Gunn plans to drop in from time to time to meet the Workshoppers and offer words of writing wisdom, and he usually joins us for lunch in the (very good) adjoining dorm cafeteria. We're waiting to see if Bradley Denton can join us again this summer; if not, I'll probably seek another visiting author or editor, but even if that doesn't work out, we'll almost certainly have both our Campbell and Sturgeon Award winners, plus Kij and other regional authors, on hand talking about the biz of writing during the last two days of the second week.
Denton's novel, Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede, won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1992, and is now in production to become a film. His two-volume story collection The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians / A Conflagration Artist won the World Fantasy Award in 1995. In July 2005, his novella "Sergeant Chip" won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Denton's music stylings have become a popular feature at SF events around the country.
The Workshop is intended for writers who have just begun to publish or who need that final bit of insight or skill to become a published writer. We work with all brands of speculative fiction, including horror, fantasy, magical realism, slipstream, speculative philosophy, hard SF, and so on.
James Gunn taught the first SF Workshop in 1985, and in 1986 it became an annual event. Chris McKitterick began co-teaching the workshop in 1996, and Kij Johnson co-taught from 1996-2002, before branching off her own SF&F Novel Writing Workshop, offered during the same two-week period. Simultaneous scheduling and adjacent meeting spaces provides valuable opportunities to intermingle with the other group and discuss writing from a different perspective outside regular meeting times.
The Workshop usually fills, so if you're interested in applying, please apply by mid-April, and we can let you know about openings. Final deadline to apply is June 1.
Jim Gunn dispensing wisdom during his 2008 SF Writer's Workshop.
The Campbell Conference following the workshop plans to bring the winners of the Campbell and Sturgeon Awards to the campus as special guests, and several more SF-writers and editors are also scheduled to attend, talk, and sign books during the special Campbell Conference this year. We always ask our special guests to come and talk to us on Friday afternoon about "The Secrets of Successful Science Fiction" - always a great experience!
Housing information is available below.
Participants will have time for writing, for recreation, for socializing, and for individual conferences.
For 2012, the Writer's Workshop meets from June 24 - July 6, and the Campbell Conference, July 5–8. We will have an informal get-together with the Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel Writers Workshop on Sunday evening, at 6:00pm in our dorm lobby space where we'll be meeting, to get acquainted and plan for the coming weeks.
Graduate academic credit is now offered through English 757 (talk to your advisor about pursuing this option). Most attendees come to the dorm on Sunday daytime and stay through the entire Campbell Conference, so plan to arrive on June 24 and remain through July 8.
The "Young Gunns" of 2008.
Preferred length is the short story (2,500 - 10,000 words), though writers frequently turn in short-shorts (shorter than 1,000 words) or longer works; if you write novellas (longer than 10,000 words), please limit your submissions to two works. If you are writing a novel, consider the novel-writing workshop held in conjunction with this short-form workshop. Everyone comments on every story, each story is analyzed for publishability, and writers are encouraged to submit their work for publication. We also work on exercises, analyze successful fiction, and more.
The "Young Gunns" of 2005
Standing:
Ann Tonsor Zeddies, Mark Grover, Larry Taylor, Fran Van Cleave, James Gunn,
Harold Agnew, Nolen Harsh.
Kneeling: Chris McKitterick, Mary Rose-Shaffer, Eric Warren, Karen
Schwabach, Mandy Earles, Pat Buehler.
Chris McKitterick leads the Workshop, Bradley Denton hopes to lead during the second week, and James Gunn drops in from time to time. Our guest authors and editors (including the Sturgeon and Campbell award winners, regional authors, and often more) attending the Campbell Conference participate for the last day or two of the second week, as well. Kij Johnson is present during the full two weeks for personal consultation and other activities; Kij teaches a novel-writing workshop that runs simultaneously with the regular Writers Workshop. Feel free to take the novel-writing workshop at the same time, but expect to do a lot more work! These notable authors, editors, and other guests of the Campbell Conference usually stay in the dorm with the attendees, so you will have special access to these luminaries.
Since 2005, the winner of the James E. Gunn Award for Science Fiction Writing is also invited to attend the Workshop with a partial scholarship.
Applicants for admission must write to Chris McKitterick expressing interest in the workshop, and must submit between January 1 and June 1 a manuscript of professional appearance and near-publishable quality; this manuscript serves as admission material as well as one of the projects to be workshopped during the two weeks if the applicant is accepted. Following acceptance, participants submit two additional manuscripts by June 14 before the Workshop begins, which along with the first will be distributed to other participants. Use Rich Text or basic document format (.rtf or .doc) for easy distribution to the other workshoppers, and format in proper manuscript formatting. Also before the Workshop begins or when you arrive, send a check for tuition and a check for housing (payable to CSSF).
Applicants will be notified about acceptance starting in March, so contact us early to ensure a spot! Enrollment for KU graduate credit begins in April.
The Workshop offers a three-hour session of manuscript critiquing, discussion, and other exercises each afternoon. The rest of the day is free for writing, study, consultation, and recreation. We usually have lunch together, and most nights we go out together for dinner on the town. Attendees write or revise one manuscript over the weekend. Participants often exchange more manuscripts during or after the Workshop, so be prepared to share more if you find interested readers!
Does the Workshop help students get published? Well, Check out this page to see a partial list (desperately in need of updating - new interactive alumni tool coming soon) of CSSF Workshop alumni publications and awards. Most former attendees have gone on to publish in both the short and long forms.
The "Young Gunns" of 2004
Our dorm housing for out-of-town attendees is likely the 3rd floor of Templin Hall, a renovated residence located at the top of the hill. Most rooms in these dorms have a private bathroom as well as a sink and counter space for a microwave or other small kitchen equipment. The Workshops meet in a lounge area on our dorm floor. Dormitory rooms are available at the following rates:
If you wish to stay in a dorm, you must make dorm reservations by June 1. Please pay for your room in advance and make this check payable to CSSF (you may combine checks for CSSF).
Use this form to reserve a dorm room.
See this map of the University of Kansas to find your way to the dorm: http://www.ku.edu/~parking/ParkingMap.pdf
Check out VisitLawrence.com for local hotel information.
Meals are available in a variety of places, including the Kansas Union and a myriad of local restaurants. Check out Lawrence.com for a list of just a few of the local eating establishments.
The "Young Gunns" of 2003
Front row: Kij Johnson, Jeannette Cheney, Betsy Boyce, Nolen Harsh, Terry Mackey, Adrian
Simmons.
Middle row: Harold Agnew, Thomas Seay, Pat Buehler,
Jennifer Schwabach, Cliff Johns, Kelly Green, Betty Hull.
Back row: Wolfgang Baur, David Kirtley, Rod Rogers,
Frederik Pohl, Chuck Marsters, Larry Taylor, James Gunn.
Tuition for the Workshop is $500, exclusive of meals and housing, payable to the Center for the Study of Science Fiction (CSSF is fine).
If you wish to take the Workshop for graduate credit (English 757), enroll as usual through KU (plus a $100 fee to help bring in our guest instructor, payable to CSSF). Dorm and meal costs rise the longer you stay, of course, so plan appropriately. Meals vary in cost depending on where you eat.
A limited number of reduced-cost scholarships are available for those in financial need. To be considered for the reduced rate, please request it and explain your need when contacting us. Typical reductions are $100 for promising candidates in need (total cost $400 for non-KU students; KU students may apply to have the guest-instructor fee waived).
Our mail address:
Chris McKitterick
English Department
University of Kansas
Wescoe Hall
1445 Jayhawk Blvd, Room 3001
Lawrence Kansas 66045-7590
Enrollment is limited to approximately 8-12 enrollees, so if you wish to attend, be sure to enroll early! Positions are still available but go quickly.
To reserve a spot for this year's Writers Workshop, please fill out this form and submit it and your sample story via email or mail. We accept early applications from January 1 through June 1 (preference given to those who apply early), and begin sending out acceptances starting in mid-March. However, we usually fill our ranks early, so submit early!
If you are accepted, be prepared to submit a total of three stories (or two novellas, maximum of 30,000 words) for distribution to other Workshop attendees; final deadline for submitting stories to be workshopped is June 14. Electronic submissions (.rtf or .doc format) are required for ease of distribution. Send your application story to Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu); upon acceptance, you will post your stories to the discussion group, as well (you'll get the link and permission to post after acceptance).
A registration form is available on line. To be accepted, you must submit a short sample of your work that you intend to workshop to Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu), as described above.
Contact us (Lydia Ash: (lash@ku.edu) for any logistical help you might need in getting settled for your stay. More logistical information is available on the CSSF LiveJournal.
The shuttles most people use to get to and from the Kansas City International (MCI) airport to Lawrence are:
Here's a cropped map of the University of Kansas (click the image to see it
in full-screen size):
Here's a map showing where KU is located in Eastern Kansas:
University of Kansas map (in .pdf format):
http://www.ku.edu/visit/maps.shtml
Kansas Union map (in .pdf format):
http://www.union.ku.edu/kansasuniondirect.pdf
Lawrence map (a bus-route map, but very useful, in .pdf format):
http://www.lawrencetransit.org/maps/ltspage2.pdf
Google Maps (just input where you wish to go and it will provide the maps).
For anyone who hasn't visited, Lawrence is wonderful, a lively small city in the Kaw River valley, filled with art, events and activities. The location of the University of Kansas, Lawrence is situated about 40 miles from Kansas City and 20 miles from Topeka. Summers can be hot, but classrooms and housing are air-conditioned.
Among its many amenities, the University of Kansas has a large science-fiction collection and good reference collections; museums of natural history and art; and sports, theater, and concerts. Lawrence has many excellent restaurants and shopping and recreational opportunities. Kansas City is less than an hour away. Nighttime opportunities include movies, dinner, concerts, star-gazing sessions, and more.
The nearest major airport is Kansas City International, about 55 miles from
Lawrence. Transportation to Lawrence from Kansas City International can be
arranged through one of several airport shuttle services. By car, Lawrence is at
the intersection of U.S. 59 and
Contact us for any logistical help you
might need in getting settled for your stay:
Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu)
or James Gunn (jgunn@ku.edu).
updated 2/8/2012
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