About this course
The videos included in this course are recordings of a live class. The instructor is not available for questions or feedback at this time.
What does it mean to be gender-nonconforming in the spacefaring future or the kingdoms of the fae folk? What kind of laws, institutions, and cultural practices will govern gender after the apocalypse?
This workshop is dedicated to exploring how trans and nonbinary people exist in systems—legal systems, magic systems, and epic sci-fi bureaucracies alike. Rather than focus on writing individual trans characters, we will use hands-on exercises to practice building worlds that tell stories of their own, from utopian visions to dystopian horrors. While the focus of this workshop is on representing trans and nonbinary communities, this is a great space for anyone who wants to expand their worldbuilding skills.
Topics Covered
- Worldbuilding
- Writing trans/nonbinary/gender-nonconforming characters
- Writing social movements and power structures in speculative worlds
Student Takeaways
- How to design speculative worlds that include trans and nonbinary people
- How to write realistic social movements and power structures in SFF worlds
- How to write trans and nonbinary people at a high level, focusing on community & legal/historical/cultural forces that shape and impact trans lives
- Further recommended reading by contemporary & classic SFF authors that explores gender through a speculative lens
Duration of Class
105 minutes
Course Curriculum
About SA Chant
S. A. Chant (they/them) is an irreverent scholar of queer history and writer of queer possibilities. They are the author of Caroline's Heart and Peter Darling (longlisted for the Otherwise Award, 2018), and their work has also appeared in Your Body Is Not Your Body, an anthology of trans horror. When not writing, they are a prize-winning pie baker and ardent tabletop gaming enthusiast. They live in Seattle with a gooey cryptid (cat) and enough books to qualify as a librarian. Visit their website at http://www.austinchant.com.
