I’m super excited to be teaching a Locus Masterclass this fall! Come learn about research, worldbuilding, and the joy of wonky details!

Here’s the description from the catalogue:

In this class, Annalee will give you the tools to build another world. They’ll talk about how to create believable, nuanced cultures, environments, and geographies in fiction, whether your setting is the distant future or fairyland. They’ll help you explore ways to draw your reader into these worlds by creating compelling characters and plots that complement the settings you’ve imagined. Annalee has a background as an academic and science journalist, and they’ll also teach you how to enhance your worldbuilding with research into real life science, history, and other subjects that fascinate you. Discover the secrets of scientific journals, obscure archives, rare book libraries, and more! Learn about where to find reliable sources online, and how to interview experts. And then, when your brain is completely full, Annalee will talk about how to pour all that in-depth research into a story that evokes a whole new reality. This class will include a light reading assignment beforehand and a couple of research and writing exercises. 

Locus Magazine is excited to bring master classes with award-winning authors to the Bay Area. These classes began with the writing workshops in Seattle in conjunction with the Locus Awards Weekend, and have run for over a decade. Past instructors include Charlie Jane Anders, Christopher Barzak, Gail Carriger, Daryl Gregory, Stephen Graham Jones, Nancy Kress, Yoon Ha Lee, Paul Park, Kim Stanley Robinson, Carrie Vaughn, and Connie Willis.

Thinking of attending? Please do. We support diversity! We encourage people of color, women, people with disabilities, older people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to apply. We welcome people of any gender identity or expression, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, size, nationality, religion, culture, education level, and self-identification.

Cost of enrollment is $150, and all proceeds go to the hard-working staff of Locus magazine, as well as production costs, etc. Support indie publishing, and learn something! You can register here.