Arnzen will be returning this year to the roster of guest writers teaching at Alpha: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Workshop for Young Writers held annually each summer on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. He’ll be running special horror seminars and writing workshops with the students from July 28-9.
Alpha is not just some kind of summer camp — it is the teenage equivalent of the Odyssey or Clarion writers workshops, with a strong emphasis on not only the art of writing genre fiction, but the culture of science fiction/fantasy and the practicalities of reaching the right audience. Students learn about writing and publishing, network with others with common interests and study short stories, novels, and films. They get stories critiqued, brainstorm new ideas, and workshop. They attend readings by the guest authors and give their own public reading. And they learn about submitting for publication at a submission party. Many do go on to get published, and establish careers in the field.
The 2022 class is fully enrolled at present. But interested students should keep an eye on registration information for 2023.
Arnzen’s previous classes at Alpha have included “Imagery in Genre Fiction” (2002), “Horror and Comedic Modes” (2008) and “The Uncanny in Spec Fic” (2010).