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Fundamental Scenes: A Speculative Writing Workshop
$85
Every writer has moments that seem larger than themselves: a night sky, a death, a first encounter with art, a dream, a sentence in a book, a city seen from above, a strange conversation, a childhood image that never stopped working. This one-day workshop helps writers return to one such moment and begin shaping it into literary material.
We will discuss a few brief examples of writing that moves from concrete scene to large question. Then participants will work through a guided sequence: re-entering the sensory scene, locating the pivot where perception changed, naming the question the scene still asks, and drafting a short speculative passage that moves between lived detail and wider meaning.
This is a generative class rather than a critique workshop. Writers will leave with new pages, a set of prompts for continued work, and a clearer sense of how large ideas can arise from concrete experience. The atmosphere will be supportive, exploratory, and craft-centered: serious play for writers who want to risk wonder without losing the page.
Class outcomes
Identify one fundamental scene or image that can become literary material.
Draft a short speculative passage rooted in sensory detail.
Practice moving from scene to question without over-explaining.
Learn a simple revision method for deepening image, voice, and structure.
Leave with prompts for continuing the piece after class.
Access Program
We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.
Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.
Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.
Apply here for the liaison position.
Eli Kramer
Dr. Eli Kramer is a Portland-based philosopher, writer, and teacher. He is interested in how writing can help us wonder, speculate, see the world anew, and live more deeply. He teaches remotely on speculative philosophy, philosophy of culture, and creative writing/media at the University of Wrocław. He is also the author of the creative work Intercultural Modes of Philosophy, Volume 1. With Dr. Laura Mueller he is working on a second volume, a piece of creative writing on the nature and role of speculation. At Palinode, he creates public humanities opportunities that bring philosophy, writing, literature, and art into a shared creative practice.
