This fall, our team is thrilled to launch Augur Workshops!

Coming off the success of 2020’s AugurCon, we entered 2021 with the desire to create more valuable opportunities for the spec community. Join us on Sundays throughout Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 to learn more about:

• Speculative Poetry
• Submitting Speculative Fiction
• Editing Speculative Fiction
• Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction
• Comics and Illustration

Through these workshops, we hope our participants will feel more confident about sharing their creative work with the world.

Workshops will be virtual, and take place through Zoom Meetings. Captioning is available. These workshops will not be recorded.

Participants can register through Eventbrite, with paid ($15 CAD) and PWYC options.

Learn more about our upcoming workshops below!

MAY 8 at 3PM EST: Comics and Illustrations

Hey, you! Yes, you! Do you find yourself wanting to explore the wide and wondrous world of visual storytelling, but feeling stuck because of your inability to, uh, actually draw? Well, have I got good news for you: you totally already know how to draw. Let Victor prove it to you! This short workshop will consist of a lecture on the principles of visual storytelling (which you totally already know), followed by a live demonstration where we will attempt to put those principles in practice to make some pictures that tell stories, together.

Note: This workshop was originally planned for November 2021, but postponed to Spring 2022. Register here!

Host: Victor Martins
Victor Martins is a Brazilian cartoonist and illustrator living and working in Toronto. A multiple-award-nominated member of Hello Boyfriend Comics Collective, Victor spends most of their time fantasizing about rollerblades and bubble tea. Their first full-length graphic novel, “Stay”, is slated for release in Spring 2022 from PEOW.

MAY 15 at 2PM EST: Stronger Stories: Beginnings That Make Impressions

Many pro venues read through hundreds of stories just to fill a few slots. The decision to either read a story or to reject it often happens on the opening pages. A short story coming through slush has to interest the reader quickly, it has to stand out. But what that means can vary depending on the story. In this works In this workshop, we’ll discuss strong story openings, and how to make yours better.

Note: This is a repeat workshop! Register here!

Host: Arley Sorg
Arley Sorg is co-Editor-in-Chief at Fantasy Magazine and a 2021 World Fantasy Award Finalist. He is also a finalist for two 2022 Ignyte Awards, for his work as a critic as well as for his creative nonfiction. Arley is senior editor at Locus Magazine, associate editor at both Lightspeed & Nightmare, and a columnist for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He takes on multiple roles, including slush reader, movie reviewer, and book reviewer, and conducts interviews for multiple venues, including Clarkesworld Magazine and his own site: arleysorg.com. He has taught classes and run workshops for Clarion West, Augur Magazine, and more, and has been a guest speaker at a range of events. Arley grew up in England, Hawaii, and Colorado, and studied Asian Religions at Pitzer College. He lives in the SF Bay Area and writes in local coffee shops when he can. Find him on Twitter @arleysorg. Arley is a 2014 Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate. Find him on Twitter: @arleysorg.

PAST WORKSHOPS:

OCT 17 at 2PM EST: Slipping Between The Streams: What Makes Poetry Speculative?

This workshop will explore the genres of speculative poetry (horror, sci-fi, and fantasy) and what makes them distinct from—and in conversation with—other types of poetry. Participants will read and discuss work provided from poets across genres. We will then generate new inspiration based on the poems and ideas generated from our discussion. Participants will be invited to share their ideas and creations—and their weird, wild, or wistful cross-genre, multi-form imaginings.

Host: Tiffany Morris
Tiffany Morris is a Mi’kmaw/settler writer of speculative poetry and fiction from Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia. Her work has previously appeared in Uncanny, Vastarien, Abyss & Apex, and others. Her full-length horror poetry book will be out in 2022 from Nictitating Books. Find her at tiffmorris.com or on Twitter @tiffmorris.

OCT 24 at 2PM EST: Stronger Stories: Beginnings That Make Impressions

Many pro venues read through hundreds of stories just to fill a few slots. The decision to either read a story or to reject it often happens on the opening pages. A short story coming through slush has to interest the reader quickly, it has to stand out. But what that means can vary depending on the story. In this works In this workshop, we’ll discuss strong story openings, and how to make yours better.

Host: Arley Sorg
Arley Sorg is co-Editor-in-Chief at Fantasy Magazine and a 2021 World Fantasy Award Finalist. He is also a finalist for two 2022 Ignyte Awards, for his work as a critic as well as for his creative nonfiction. Arley is senior editor at Locus Magazine, associate editor at both Lightspeed & Nightmare, and a columnist for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He takes on multiple roles, including slush reader, movie reviewer, and book reviewer, and conducts interviews for multiple venues, including Clarkesworld Magazine and his own site: arleysorg.com. He has taught classes and run workshops for Clarion West, Augur Magazine, and more, and has been a guest speaker at a range of events. Arley grew up in England, Hawaii, and Colorado, and studied Asian Religions at Pitzer College. He lives in the SF Bay Area and writes in local coffee shops when he can. Find him on Twitter @arleysorg. Arley is a 2014 Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate. Find him on Twitter: @arleysorg.

OCT 31 at 3PM EST: Editing Speculative Short Fiction: An Overview

A quick-and-simple look at and discussion about editing speculative short fiction for publication—for clients and for yourself—touching on both substantive/developmental and copy editing, and with a focus on dialogue and rhythm. With respect to short fiction specifically, we’ll discuss maximizing the real estate of a limited word count and, related, the importance of opening in media res. We will also look at taking advantage of your individual strengths and learning to lean on what might separate you from other editors.

For those wanting to work publish the work of others, we’ll also touch on the editor/author relationship; building a malleable style guide, one that is both static and capable of shifting when necessary to accommodate myriad voices and storytelling styles; and the importance of having a team of editors to fill in the gaps in one’s awareness, and to support each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Register here!

Host: Andrew Wilmot
Andrew Wilmot is an award-winning writer and editor, co-publisher of the magazine Anathema: Spec from the Margins, and an associate/acquisitions editor for Poplar Press. Their first novel, The Death Scene Artist, an epistolary horror story of body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, and self-destruction, is available from Buckrider Books/Wolsak & Wynn. Visit their website at: andrewwilmot.ca.

NOV 14 at 2PM EST: Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction

Worldbuilding can be the most fun part of writing a genre novel—and it can also be the most frustrating! This workshop will focus on worldbuilding in sci-fi and fantasy, including developing the internal logic and reasoning of the world, how to build worlds that are ‘just a little different’ from ours, organizing components and ideas, using research to ‘fill in’ the holes, and some tips on guiding readers through an unfamiliar world without being intrusive or info-dumping.
Register here!

Host: Premee Mohamed
Premee Mohamed is an Indo-Caribbean scientist and author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all of the above in the same work. She can be found on Twitter at @premeesaurus and at her website at www.premeemohamed.com.

Secure your spot today!