Sci-fi writing workshop at IITK

AT » IIT Kanpur

Call for Applications

We invite applications from interested people, both students and non-students, who would like to participate in a three-week science fiction (SF) writing workshop at IIT Kanpur. The workshop offers an intense, immersive, content-rich experience that is a good first step in training the next generation of Indian SF writers.

Goal & Plan: The workshop will help new Indian authors develop their skills and encourage SF with a South Asian focus. Specifically, the students will read and critique some of the best SF writing in the field, both classic and modern. Second, the daily writing exercises and group critiques of the weekly story submissions will reveal individual strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we will attempt to show how the subcontinent offers unparalleled storytelling possibilities, especially for SF.

Instructors: The workshop will be conducted primarily by two US-based Indian SF writers — Anil Menon and Vandana Singh — and one IIT Kanpur-based literary scholar in the field of SF — Suchitra Mathur. In addition, there will be guest lectures by other Indian SF writers (including Samit Basu) as well as some IIT Kanpur faculty who will share with us the brave new worlds opened up by cutting-edge innovations in science and their relationship with the world we live in.

Application process: This pioneering three-week writing workshop is being offered at the cost of Rs 3,000 per head, which includes boarding and lodging for three weeks in IIT Kanpur, as well as the costs of all instructional hand-outs given to you during the workshop. To apply for this workshop, please send us the following documents latest by 30 April 2009:

1. A sample of your creative writing, NOT exceeding 5,000 words (this does not necessarily have to be in the genre of SF, though that would be preferable).
2. A filled out copy of the application form.

The documents may be sent to us electronically via email to:

suchitra.mathur@gmail.com
OR
anilm@acm.org

Or you can mail hard copies to:

Suchitra Mathur
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
IIT Kanpur
Kanpur 208 016
Phone: 0512-259-7836/8234

Applications received after 30 April 2009 will NOT be considered. You will be informed by 15 May 2009 about your selection. To confirm your attendance of this workshop, you will need to send us a demand draft for Rs 3,000 at the above address within a week of receiving our acceptance notification (latest by 22 May 2009).