Whale Rock Workshops

Thursday, September 21, 2023 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Thursday, September 28, 2023 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Ursula Le Guin writes in Cheek by Jowl, “What fantasy often does that the realistic novel generally cannot do is include the nonhuman as essential.” 

What do monsters represent in children's literature? A monster can be an antagonist or friend, or a reflection of a character's emotions. From Where the Wild Things Are to A Monster Calls, children's book have been using monsters, both literally and figuratively, for generations. Stories about monsters–whether they appear in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, in a poem, or in a work of fiction are essential, especially in our post-pandemic times. They help readers and listeners better understand how to manage emotions, develop healthy identities, feel empathy, and show support for others. 

This two-session workshop will help you understand the essential nature of monsters in our culture and in our stories and will ask key craft questions to help you incorporate the monstrous into your writing.

What is your protagonist’s relationship to the monstrous? What are your monster’s physical, emotional, and/or magical character traits? What metaphors or image systems define your monster and why? Does your monster live alongside our real world or has the protagonist crossed into the monster’s world? Our goal is to deepen your work’s social-emotional themes, offering you and your reader an opportunity to better understand the heart, mind, and spirit.

• You are drafting or revising a picture book or novel with a monstrous theme and/or character

• You are seeking to deepen your monstrous character(s) (widely defined as invented creatures of any kind)

• You'd like to explore how monsters in fiction support social emotional learning and themes

What to Expect:

• Students will have homework to complete between classes

Recommended Reading:

• The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
• Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
• M Is for Monster by Talia Dutton
• "Man Made Monsters" from the anthology Man Made Monsters written by Andrea L. Rogers and illustrated by Jeff Edwards (pp. 20-41)