Beyond Baroque - The Eerie Twinship Between the Haunted and the Nostalgic

What makes a story feel haunted long before a ghost appears? Why do familiar places, forgotten objects, and half-remembered stories linger in our minds long after we've left them behind?

In this three-hour generative workshop, we'll examine how contemporary writers evoke the eerie and create emotional tension through absence, memory, and longing. Drawing on the work of Carmen Maria Machado, Angela Carter, Helen Oyeyemi, and their reimaginings of familiar folktales, we'll translate literary theory into practical craft techniques through close reading, discussion, and a sequence of interconnected writing exercises.

Designed for writers of all genres and experience levels, each prompt builds upon the last, allowing participants to leave with the beginnings of a new story or a deeper understanding of an existing project while discovering new craft tools for creating atmosphere, emotional resonance, and narrative tension.

This workshop supports writers of all stages.