This is the stuff that my teenaged dreams were made of.
Jeff VanderMeer, assistant director of Shared Worlds and an author of much renown, posted today about the Shared Worlds Bestiary hosted by Wofford College with contributions from a truly amazing group of writers including Cory Doctorow, Lev Grossman, Jay Lake, Gail Carriger, and Elizabeth Bear. The stories are live on the site, and range from a few paragraphs to considerably more. Lighthearted and often wonderfully weird, the collection will be used during the curriculum at Shared Worlds this year, but make for a great read regardless. Especially for those of us who dig bestiaries.
Jeff does a better job summing up just how amazing Shared Worlds is, so I will quote him:
I can tell you in all honesty that working on Shared Worlds has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, and it’s a wonderful, structured, secure way for teens to express themselves, learn new things, and make great new friends. Not only that, the students get one-on-one sessions to discuss their writing, writing labs, workshops, field trips, detailed and constructive critiques of their fiction, and much more.
Registration is still open. So, GeekDads and Moms out there–if you have a fledgling writer in your nest, do consider this opportunity! As a kid who spent an absurd amount of time envisioning imaginary worlds, I can say something like this could have made one heck of a huge impact.
(Via Ecstatic Days)
