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Palabras del Pueblo
Fall 2023

Multilingual magia, genre-bending chupacabras, & indígena poetics in our Speculative Tradiciónes
with E.G. Condé 

E.G. Condé (he/him/Él) is a queer diasporic Boricua writer of speculative fiction and fantasy. Condé is one of the creators of “Taínofuturism”, an emerging artistic genre that imagines a future of indigenous renewal and decolonial liberation for Borikén (Puerto Rico) and the archipelagos of the Caribbean.

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Condé (he/him/Él) is the author of Sordidez, a climate fiction novella set in the Yucatán peninsula and the Caribbean sea, forthcoming with Stelliform Press in July 2023. His short fiction appears in Anthropology & Humanism, If There’s Anyone Left, Reckoning, EASST Review, Tree and Stone, Sword & Sorcery, Solarpunk Magazine, and FABLE: An Anthology of Sci-Fi, Horror & The Supernatural.

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Condé is also an anthropologist of technology and a freelance writer on the sustainability of digital infrastructures (as Steven Gonzalez Monserrate). When he isn’t conjuring up faraway universes, you might find him hiking through sand dunes or playing 2D JRPGs from the 1990s. Follow him on social media via @CloudAnthro

Class Description

In this intensive writing workshop, we celebrate the rich diversity of Latin American, indigenous, and diasporic writers whose works and worlds defy the narrow boundaries of four speculative genres: horror, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Drawing inspiration from writers like Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Malka Older, Gabino Iglesias, Isabel Cañas, Gabriela Romero LaCruz, Pedro Iniguez, Ernest Hogan, and others, we experiment with “genre fiction” through worldbuilding exercises, weaving our experiences, languages, myths, and aesthetics into our stories. Come ready to share your worlds with us as we collectively define and redefine the speculative in nuestre/a/o fiction. Spanglish is welcome.

Class Outline

Roadmap:

Session 1, “Genre-Bending Chupacabras: Nuestre Horror”

  • Presentation: An incomplete overview of Latin American/Indigenous Horror

  • DEEP READ: Latin American/Indigenous Horror in three passages

  • ART SHOWCASE: Latin American/Indigenous Horror in three images

  • EXERCISE: Piel de gallina – Make me afraid

  • WORKSHOP SESSION: Work in pairs to talk craft

  • Group Discussion: What makes horror horror?

 

Session 2, “Whose Ciencia?: Questioning the Sci in Nuestre SciFi”

  • Presentation: An incomplete overview of Latin American/Indigenous Science Fiction

  • DEEP READ: Latin American/Indigenous SciFi in three passages

  • ART SHOWCASE: Latin American/Indigenous SciFi in three images

  • EXERCISE: Whose Ciencia? – Fill me with wonder

  • WORKSHOP SESSION: Work in pairs to talk craft

  • Group Discussion: What are the limits of science fiction?


Session 3, “Magia multilingüe: The role of myth in Nuestre Fantasy”

  • Presentation: An incomplete overview of Latin American/Indigenous Fantasy

  • DEEP READ: Latin American/Indigenous Fantasy in three passages

  • ART SHOWCASE: Latin American/Indigenous Fantasy in three images

  • EXERCISE: Show me the Magia

  • WORKSHOP SESSION: Work in pairs to talk craft

  • Group Discussion: How does myth diverge from fantasy?


Session 4, “Nuestre Realidad: Realism without the Magic”

  • Presentation: An incomplete overview of Latin American/Indigenous Magical Realism

  • DEEP READ: Latin American/Indigenous Magical Realism in three passages

  • ART SHOWCASE: Latin American/Indigenous Magical Realism in three images

  • EXERCISE: “Your magical existence” – Tell me about your everyday magic

  • WORKSHOP SESSION: Work in pairs to talk craft

  • Group Discussion: Is magical realism offensive?

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Materials: To be announced; I will assign free resources published online – no additional cost barriers.

 

Workshop Goals: 

  • Gain understanding of trends in Latin American/Indigenous speculative fiction in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism

  • Experiment with worldbuilding that defies genre categories and celebrates Latin American/Indigenous experiences, languages, and myths.

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