Romantasy

A workshop for hopeless romantics who also like time travel.

Romantasy is having a moment.

This new genre is flying off shelves and heating up bedrooms. With bestsellers abounding, it’s clear — many of us want to be immersed in other worlds where love reigns supreme.

This workshop combines our romance workshop, Hearts on Paper, with our speculative fiction workshop, Stranger Horizons, so you can explore and build a fantasy world that is utterly focused on love.

Maybe your love interests will fall in love while defeating an evil wizard. Or maybe they were secretly vampires all along. Or both! There are no limits here.

Here’s how it works:

In each session, we’ll explore another element of Romantasy, starting with that all-important world-building so that we can understand the world that our characters will be meeting in. Then we’ll spend time working on plot and character development in fun and also practical ways that are specific to the genre of romantasy.

Stories are welcome to get as explicit or chaste as they wish! We also openly welcome romances between all genders and sexualities and choices around monogamy and its alternatives. Similarly, all types of fantasy will be celebrated, from hard sci-fi and dystopian futures to fairy-tale renderings of the classics. You are in charge.

This class is intended for people who either have an idea started but want to keep developing the idea, the world, the characters, and the plot; or have not started or chosen any specific idea. Our first session will be having fun with new ideas and directions so an exercise could give you or help you land on an idea that you carry through the rest of the sessions.

We'll share lots, laugh more, and support each other at every stage.

- Want to let their imaginations run wilder and wilder.
- Are excited to read their in-progress work as we go.
- Are motivated by the idea of a community of like-minded speculative fiction and romance writers.
- Want to hear romance stories from all perspectives, genders, and sexualities.
- Feel aligned with our fundamental beliefs.
- Lots of new writing and progress on your project
- Inspiration for exploring even wilder stories and possibilities.
- Creative courage.
- Encouragement and support from a group of allies.
- A sense of what’s next in your writing journey.
- Critique or competition. We’re all about the love.
- Strict rules or guidelines on what speculative fiction is or should look like. This class celebrates the vast scope of wild and wonderful worlds that can exist in this genre.
- A completed manuscript.
- Feedback on already-completed work.

Details for Fall 2025:

Fall registration opens July 29th!

On Zoom with Kim (she/her)

6 Wednesday evenings, weekly
6:30–9pm ET
October 8 – November 19 (no class November 5)

Cost:

The fee for this 6-session workshop is $495. If you prefer, you can pay in 4 monthly installments of $123.75. Tax will be added for Canadians in your local provincial rate. See our financial policies.

Four times a year, we give out bursaries for our programs to people with financial barriers. Check out our upcoming dates.

If you don’t have a credit card, let us know and we’ll gladly find a way to make it work.