Saturday, November 8th, 2025

Live Seminar Via Zoom 10AM – 1PM Central

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Instructor Amber Sparks is the author of an upcoming novel, Happy People Don’t Live Here, and a forthcoming short story collection, Did Parents in the Middle Ages Love Their Children? (both from Liveright/W.W. Norton), and four collections of short fiction, including And I Do Not Forgive You: Revenges and other Stories and The Unfinished World. Her fiction and essays have appeared in American Short Fiction, the Paris Review, Slate, Tin House, Granta, The Cut and elsewhere.  

Fabulist fiction tends toward the exotic, the historical, the once-upon-a-time, the far-flung. Saramago and Rushdie have created worlds where the unthinkable has happened; Dinesen reports back from centuries and countries ago, from castles, counts and courtiers; Angela Carter gives us new-old fairy tales from long ago.

But domestic fabulism takes the elements of fabulism — the animals that talk, the weather that wills itself into being, the people who can fly — and pulls them in tight, bringing them home. Domestic fabulism uses elements like a magnifying glass, or rather, a funhouse mirror. It simultaneously distorts and reveals the true nature of the home, the family, the place of belonging or, in many cases, not belonging at all. Steven Millhauser, Kelly Link, Can Xue, and Joy Williams all write this kind of un-homely, or unheimlich, Freud’s word for it. 

In this seminar, we’ll go through examples and rules of domestic fabulism, read a few pieces of fiction that fit the description, and use the rules to weird up a piece of your writing that needs a little edge. And we’ll work together through several generative writing exercises that will leave you with a couple of different solid pieces of writing to take home and work on. 

Who is This Class For? 

This class is designed for fiction writers who want to explore magical realism and fabulist techniques within familiar, domestic settings. It's perfect for authors seeking to add supernatural edge and deeper meaning to stories about home, family, and everyday life.

Can't Make It Live?

No problem! The session will be recorded and available to watch after the seminar concludes.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF:

• You're finding the constraints of your current writing practice too limiting.
• You want exposure to a range of new approaches to bring to your writing practice.
  
• You want an expanded sense of what is possible in your work.
  

SEMINAR TAKEAWAYS:

1. Master the principles and techniques of domestic fabulism, learning how to infuse ordinary home and family settings with fantastical elements that reveal deeper truths about belonging and identity.

2. Develop skills to transform mundane domestic scenes using fabulist tools like talking animals, sentient weather, and characters with supernatural abilities as a "funhouse mirror" to distort and illuminate reality.

3. Analyze exemplary works by Steven Millhauser, Kelly Link, Can Xue, and Joy Williams to understand how successful authors create the "unheimlich" or uncanny atmosphere in familiar settings.

4. Complete multiple generative writing exercises and receive guidance on revising existing work, leaving with several polished pieces that effectively blend the domestic with the weird.

TESTIMONIALS:

"I took Amber's Modern Gothic class on a whim after seeing Amber mention it on Twitter. It exceeded my expectations. I come from a very traditional educational background and found Amber's perspective quite refreshing and very useful for my work in progress. Really this class blew my mind. It as exactly the espresso shot my private writing practice needed. I really appreciated the concrete craft lessons. I am at a stage of writing where this is exactly what I need."

"One of the more creative workshops I have ever taken. Amber Sparks really got me to think in different and creative ways. It was the right class at the right time for me."

"I really enjoyed Amber Sparks' workshop on Fractured Narrative! Great list of possible approaches to non-linear story-telling with helpful references to specific author's works as examples. Good exercises. Really enjoyed the chat input from other attendees as well. Great value for the price."

"This class was great. From the powerpoint slides, examples, fun exercises, very short stories to read during class, and Amber's friendly responsiveness in the chat and of course her expertise, I would highly recommend studying with Amber!"

"This was very good. The prompts and the mini-workshop were great. This was my first course. So far, so good. Easy to register and you are very responsive."

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class will meet via Zoom on Saturday, November 8th, 2025, from 10AM - 1PM CST

• Amber Sparks | Live via Zoom

• This class will meet via Zoom on Saturday, November 8th, 2025.

• 10AM - 1PM CST

• Seminar is fully ONLINE and meets via Zoom