The Past is Closer Than You Think: Historical Fiction and the Art of Time Travel

In 12th Century France, girls named Theophania become more commonly known by their nickname—Tiffany. In Ancient Rome, advertisers mounted billboards and flipped each other the bird. And in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Nathaniel Olds sports fashionable green sunglasses from the year 1837. What do we do, as writers, with the problem of history that doesn’t seem like history? And what do we risk when we favor verisimilitude over actual reality? More than ever, the past haunts us—and historical fiction writers are there to exorcise it.

In this two-hour course, novelist Alysandra Dutton will lead participants through discussion, instruction, and exercises designed to explore the sticky parts of writing history, from the challenge of moving away from the written record, to the necessity of interpreting the past for each new age of contemporary life.

By the end of the course, participants should have a complete poem or piece of flash fiction, or notes and plans for a larger project, that engages with history in a way that is new, real, and strange.

---

Details: The Past is Closer Than You Think: Historical Fiction and the Art of Time Travel takes place Thursday, May 21 from 6:30-8:30pm ET remotely online via Zoom.

Genre: Fiction

Level: All levels

Format: One session craft talk

Location: This class takes place remotely online via Zoom.

Size: Limited to 25 participants (including two scholarship recipients).

Scholarships: Two scholarship spots are available for this class for writers in Northeast Ohio. Apply by April 19. Click here to apply.

Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.