Twenty-One Novel Poems

Suzette Haden Elgin

Workshop Handout

Science Fiction Poetry Workshop
Outline of Presentation

I. Introduction

A. What is science fiction poetry?

B. What is science fiction fantasy poetry?

C. Why should there be science fiction/science fiction fantasy poetry?

II. Step One: Write a narrative poem

A. Choose a story in the public domain — a fable, folktale, or fairy tale, or a brief story from history.

B. Write the story as a narrative poem.

III. Step Two: Re-write your poem as a science fiction poem

A. Tweak your story to turn it into science fiction. Turn "The Three Little Pigs" into "The Three Little Dragons"; turn the axe that George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree into a magic axe; change all the details you need to change in order to make the revised story work.

B. Rewrite your poem and include all the changes you made in the story, so that it becomes a science fiction (or science fiction fantasy) poem.

IV. Critique

A. Read your revised poem aloud for discussion by the group.

B. Join in the discussion of the other participants' revised poems.

V. Conclusion: Where do you go from here?

A. Question-and-answer session and group discussion

Twenty-One Novel Poems Index

Copyright © 2007 by Suzette Haden Elgin