This summer, we’re back again with a series of workshops for writers and artists!

Coming off the success of our 2021 and 2022 workshops, we wanted to give back in a bigger way. That means twice as many workshops! Want to learn the ins and outs of submitting to literary and speculative journals? Or how to collaborate with artists to work on amazing stories? Or how to write flash fiction that’s tight, yet powerful? Then these are the workshops for you.

Our workshops are virtual, using Zoom, and we will provide captioning for attendees. Additionally, our workshops will not be recorded, as attendees may share personal work or other information during the workshop. All questions and concerns can be directed to: workshops.augurmag@gmail.com.

Tickets are $10 CAD (plus Eventbrite fees), with Free and PWYC (Pay What You Can) options available. There are only 25 spots per workshop, so grab your tickets fast!

WRITING YA IN SFF
Sarah Raughley – Saturday July 15, 4-6pm EST

Writing for teens and young adults is a skill all on its own, and the genre continues to see immeasurable success worldwide. Participants in this workshop will receive advice, strategies and techniques on writing for younger audiences: how to get started, where to get published, and how to connect with other YA SFF writers. Get tickets here!

Sarah Raughley is the author of the award-nominated YA trilogy The Effigies Series and the YA Historical fantasy, The Bones of Ruin trilogy. The final book in The Bones of Ruin trilogy, The Lady of Rapture, releases April 16, 2024, and is available for preorder. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.

HORRIFIC IMAGINATIONS
David Demchuk – Saturday July 22, 1-3pm EST

A practical follow-up from the Horrific Imaginations panel at AugurCon 2022, writers in this creative workshop will learn narrative techniques and strategies to improve their horror fiction, as well as how to find markets for these spooky works. Get tickets here!

David Demchuk is the award-winning author of The Bone Mother and RED X, and short stories in the recent anthologies What Draws Us Near, Queer Little Nightmares and There Is No Death, There Are No Dead. After many years in Toronto, he now lives with his husband in a house by the sea in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

WRITING FLASH FICTION
Lue Palmer – Sunday July 23, 10am-12pm EST

How do you keep your writing short, yet powerful? This workshop answers just that, along with prompts, reflections, and advice for writers navigating the richness of the flash fiction genre. Get tickets here!

Lue Palmer is a writer of prose and poetry on Black relationships to nature, the fantastic in the everyday, and the retelling of history. They have roots in Portland, Jamaica and are currently at work on their first novel, The Hungry River. Lue is beginning a new chapter of their career as a climate journalist in New Orleans. They were a recipient of the 2021 Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship, an alumnus of the Clarion West Program, and a recent graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

CROWDFUNDING YOUR CRAFT
Kerry C. Byrne – Saturday July 29, 1-3pm EST

There’s nothing more supportive, and more harrowing, than reaching out to your community for help on your artistic projects. This workshop will go through tips and tricks on setting up your crowdfunding goals, marketing and promoting, and how to avoid pitfalls. Get tickets here!

Kerry C. Byrne is the Co-Founder and Publisher of Augur Magazine, and the Co-Director of AugurCon, one of Canada’s biggest SFF events. They are a professional marketer for major tech companies, and the marketing lead for Augur, which relies on successful crowdfunding campaigns and grant awards. They were also the crowdfunding consultant on Islands & Aswangs, which raised 5X its goal, and led Tales & Feathers Magazine to fully funded status in five hours.

WRITING ACROSS GENRES: LITERARY AND SPECULATIVE
Emma Törzs – Saturday August 5, 10am-12pm EST

Despite the blurring of genre lines, we know that publishing treats the “speculative” and the “literary,” as distinct. Even so, many writers find it beneficial to submit and publish in both markets, both for their range, and to broaden their audience. Participants will learn from a writer who’s worked in both markets, on ways to submit and spread their writing to these “polar” spheres. Get tickets here!

Emma Törzs is a writer, teacher, and occasional translator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the author of novel Ink Blood Sister Scribe and her stories have been published in journals such as Ploughshares, Uncanny Magazine, Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, and American Short Fiction. Her fiction has been honored with an NEA fellowship in prose, a World Fantasy Award for Short Fiction, and an O. Henry Prize. She teaches currently at Macalester College.

INTRODUCTION TO TRANSLATED SFF
Anton Hur – Sunday August 13, 10am-12pm EST

This is a translation workshop in the masterclass format where participants are expected to submit a translation sample. There will also be a general overview of the submission and publication process. Get your tickets here!

Anton Hur was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize for his translation of Bora Chung’s CURSED BUNNY. He is also the translator of Sung-il Kim’s BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS (Tor) and Djuna’s COUNTERWEIGHT (Pantheon).

STRONGER STORIES: BEGINNINGS THAT MAKE IMPRESSIONS
Arley Sorg – Sunday August 13, 1-3pm EST

Many pro venues read through hundreds of stories just to fill a few slots. The decision to either read a story or to reject it often happens on the opening pages. A short story coming through slush has to interest the reader quickly, it has to stand out. But what that means can vary depending on the story. In this workshop, participants will discuss strong story openings, and how to make theirs better. Get tickets here!

Arley Sorg is an associate agent at kt literary. He is a two-time World Fantasy Award Finalist and a two-time Locus Award Finalist for his work as co-Editor-in-Chief at Fantasy Magazine. Arley is also an SFWA Solstice Award Recipient, a Space Cowboy Award Recipient, and a finalist for two Ignyte Awards. He is a senior editor at Locus, associate editor at Lightspeed & Nightmare, a columnist for F&SF, an interviewer for Clarkesworld, and a film and book reviewer. He is a guest critiquer for the Odyssey Workshop, and the week five instructor for Clarion West. Find him at arleysorg.com.

STORYTELLING FOR CARTOONISTS
Cleopatria Peterson – Saturday August 19, 1-3pm EST

Comics creators are artists, but they’re writers, too! This workshop aims to give cartoonists advice, guidance, information, techniques, and tools for telling stories. Through discussion and exercises, cartoonists will learn to make intentional choices around their craft and build confidence. Get tickets here!

Cleopatria Peterson is a black non-binary trans multidisciplinary artist that writes, printmakes, illustrates, and more. They graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Fashion Communication program and are the medal winner for Cross-Disciplinary Arts: Publications at OCAD. Their work focuses on themes of nature, humour, identity, and above all things, love. Their chapbook, “What We Call Home,” was shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award.

ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS
Jade Zhang – Sunday August 20, 1-3pm EST

Works such as graphic novels, webcomics, and other forms of visual media, involve collaboration between artists and writers. This workshop will be an introduction to creating a comic layout from a script, for writers and illustrators. Illustrating a graphic novel is a lot of work, and understanding how to visualize a page will allow for better communication and less stress between writers and artists. Get tickets here!

Jade Zhang is a queer Chinese-Canadian illustrator and comic artist based in Toronto. She tells stories about magic, memory, and the occasional eldritch horror. Her previous works include “First Sight,” a self-published comic about queer escapism through make-belief, and “How to Survive a Haunting,” a horror short with the Shades of Fear anthology about a family that becomes its own monsters. She’s currently illustrating her debut graphic novel, Ghost Circus.