Fantasy books aren’t just for geeks.
Author Lucy Hawking, daughter of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, will be teaching that concept to attendees at her upcoming writers workshop next month.
At the event, “Through the Looking Glass: Writing Fantasy Fiction for the Young Adult Market,” Hawking will help potential authors create fantasy worlds in their novels for young readers.
Hawking will be hosting the one-day creative writing class Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Piper Writers House on ASU’s Tempe campus.
“It’s about creating a fantasy world,” said Hawking, who is the current writer-in-residence for ASU’s Origins Project, which brings together prominent scientists from around the globe to answer questions regarding the origin of life, evolution and consciousness.
The event costs $100 to attend and is open to the public.
The sponsor of the event is the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, which brings writers to the Phoenix area every year for various workshops and readings.
As the writer-in-residence, Hawking will attend and host various events with the University, but she will also continue her own work, Hawking said.
“I feel very privileged and excited to be here,” Hawking said about working at ASU for the year.
While her duties with the Origins Project focus more on scientific content, Hawking said the workshop Nov. 13 will teach storytelling rather than focusing on just science fiction writing, which is what Hawking writes about.
“It will be about moving from one world to another,” said Hawking, who added that the event will also look at techniques very successful writers like J.K. Rowling have used to portray a fantasy world to their young readers.
No scientific background is necessary to attend, and in fact, no writing background is required at all. According to the Piper Center’s Web page, attendees only need a pen, paper and an open mind.
Hawking co-wrote the young adult novels “George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt" and "George's Secret Key to the Universe” with her father. The books follow the adventures of George, a small boy who is teleported through a computer-generated portal and proceeds to explore the solar system.
The books have been translated into 38 languages and are aimed toward teaching younger audiences basic principles of science, Hawking said.
In the upcoming third installment, to be released in July 2011, George will experience what might have happened at the Big Bang, the event that many scientists believe created the universe.
In the past, Hawking worked extensively in journalism, writing for several British newspapers. She even had a short stint as an actress.
“I am very excited to attend the event,” said Rhonda McCormack, a local author from Phoenix who is currently working on two novels for young adults. “I am always looking for workshops.”
She added that this conference was particularly appealing to her focuses on writing for a younger audience.
“I am hoping there will be more events like this,” McCormack said.
One of her hopes is that Hawking will touch on the concept of magical realism, which is the idea of a modern character experiencing elements of fantasy set in today’s world, much like the Harry Potter novels.
Hawking does have more events on her schedule as writer-in-residence, although many of the events have not yet been given exact dates, said Peter Turchi, director of both the Virginia G. Piper Center and ASU’s Creative Writing Program.
One event that has been set is the eighth annual “Desert Nights, Rising Stars” conference in March, Turchi said, which Hawking will attend along with other ASU faculty and guest authors. The event is designed to give students a chance to interactively learn about writing.
“We bring writers from all around the world to ASU,” Turchi said. He added that this is done in an effort to give students of the Creative Writing Program an opportunity to learn from great writers.
Hawking is already gearing up for the event, which is still a month away.
“There will be some teaching, some writing and a lot of feedback,” Hawking said. “It should be very enjoyable for everyone.”
Reach the reporter at alex.ferri@asu.edu
