CLASS OF 2008
Back Row: Chad Wilson, Larisa Ziub, Nancy Kress, Scott T. Barnes, Avery Cahill
Second Row: Don Shaw, Jeanne Cavelos, Juliette Crane, Justin Gustainis
Third Row: Bob Sojka, Alena McNamara, Jasmine Hammer, Breanna Wojcik, Sara Bickley
Front Row: Justin Postlewaite, Sara King, Allen Barnett, Adam Nakama, Susan Sielinski
Scott T. Barnes
I have attended many writers’ conferences and I can say that hour for hour, Odyssey is by far the best. The format—two hours of lecture followed by two to three hours of critiquing—means that over the six weeks I learned nearly every aspect of writing, from plot to tone to publishing, and had ample opportunity to apply the techniques to dozens of professional grade stories. The experience is intense. The weekly guest lecturers each had unique perspectives on writing and were humble enough to share their ideas freely. Director Jeanne Cavelos offers the most insightful critiques I’ve ever encountered. Overall, Odyssey has been an unforgettable experience.
Allen Barnett
Sara Bickley
The workshop was a great experience for me; I appreciated being able to reap the benefits of systematic instruction combined with in-depth critiquing, and I know I’m a better writer now than when I arrived.
Avery Cahill
Odyssey was difficult, grueling, but most importantly, wonderful. You will learn more than you thought there was to know—plus it came with a side of squid.
Juliette Crane
Jeanne focuses on essential writing principles that helped streamline my writing process. Her teachings along with the friendships I’ve made while at Odyssey have inspired me to keep writing.
Justin Gustainis
I sold three novels before I came to Odyssey. I just wish I had gone to Odyssey before I wrote them—they would have been better books. Odyssey freakin’ rocks!
Jasmine Hammer
Sara King
Odyssey was easily one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was so enriching to spend six weeks with this much creative talent. The students were awesome, the guests were awesome, and Jeanne totally rocks. Go if you can. Your writing will never be the same.
Alena McNamara
You have to know the rules of anything before you can break them. Odyssey teaches you the rules.
Adam Nakama
For the serious writer, Odyssey is a transformative experience, a eucatastrophe towards true excellence and meaningful expression—all without losing sight of the goal of successful publication. Combining lecture and critique, it is the only program that focuses on writers of speculative fiction and instructs them in the craft of writing specific to their interests and needs. I have worked incredibly hard to teach myself these things before Odyssey, and to find a program that offers these insights in an energizing atmosphere provided an unmatched learning experience. No matter where my career heads, I will always acknowledge Odyssey as quintessential to my formation as a writer.
Justin Postlewaite
Don Shaw
Odyssey is the single best investment you can make in your writing. Yield six weeks of your life, gain a lifetime of tools for sharp writing.
Bob Sojka
The Odyssey speculative fiction workshop is excellent. As an alumnus of Clarion West 2003, and James Gunn’s workshops at the University of Kansas, it is important to understand that these experiences are not a matter of which workshop is better than the others. They are all different in structure, focus and, of course, duration. Some positive aspects of Odyssey that were different from previous experiences were its structure, its emphasis on craft, its strong editorial perspective, and, most importantly, the high degree to which the program tailors the learning experience to the specific needs of each individual attendee. This is done, in part, by an in-depth analysis of two story submissions prior to arrival at the workshop, providing a basis for guidance over the six week course of the workshop. This is in addition to several private guidance sessions by the workshop coordinator, as well as private critiques by visiting authors. The venue at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH is a serene, secure, comfortable and aesthetically rich setting where writers can write without distraction. The local community has ample dining and entertainment opportunities for those who can manage the time. These six weeks were an enormously positive and productive experience.
Chad Wilson
Every aspiring writer should also aspire to attend the Odyssey Writing Workshop. Jeanne’s knowledge, instruction, and wittiness will make your six weeks of hard work produce a lifetime of rewards.
Breanna Wojcik
You will never be more eager to work yourself to the bone. Nor will you have as much reward for doing it. The six weeks at Odyssey have done more for my writing career than my bachelor’s degree in creative writing. I only wish I’d known about it sooner.
Larisa Ziub
Memorable Quotes from the Class of 2008
“It hurts, it hurts!”
—Jasmine Hammer
“I’d rather do a messy job than get caught.”
—Sara King
“I don’t care how it works. Just shoot him in the head.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“A brain-damaged pony is better than no pony at all.”
—Jasmine Hammer
“A woman has needs—and right now I need salt, fat, and the stink of animal fear.”
—Sara Bickley
“A linguistic libertine.”
—Adam Nakama
“I recommend any writer study circus freaks. You’re flying blind without them.”
—James Maxey
“Do not be afraid to be too obvious.”
—James Maxey
“It’s good and it’s bad at the same time.”
—Jenny Rappaport
“I’m innocuous. I am small. I am plump. I do not bite.”
—Jenny Rappaport
“I’m a pixie hater”
—Larisa Ziub
“I’m jumping on the pixie bandwagon.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“The demons just seem Mexican to me.”
—James Maxey
“I felt like I was wandering into someone else’s family reunion after six beers.”
—Don Shaw
“Monkey it up.”
—James Maxey
“I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I have a paper cut.”
—Don Shaw
“Character character character character character.”
—Allen Barnett
Barry B. Longyear: “You have an obstacle that is just about the same as hers.”
Scott T. Barnes: “I don’t have as much fun, though.”
“Stories are not about ideas, gimmicks, or places. Stories are about people. People are about feelings!”
—Barry B. Longyear
“The goal is not writing. The goal is being a human being writing.”
—Barry B. Longyear
“When I read that, I could picture a sea monkey with the butt of a lightning bug.”
—Don Shaw
“This is Odyssey, Week 4. We all start writing the bastard children of each other’s stories.”
—Alena McNamara
“The abdomen would not be eaten.”
—Larisa Ziub
“I was kind of hoping she would die.”
—Justin Postlewaite
“It’s a serious story. There should be no giggling.”
—Allen Barnett
“This child is going to die—or have a really bad rash.”
—Breanna Wojcik
“Cannibalistic Housewives Club”
—Chad Wilson
“I’ve left the magic portal behind me.”
—Allen Barnett
Jeanne Cavelos: “Are there degrees of abomination?”
Breanna Wojcik: “I want a degree in abomination!”
“That’s not going on a T-shirt.”
—Jeanne Cavelos
“I would have liked more characters, more people to get killed.”
—Justin Postlewaite
“I cheated. I’m sorry. I’ll fix that.”
—Allen Barnett
“I thought this piece was both brilliant and confusing.”
—Sara King
“Bask in that, because everything else is screwed up.”
—Adam Nakama
“Your title needs work.”
—Sara King
“Do what Justin said.”
—Avery Cahill
“Don’t listen to him.”
—Justin Postlewaite
“The cheese stands alone.”
—Don Shaw
“You seem to be falling into the trap of swimming to the story.”
—Adam Nakama
“Vengeance is a good motivation.”
—Allen Barnett
“When I hear ‘mischief,’ I think of someone putting a cowpie on grandma’s chair.”
—Justin Gustainis
“I thought it was freaking awesome or totally unfinished.”
—Larisa Ziub
“Your comma usage is interesting.”
—Larisa Ziub
“I was displeased that he only got disfigured.”
—Alena McNamara
“Maybe I’m darker than I think.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“He wasn’t paranoid enough.”
—Breanna Wojcik
“Remember the caterpillars. Even they had a motivation.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“There’s no way I could mistake any of these characters for MechaGodzilla.”
—Adam Nakama
“More blood is always good.”
—Breanna Wojcik
“I was looking forward to seeing a man’s head getting blown off.”
—Avery Cahill
“Don’t kill the donkey with the eukelele shirt.”
—Larisa Ziub
“This is a story about when myth pulls your teeth out.”
—Delia Sherman
“Be nicer to me now or I’ll shrimp you too.”
—Sara Bickley
“There’s something in this story that’s keeping me in a perpetual fog.”
—Don Shaw
“It made my teeth hurt.”
—Allen Barnett
“I’m buying this book.”
—Sara Bickley
“What I’m guessing was the idea was cool.”
—Chad Wilson
“She’s stupid. She should have died. Completely.”
—Alena McNamara
“It’s your problem.”
—Ellen Kushner
“The evil redneck thing is getting kind of old, but I guess that’s because I consider myself one.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“Events can be open to interpretation, but the actual events should be clear.”
—Nancy Kress
“She could be God dressed up as Marilyn.”
—Adam Nakama
“It defied logic.”
—Sara Bickley
“Your mother eats pancakes in hell.”
—Justin Gustainis
“The relationship between the narrator and Marilyn Monroe seems to change a little bit . . . what’s that word—ovulate? Oscillate.”
—Scott T. Barnes
“In the second reading I found more things to be confused about, which was impressive.”
—Justin Postlewaite
“I argue with every negative comment that was made.”
—Chad Wilson