Is your imagination fantastic? Do you make up stories about magic, or spaceships, or magical spaceships? In this class we will do some reading, some discussion, and lots of writing. We will learn about how the fantastic has dominated popular literature, from Mary Shelley to Charles Dickens to Harry Potter. We will also talk about the role of genre in writing, and how people like Michael Chabon and Neal Stephenson have made toeing the line between the fantastic and the real cool again. Most importantly, this class is focused on you and your writing. The best way to improve your writing is to write a lot, and to discuss your work with other people. So be prepared to write!