Lessons

Introduction to Neopronouns Instructor S. Qiouyi Lu<[email protected]>(626) 869-6373æ/ær/ærs, e/em/eirs, or they/them/theirs Office hours:By appointment only Course Description This course, led by nonbinary writer, translator, and editor S. Qiouyi Lu, defines neopronouns, demonstrates how to write with them, builds a toolkit for students to analyze how a work engages with gender, and provides participants with a […]

Pronoun Dressing Room – Allows you to “try on” various pronouns by seeing them used in sample texts. You can also enter your own set. Neopronouns in Speculative Fiction – List of several science fiction, fantasy, and horror works that use neopronouns. Neopronouns in Fiction Timeline – Broader timeline of work that uses neopronouns. Pronoun […]

Instructions Take a few minutes to just look at the pictures. Pick one of the writing exercises to do. Set a timer for 10 minutes. In a notebook or new word processing document, write until the timer runs out. Pictures You may also use your own photos or other tools like tarot cards for inspiration. […]

This discussion of worldbuilding choices as high context and low context expands upon the work of anthropologist Edward T. Hall. Background reading: “Communicating in High Context vs. Low Context Cultures.” United Language Group. Accessed October 20, 2022. <https://www.unitedlanguagegroup.com/blog/communicating-high-context-vs-low-context-cultures> There are two ends of the storytelling spectrum: high-context narratives and low-context narratives. Key points to keep […]

What are pronouns? English has seven pronouns. Usually, we put them into a table like this that helps us talk about them: Singular Plural First-Person I we Second-Person you you Third-Person he, she, it they Table 1: Standard English pronoun paradigm. First-person, second-person, and third-person are also used to refer to points of view that […]

What is a neopronoun? While many languages have third-person pronouns without gender, English only has “they.” Some people oppose “they” for ideological reasons. Others want to explore pronouns beyond singular “they.” Over many times and places, many people have created new third-person pronouns, which we will call “neopronouns.” We don’t create new pronouns as often […]

Suggested Readings Chu, John. “The Law and the Profits.” The Revelator, vol.139, no. 1, 2016. 4,400 words. Lu, S. Qiouyi. “Curiosity Fruit Machine.” GlitterShip, vol. 1, no. 33, 2017. 700 words. Anders, Charlie Jane. “Love Might Be Too Strong a Word.” Lightspeed Magazine, vol. 1, no. 27, 2012. 5,400 words. Takács, Bogi. “The Handcrafted Motions […]

How do we write respectfully? Research. Research can include reading books, but it also means talking to people, visiting places, and participating in community events, among other activities. Even if we are writing characters who come from our own backgrounds, research helps to deepen our narratives and our understandings of ourselves. When we are marginalized, […]