Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust

Specialties

The Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to help developing writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror improve their work.

If you’re a writer of fantastic fiction, Odyssey’s programs and resources are designed to help you take your writing to the next level. Our intensive, six-​week, in-​person workshop, held each summer at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, is widely considered one of the best workshops in the world for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

We also offer several online courses each winter. Each course is focused on a specific element of fiction writing and designed for writers at a particular skill level, from beginner to advanced.

Odyssey has a critique service, which allows writers to receive professional feedback on their fiction writing.

We also offer many free resources for writers, including monthly podcasts, blog posts, writing and publishing tips, and a newsletter.

History

Established in 1996.

When Jeanne Cavelos left her job as senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, she had two goals: spend more time writing, and find a way to continue working closely with writers and helping them improve their work.

This desire to help writers connected to a previous experience in her life, earning her MFA in creative writing. While she’d learned a lot about style in the MFA program, it couldn’t help her with many of the challenges of writing a science fiction novel, because none of the instructors knew much about SF. She realized that if she could create an educational program at the MFA level, filled with teachers and students who loved science fiction, fantasy, and horror and believed in their artistic value, that program could be extremely helpful.

So the Odyssey Writing Workshop was born. The workshop has undergone many improvements over the years. We’ve also added new programs and resources, such as our online classes and critique service. Odyssey became a nonprofit in 2010.

Meet the Manager

Jeanne C.

Manager

Jeanne Cavelos, the director of Odyssey, is a writer, editor, teacher, and scientist. She began her professional life as an astrophysicist, working in the Astronaut Training Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Her love of science fiction led her to earn her MFA in creative writing. She moved into a career in publishing, becoming a senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, where she edited fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In her 8 years in New York publishing, she edited many award-​winning and best-​selling authors and gained a reputation for discovering new writers. Jeanne won the World Fantasy Award for her editing.

Jeanne left New York to find a balance that would allow her to do her own writing and work in a more in-​depth way with writers. Jeanne has had 7 books published by major publishers, including 3 bestsellers, and her work has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award.

She is the primary instructor at the Odyssey workshop and oversees all the other programs.