MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and editor working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. She has written numerous short stories, many of which are featured in her debut collection Dead Girl, Driving and Other Devastations (2024), and she is also a co-editor of the award-winning anthology Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas (2021). Her poetry has been nominated for the Rhysling Award, the Pushcart Prize, and Sundress Publications Best of the Net. Her nonfiction has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award®.

"In my workshops, I am diligent in creating a safe space for writers to evolve, a community where participants have the freedom to explore their own experiences through the lens of fairy tale and myth. It brings me great joy to celebrate their successes. Collectively, they are much more accomplished than I will ever be, yet they keep returning to this space we’ve created together. When we support each other, there is nothing we can’t do.  " — Carina Bissett

Fija Callaghan is a storyteller and poet who has been recognised by a number of awards, including shortlisting for the HG Wells Short Story Prize in 2021. Her writing can be found in Seaside Gothic, Gingerbread House, Howl: New Irish Writing, and elsewhere. Her debut collection is forthcoming from Neem Tree Press in early 2025. Originally from the Cascadia region, she now lives in Dublin, Ireland with her books.

"My role is to be a guide through the “dark woods” of storytelling. I want to give writers the tools to find their way from a seed of an idea to a fully fleshed piece of work." — Fija Callaghan