Viable Paradise

Viable Paradise is a unique one-week residential workshop in writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. The workshop is intimate, intense, and features extensive time spent with best-selling and award-winning authors and professional editors currently working in the field. VP concentrates on the art of writing fiction people want to read, and this concentration is reflected in post-workshop professional sales by our alumni.

With over twenty years of experience, our students have gone on to be nominated for and win Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards, and to reach the New York Times Best Seller list.

Viable Paradise encourages an informal and supportive workshop atmosphere. During the week, instructors and students interact in one-on-one discussions, group critiques, lectures, and free-flowing Q&As. The emphasis at first is on critiquing the students’ submitted manuscripts; later, the emphasis shifts to new material produced during the week.

Even when not actively engaged in teaching or critiquing, Viable Paradise instructors often share meals and general conversation with the students. Uniquely among professional-grade writing workshops, Viable Paradise often features writers-in-residence and guest lecturers who work in the field and offer their insights into the craft and business of writing.

The Viable Paradise experience is more than the workshop itself; it also includes the autumnal beauty of coastal New England and the unique island setting of Martha’s Vineyard. Taken all together, Viable Paradise creates a learning environment that’s perfect for helping you reach your writing and publishing goals.

Still not convinced? Take a look at what past VP alumni have said about their experiences.

Viable Paradise is a unique one-week residential workshop in writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. The workshop is intimate, intense, and features extensive time spent with best-selling and award-winning authors and professional editors currently working in the field. VP concentrates on the art of writing fiction people want to read, and this concentration is reflected in post-workshop professional sales by our alumni.

With over twenty years of experience, our students have gone on to be nominated for and win Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards, and to reach the New York Times Best Seller list.

Viable Paradise encourages an informal and supportive workshop atmosphere. During the week, instructors and students interact in one-on-one discussions, group critiques, lectures, and free-flowing Q&As. The emphasis at first is on critiquing the students’ submitted manuscripts; later, the emphasis shifts to new material produced during the week.

Even when not actively engaged in teaching or critiquing, Viable Paradise instructors often share meals and general conversation with the students. Uniquely among professional-grade writing workshops, Viable Paradise often features writers-in-residence and guest lecturers who work in the field and offer their insights into the craft and business of writing.

The Viable Paradise experience is more than the workshop itself; it also includes the autumnal beauty of coastal New England and the unique island setting of Martha’s Vineyard. Taken all together, Viable Paradise creates a learning environment that’s perfect for helping you reach your writing and publishing goals.

Still not convinced? Take a look at what past VP alumni have said about their experiences.

After careful deliberation, the Viable Paradise board has decided not to hold a workshop in 2021.

Despite a decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases and the increasing rate of vaccinations, we cannot be certain there will be no threat come October. Last year, a major surge of the disease began just as the workshop would have been taking place. The new variants of the virus represent a wild card. No one is more disappointed with this outcome than we are, but we will not take risks with the safety of our students, instructors, and staff.

We hope that you will continue in your aspiration to attend Viable Paradise when possible. Applicants who applied in 2020 may choose to roll their application fees forward to 2022, or may contact the workshop to request a refund. Applications for the 2022 workshop will open on January 1st, 2022, and we recommend subscribing to our Application Period Updates to stay informed.

Thank you for your understanding. We all look forward to new beginnings next year.

The faculty and staff of Viable Paradise and the Martha’s Vineyard Science Fiction Association board members have been following the news and developments of the COVID-19 outbreak closely over the last few months. We’ve had long discussions about the workshop this October, in which the safety and security of the students, faculty, and staff of Viable Paradise has been our paramount concern.

As we watch the COVID-19 outbreak continue to unfold and consider the logistics of travel and operating the workshop each fall, we’ve come to the conclusion that the only possible decision is to cancel the workshop for the fall of 2020.

We know this is a disappointment; it’s a bitter pill for us to swallow as well. VP is not just a writing workshop, but an annual expansion of an amazing writing community. Each year brings a diverse and amazing new class of writers together; the buzz that comes with the co-mingling of the students, faculty, and staff in a shared creative experience that is both intense and intimate is one that we look forward to all year long. VP is our community as well. Making the decision to cancel this year has challenged our own desire to prove “the show must go on,” but it is, in fact, that intimacy of the VP experience that led us to the only decision possible.

We also recognize that money is tight for many individuals right now, and wanted to make this decision early enough that no prospective student laid out unnecessary money for application fees, travel, or lodging expenses given the uncertainty of the situation in October. We will work with candidates that have already applied for this year, ensuring that they can either re-apply again for next year at no cost or receive a full refund of their application fees. Furthermore, any unredeemed gift certificates purchased for this year will be extended through next year as well, and gift certificate purchasers will be given the opportunity to request a refund.

We deeply appreciate that applicants want to join the VP community, to find connections with others around the art we all care about. If you have applied or were planning to apply, we hope that you will stay safe and continue to engage with writing, science fiction, fantasy, and horror in whatever ways work best for you amidst the myriad challenges of these times.

We look forward to your application to attend Viable Paradise 2021, and eagerly await the day when we can welcome you to the VP family.

Please stay safe!

The faculty and staff of Viable Paradise