Our Personal Apocalypse: A Speculative Fiction Workshop with Whitney French

There is no end
To what the living world
Will demand of you

— Octavia E. Butler Parable Of the Sower

The ending of a world also signals the beginning of a new one. Our Personal Apocalypse is a generative creative writing workshop focused on the act of sitting, listening, carving out, and recognizing our personal apocalypse through the lens of Afrofuturism.

Within our time portal together, you'll be offered study guides from writers the likes of Octavia E. Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, Nnedi Oforokor, as well as lesser-known radical storytellers who are attuned to the afterlife of apocalypses.

As we grow into an understanding of apocalyptic transformation, there will be ample time to write and sharpen new creative skills.

To support our non-profit programming and to help us cover costs, this workshop is $10. If you are experiencing barriers to attend, please reach out over email. We’re happy to provide you with one of our scholarship spots. We have reserved half of our available seats for attendees who are BIPOC/PGM. Anyone who self-identifies as Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Colour or People of the Global Majority is welcome to buy these tickets.

We have very limited seating and spots go quickly, so please reserve your place here!

More about the facilitator:

Whitney French (she/her) is a writer, educator and publisher. She is the editor of the award-winning anthology Black Writers Matter (University of Regina, 2019) and Griot: Six Writers Sojourn into the Dark (Penguin Random House Canada, 2022). Her latest work, Syncopation: A Novel in Verse was published by Wolsak and Wynn in 2026. Whitney is a Black futurist who explores memory, loss, technology, and nature in her work. She is a certified arts educator and an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at the University of British Colombia. She is also the co-founder and publisher of Hush Harbour, the only Black queer feminist press in Canada.

More about Upstart & Crow:

Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit creative studio and literary incubator that champions writers, readers and stories, and the role they play in shaping our lives. We develop original programs, support artists and revel in creative projects focused on Literature In Translation / Climate Solutions / Poetry / Civic Dialogue / Community & Skills Building … all with the aim of elevating the role of literature and storytelling in our lives. Find us on Granville Island, Gibsons and online at upstartandcrow.com.

Accessibility:

The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.

Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.