Love it or loathe it, magic realism is often misunderstood, so it’s time to unravel this narrative technique with author Karen Wyld.

A light touch of magic realism captures readers’ attention and enhances themes. These works of realist literature are anchored in real-world settings, with realist plots, and authentic characters. A wondrous event, object or being is added to make narratives sparkle: a siren trapped within a remote pub’s bar (Carpentaria, Alexis Wright), an unappreciated woman unconsciously creates food that incites passion in others (Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquirel), a dying man’s blood forms a stream that flows through streets, ending at their mother’s feet (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez), or a woman momentarily comes back from the dead (Beauty is a Wound, Eka Kurniawan).

If adding shimmer to your writing is appealing, this workshop will help you gain a better understanding of this technique. Magic realism will be demystified and simplified by breaking key characteristics into four easy to understand categories. This workshop is aimed at writers of historical, literary, and other realist fiction. People working in education, literature and publishing might also be interested.

In this 3-hour workshop, participants will:

• Discover how to read magic realist text from a writer’s viewpoint.
• Better understand key characteristics of magic realism.
• Learn practical tips to apply this narrative technique to realist fiction.
• Participate in short writing exercises in a supportive environment.
• Gain confidence in discussing magic realism when pitching work.

Members $88 / Non-members $140
Venue: State Library of South Australia

—Not a Writers SA member? Members receive more than 30% off the full price of this workshop, you’ll also get a free 20 minute consult, expert advice about your career and your work, and join a community of like-minded creatives. Join now for as little as $60! 

—Writers SA members must be logged in to receive the member discount. If you would like to use a workshop credit to book in, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the workshop commencement date. Our staff don’t work full time and we don’t want you to miss out!

—If you are a member of another state based writers centre, SCBWI SA or Editors SA, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the program commencement date to get a code for the member price.

—Writers SA provides complimentary membership for First Nations writers and for writers experiencing economic hardship. Please contact [email protected] to redeem.

About Karen Wyld

Karen Wyld is a mid-career writer living on the coast south of Adelaide. They’ve published two novels, a non-fiction children’s book, short stories, poetry, narrative nonfiction, and more. Karen’s decades-long fascination with reading magic realism inspired their award-winning novel Where the Fruit Falls and a Masters thesis. As a writer, this creative practice-led research into magic realism helped them clarify a misunderstood narrative technique, and to envision how it still has relevancy for writers. In addition to their experiences as a writer, Karen brings professional experience in developing and presenting training to this workshop.