Shared Worlds
July 14 - 27, 2024

 
 

Shared Worlds is an annual summer program designed for teen writers interested in speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, etc.). The students work in groups with an experienced “world-building coordinator” to design and build a world. 

Supported by an Amazon grant and featured by The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, Shared Worlds is a unique writing camp that brings together rising 8th-12th grade students from all over the world. Students work with critically acclaimed and bestselling fantasy and science fiction writers to imagine, build, and write their own stories.

Shared Worlds takes the ideas and enthusiasm of young writers seriously, and encourages their creativity in a fun, dynamic, and safe learning environment on the beautiful campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. 

Shared Worlds strives for an outstanding residential camp experience where students can make meaningful connections with other students and grow as collaborators and as writers. This experience is possible only when we can all meet safely together. Shared Worlds is also committed to the health, safety, and well-being of its campers and staff members.

 
 

Announcing our 2023 Guest Authors!

2023 Guest Authors

Introducing our Guest Authors for Shared Worlds 2023!
We are pleased to have Chelsea Abdullah, C.L. Herman, Kalynn Bayron, Ryan La Sala, and Alexis Henderson as our second-week guest authors for 2023!

They bring amazing talent to our program and will be in our classrooms and working with students one-on-one during the program in week two!

Chelsea Abdullah is an American-Kuwaiti writer born and raised in Kuwait, where she grew up listening to stories about mysterious desert creatures and wily (only sometimes likable) heroes. Consumed by wanderlust, she has put down roots in various states. After earning her MA in English at Duquesne University, she moved to New York, where she currently lives. When not immersed in her own fictional worlds, she spends her free time playing video games, doodling characters, and hoarding books she doesn’t have the shelf space for. Find her at https://www.chelseaabdullah.com/

C.L. Herman is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of novels about magic, monsters, and growing up, including All of Us Villains, The Devouring Gray duology, and The Drowning Summer. They reside in Somerville, MA, with their partner and cat. To learn more, follow them on Instagram @christineexists, sign up for their newsletter here or visit their website at https://www.clherman.com/.

Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the YA fantasy novels Cinderella Is Dead and This Poison Heart. Her latest works include the YA fantasy This Wicked Fate and the middle grade paranormal adventure The Vanquishers. She is a CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominee, a three-time CYBILS Award nominee, a LOCUS Award finalist, and the recipient of the 2022 Randall Kenan Award for Black LGBTQ fiction. She is a classically trained vocalist and musical theater enthusiast. When she's not writing you can find her watching scary movies and spending time with her family. Find her at https://www.kalynnbayron.com/.

Ryan La Sala is the author behind the bestselling cottagecore horror, The Honeys, which is in development to become a major motion picture with Anonymous Content. He is also the author of Reverie and Be Dazzled. He has been featured in The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Tor.com, and one time Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race called him cute! His 4th book, BEHOLDER, is highly anticipated and scheduled for publication on October 3, 2023, with Scholastic Press. Find him at https://www.ryanlasala.com/.

Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and cosmic horror. She grew up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Currently, Alexis resides in the sun-soaked marshland of Charleston, South Carolina. Find her at https://www.alexishenderson.com/.