How long is the workshop? 5 Days
When? May 30 – June 3, 2026
Location? Serendib House, Oak Park, IL (just outside Chicago)
Instructors? Mary Anne Mohanraj and Ben Rosenbaum
Number of spaces? 10 (Workshop) / 8 (Retreat)
What’s the price? $800 for the Workshop / $450 for the Retreat
When? May 30 – June 3, 2026
Location? Serendib House, Oak Park, IL (just outside Chicago)
Instructors? Mary Anne Mohanraj and Ben Rosenbaum
Number of spaces? 10 (Workshop) / 8 (Retreat)
What’s the price? $800 for the Workshop / $450 for the Retreat
Deadline to apply? March 25, 2026
Notified by? March 30, 2026
This 5-day, in-person only, workshop is designed for intermediate-level writers; it’s appropriate for writers who have started to publish professionally, for semi-pros, for indie authors working at that level, and for those ready to take the next step beyond courses aimed at beginners.
A $150 deposit is required for both the retreat and workshop to reserve your spot once accepted. On May 15th, the remainder will be charged. The total cost (including the deposit) is $800 for the Workshop, $450 for the Retreat.
MARY ANNE’S BIO
Dr. Mary Anne Mohanraj founded Strange Horizons, directs the Speculative Literature Foundation, and has written for George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards superhero series for over a decade. She’s published The Stars Change (Lambda finalist) and stories at Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Escape Pod, and Sunday Morning Transport, along with Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins), Aqua Erotica (Random House), A Feast of Serendib, a Sri Lankan Cookbook (Mascot Books), and more than a dozen other books. Mohanraj is an English professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she teaches creative writing, science fiction and fantasy lit., food writing, and more. www.maryannemohanraj.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anne_Mohanraj
BENJAMIN ROSENBAUM’S BIO
Benjamin Rosenbaum has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Sturgeon, World Fantasy, Locus, Otherwise, and Ennie Awards. He is the author of Jewish historical fantasy interactive novel The Ghost and the Golem; far-future coming-of-age novel of love and social unrest The Unraveling; Jewish historical fantasy tabletop roleplaying game Dream Apart, which co-launched the Belonging Outside Belonging family or roleplaying games; and short stories translated into 25 languages. He lives near Basel, Switzerland, where he serves on the board of Basel’s liberal synagogue Migwan. He co-hosts the SLF’s podcast, Mohanraj and Rosenbaum are Humans, with Mary Anne.
WORKSHOP VS. RETREAT
The main difference between our workshop and retreat will be our critiquing sessions. Once you’re admitted to the workshop, you can submit up to 8,000 words to be critiqued by the other participants (by April 30, 2026). During the morning, Mary Anne, Ben, and the other workshop members will critique these manuscripts.
The main difference between our workshop and retreat will be our critiquing sessions. Once you’re admitted to the workshop, you can submit up to 8,000 words to be critiqued by the other participants (by April 30, 2026). During the morning, Mary Anne, Ben, and the other workshop members will critique these manuscripts.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am-9:30am
In the morning, a breakfast will be offered to all attendees of the workshop and retreat.
MORNING BLOCK: 9:30am-12:30pm
While critiquing sessions are happening for workshop members, retreat members will be encouraged to gather in a nearby cafe, library, or Mary Anne’s home. She lives in an old Victorian, with several spaces suitable for writing — a writing shed, the library, the front porch, the music room, etc. Mary Anne’s studio space (a 5-minute drive away) will also be available for retreat time periodically. Retreat members are welcome to use these spaces, or we can direct you to several great cafes & library locations in walking distance.
LUNCH: 12:30-1:30pm
Lunch will be provided, and we encourage workshop and retreat members to gather.
AFTERNOON BLOCK: 1:30-5:30pm
Free writing time with optional activities — talks, Q&A, possible field trips, and writing games.
Free writing time with optional activities — talks, Q&A, possible field trips, and writing games.
DINNER: 5:30-7:30pm
We’ll provide a list of local restaurants in walking distance, and encourage writers to choose one together.
SPECIAL NOTE: THE NEBULA AWARDS
The Nebula Awards will be held in Chicago from June 3-7. Several of us at the SLF will be attending and we encourage you to as well! If you want to join us, be sure to register before May 1 when they will be raising the cost of attending. Register here.
CHICAGOLAND ACTIVITIES
Oak Park is 7 miles from the heart of downtown Chicago. It offers a host of attractions, most famously, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (the tour is very much worthwhile), Wright’s Unity Temple, and architecturally significant Pleasant Home. Many restaurants and shops are also walking distance from our location, in both downtown Oak Park, and nearby downtown Forest Park. A quick Green line subway away (or drive on 290) is the city of Chicago, with fabulous museums (The Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, and Shedd Aquarium) and some of the best restaurants in the world.
HOUSING
There’s a local hotel just up the block (the Carleton), and a variety of Airbnb options in the area. Housing is not included in tuition cost.
There’s a local hotel just up the block (the Carleton), and a variety of Airbnb options in the area. Housing is not included in tuition cost.
MEALS
Breakfast and lunch will be provided by Mary Anne, who is an avid lover of cooking. If you have any dietary restrictions please let us know and we’ll do our best to work around them!
ACCESS NOTES
The workshop will be held at Mary Anne’s home. There are several steps up to the front door, and she has a gentle cat. The kitchen is not kosher or celiac-safe; we can reimburse you for breakfast and lunch costs if you need to bring your own. We will also be using our SLF Discord for us and other members to communicate.
DISCORD COMMUNITY
All participants will be invited to a Discord channel, where we can coordinate in detail and get to know each other. (If access to Discord is a problem, let us know and we can consider other solutions).
All participants will be invited to a Discord channel, where we can coordinate in detail and get to know each other. (If access to Discord is a problem, let us know and we can consider other solutions).
WRITING SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS
If you’re applying to the workshop, please submit below a writing sample of between 500-2000 words. It doesn’t need to be related to what ends up being critiqued at the workshop, and it doesn’t need to be a complete work. It’s mostly just to give us a sense of your writing. (If you’re not sure whether you prefer to go to the retreat or the workshop, go ahead and submit a sample.)
SLF ACCOUNT
If you’re not already logged in, the form below will ask you for a username and password to create an SLF account.
WHEN SHOULD I EXPECT TO HEAR BACK?
We’re doing rolling admissions for this workshop/retreat and will let you know as soon as we’ve processed your application! You will hear back by March 30th at the latest.