ONLINE Using Anthropology for Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction
One-Day Workshop | Monday, July 20, 2026
9am-12pm PT | 10am-1pm MT | 11am-2pm CT | 12pm-3pm ET | 1pm-4pm AT
Instructor: Marion Lougheed
MEMBER PRICE: $75.00
NON-MEMBER PRICE: $100.00
Farms built into a mountainside, where those at the top control the water supply. Gender conformity without any gendered linguistic markers. A world where the gods are constantly sending messages through the movements of birds. Anthropology is a treasure trove of worldbuilding ideas. In this workshop, we’ll talk about how you can dig into this wealth of human creativity. We’ll talk about the ethics of incorporating real-world cultural elements into fiction. And we’ll use actual examples of anthropological research as a springboard for invention, from flash fiction to full-blown novels. We’ll explore the following:
- How to find accessible anthropological research for the layperson
- What constitutes cultural appropriation or not and when you need to worry about it
- How to combine real-world elements to create your own original worlds
This class takes place online using the Zoom.
Marion Lougheed is a writer, anthropologist and editor who grew up in four countries on three continents. Her poetry collection Baggage Claim (Off Topic Publishing) delves into that experience and is dedicated to everyone whose hometown is a suitcase. Marion's writing has appeared in Writer's Digest, The Guardian, Reflex Press, and many more. Her poem "Pavane for a Dead Letter" was featured in the LCP's 2021 Poem In Your Pocket Day series, and "Rooftops" won the Prime 53 Poem Summer Challenge (Press 53). Her flash fiction was shortlisted for the Sunlight Press Flash Fiction Contest and she has been a finalist in more than one Globe Soup contest. Marion holds a diploma in professional writing from Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she worked for five years as a peer writing tutor, and a MA in anthropology from Simon Fraser University. Find her at www.marionlougheed.com
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