Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s second season of Narrative Worlds will debut Sunday, November 21, at 1:00 p.m. Pacific. Part of the ongoing 2021 Nebula Conference Online, the worldbuilding webinar series is hosted by best-selling author and SFWA member Kate Elliott.

Her guest for the first episode of Season 2 will be award-winning author and SFWA member Fonda Lee. They will discuss “Go Big or Go Home! Bringing Hefty Themes, Structures, and Influences to Doorstopper Novels.” 

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy says, “We’re excited to once again offer the Nebula Narrative Worlds discussion series! Kate and her exceptional guests delve into the nitty gritty work of worldbuilding with insight and humor.”

Upcoming guests include Ann Leckie, Karen Lord, Michelle Sagara, and Martha Wells. Upcoming dates for Narrative Worlds are November 21, December 19, January 16, February 20, March 20, and April 24.

Attendance for the live taping is free for registered attendees of the 2021 Nebula Conference. Registrations may be purchased at any time from the Nebula event website, and they include the archive of event recordings from the virtual 2021 Nebula Conference, which took place in June 2021, and access to the Nebula Weekly Writing Dates, among other benefits. The year-long registration lasts through April 2022. One week after the live vidcast, the episode will be made available to the public for free on the SFWA Youtube channel. A playlist is already available for Season 1 of Narrative Worlds.

Kate Elliott’s most recent novel is Unconquerable Sun, gender spun Alexander the Great in space. She is best known for her Crown of Stars epic fantasy series, the Afro-Celtic post-Roman alt-history fantasy (with lawyer dinosaurs) Cold Magic, and YA fantasy Court of Fives. Her particular focus is immersive world building and centering women in epic stories of adventure and  transformative cultural change.

Fonda Lee is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City, continuing in Jade War, and concluding in Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the acclaimed young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire.

SEASON 2 SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER 21, 2021 — 1:00 PM TO 2:00 PM Pacific

NARRATIVE WORLDS: GO BIG OR GO HOME! BRINGING HEFTY THEMES, STRUCTURES, AND INFLUENCES TO DOORSTOPPER NOVELS (WEBINAR) Panelists: Kate Elliott (she/her) and Fonda Lee

DECEMBER 19, 2021 — 1:00 PM TO 2:00 PM PACIFIC

NARRATIVE WORLDS: USING CHARACTER INTERACTIONS TO SEAMLESSLY BUILD WORLDS AND NARRATIVES WITHOUT INFODUMP (WEBINAR) Panelists: Kate Elliott (she/her) and Ann Leckie

JANUARY 16, 2022 — 1:00 PM TO 2:00 PM Pacific

NARRATIVE WORLDS: THE PUZZLES INSIDE WORLDBUILDING: CONSTRUCTING NARRATIVES AT VARIOUS LENGTHS (WEBINAR) Panelists: Kate Elliott (she/her) and Karen Lord

FEBRUARY 20, 2022 — 1:00 PM TO 2:00 PM Pacific

NARRATIVE WORLDS: I HATE WORLDBUILDING AND I HAVE TO DO IT ANYWAY: WHY ARE THERE NO SHORTCUTS (WEBINAR) Panelists: Kate Elliott (she/her) and Michelle Sagara

APRIL 24, 2022 — 1:00 PM TO 2:00 PM PACIFIC

NARRATIVE WORLDS: HOW TO AVOID THE MONOCULTURE: WRITING CULTURES IN ISOLATION AND CONTACT (WEBINAR) Panelists: Kate Elliott (she/her) and Martha Wells

Note: The SFWA site does not have the March 20 episode posted yet.

[Based on a press release.]