About Alpha
The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers is a ten-day workshop for speculative fiction writers aged 14-19 at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg campus. At Alpha, students write and revise a short story, give and receive critiques, work with four professional authors, and form friendships that often last for years. They also get the opportunity to do a public reading of one of their stories or poems. During or after Alpha, many students submit their work to professional magazines for the first time.
Here's what former students have to say about the workshop:
"At Alpha, we go beyond simply writing stories. Even after guest authors discuss their first publications, the workshop's hidden gem is a core-group of staffers who have experienced the inner workings of market research, submission, and the fine art of handling rejection. Alpha eased me into fandom, a world I'd never experienced, and introduced me to both writers and editors I'd never hoped to meet before the workshop. The experiences and contacts have been invaluable." - Rebecca McNulty, 2007-2008
"Alpha was the best two weeks of my life. I could say the highlight of camp came when I spent lunch alone with Tamora Pierce, but I'd be lying. The highlight came when I read one of my stories aloud to the other kids at camp and they applauded me. I feared rejection from the writing community, but these young writers kept asking to read more of my work because they enjoyed it. I'm writing stories I hope to be published one day. I am a horror writer." - Julia Petre, 2006-2007
"For me, as an awkward teenager [Alpha] was meeting people who were delightful and geeky, like me. Alpha really paved the way for my comfort with myself today that means I'm not afraid to do things other people think are crazy or embarrassing (like reading in public, complete with funny voices for different characters). Most importantly for folks not directly related to the young people attending Alpha: this workshop changes lives, and produces young writers who are invested in the growth of speculative genres." - Eileen Kern, 2003-2004
Read more stories from Alpha graduates.
Alphan Publications and Awards
(an incomplete list)
Seth Dickinson, 2006 & 2007
"Claymore Three-Zulu," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2007
"Hypocrite," Dell Award: First Runner-up, 2008
Lara Donnelly, 2007 & 2008
"The Case of the Unassuming Book and the Very Soiled Trousers," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2009
"Family Ties," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2010.
Elena Gleason, 2005 & 2006
"Erased," Fantasy Magazine, April 2008
"Aeroplasty," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2009
"Whisper's Voice," forthcoming from Fantasy Magazine
Rachel Halpern, 2007 & 2008
"Lucky Stiff," Dell Award: Third Runner-up, 2010.
Shivaun Hoad, 2006
"The Fairy's Challenge," Cicada, March/April 2009
Tomas L. Martin, 2002 & 2003
"The Shogun and the Scientist," Aberrant Dreams
"A Shogun's Welcome," Aberrant Dreams
"Some Things Never Change," Satirica
Rebecca McNulty, 2007 & 2008
"Sister's Hands," Dell Award: Second Runner-up, 2010
"Scales for Ivan," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2010.
Sarah Miller, 2004 & 2005
"Clockwork Angels," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2008
"The Best and Bittrest Kiss," Dell Award: First Runner-Up, 2009
Rachel Ross, 2002 & 2003
"The Changelings," Triangulation 2003: A Confluence of Speculative Fiction.
Rachel Sobel, 2008 & 2009
"The Loyalty of Birds," Clarkesworld Magazine, March 2009 (nominated for a Black Quill Award)
"The Dead Star, the Satirist, and the Soldier," Dell Award: Winner, 2010.
Emily Tersoff
"Stay With Me," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2008
"The White Part of the Apple," Fantasy Magazine, September 2009.
Michail Velichansky, 2002 & 2003
"Games on the Children's Ward," Dell Award: Honorable Mention, 2004
"Evelyn," Dell Award: Third Runner-up, 2005
"A Monster in the Lake" - Horrors Beyond II, 2007
"Games on the Children's Ward" - Writers of the Future 22 (first place for the quarter), 2006
"A Ragnarok Without Gods" - Corpse Blossoms, anthology nominated for Bram Stoker award, 2005
"Grounded," Triangulation 2003: A Confluence of Speculative Fiction.
Jeannette Westwood, 2005 & 2006
"Susano's Comb," Fantasy Magazine #3 2006.
"The Banyan Tree," Fantasy Magazine, October 2008.
"Crimson-lady at the Auction, Buying," Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet 18, June 2006
"Two Variations," Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet 21, November 2007
Rebekah White, 2006 & 2007
"Girl Wonder," Dell Award: Third Runner-Up, 2008