The Hero's Journey

Explore one of the archetypal plot devices in science fiction and fantasy: the Hero's Journey. Some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy stories encapsulate the Hero's Journey: The Matrix, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings. But what makes a Hero? What's the point of all that struggling . . . and why can't we stop watching? COCC and OSU Cascades writing instructor and local author Mike Cooper leads us on an exploration into Joseph Campbell's "Monomyth," or "The Hero's Journey."

Hear examples of The Hero's Journey, learn about different kinds of heroes, mythic elements and archetypes, and discover how the monomyth plot template can inform one's own writing.

Mike Cooper is a graduate of the OSU-Cascades MFA Writing Program and has led several writing workshops for Deschutes Public Library, Caldera Arts, OSU Cascades, and The Workhouse in Bend.