Hosted by online learning platform Disco, the course will see attendees join virtual seminars with the author. They will then take part in live workshops and develop "co-designed solutions" to present to Atwood, who was once dubbed the "prophet of dystopia" by the New Yorker magazine. "We're going to be considering things like: What sort of clothing, what sort of food or what kind of houses (will we need)?" she said.

Next year, the Canadian novelist and poet will lead a new online course titled "Practical Utopias: An Exploration of the Possible." Addressing issues from social inequality to healthcare, the eight-week program will put participants in virtual classrooms with experts from various fields to develo...