2016 Arvon brochure

Transcription

2016 Arvon brochure

Arvon’s residential creative writing courses are renowned
for their ability to release your imagination and transform
your writing. Come to one of our beautiful rural houses
in Shropshire, Devon and Yorkshire for a powerful mix of
workshops and individual tutorials with highly respected
authors. Choose from a wide range of genres. You’ll have
time and space to write, and the support of your fellow
writers. Grants are available to help with course fees.
“For writers, Arvon can be a truly inspirational and unforgettable
experience, a time of companionship, enjoyment of literature
and intense learning. It is unique among writing programmes.”
—Sarah Hall, author of Wolf Border
“A perfect place to write. I loved the format of the workshops,
tutorials and readings being woven together by food, friendships
forming and the time to work on your own pieces too. The way
the day is broken up made me feel as though I had received ten
days of focused education in five.” —Lorraine, course participant
www.arvon.org
2016
Arvon is a registered charity (Charity No. 306694) and a company limited by guarantee
(registered in London No.1086582).
RELEASE YOUR IMAGINATION
Creative writing courses 2016
Welcome 2
What is Arvon? 4
The Arvon week 6
Choosing a course 8
Arvon is open to all 10
Arvon centres/ facilities 12
2016 course programme
- Starting to Write 28
- Fiction 36
- Poetry 63
- Non-Fiction 82
- Writing for Children/YA 95
- Theatre/TV/Film/Radio 102
- Other 113
- Retreats 121
Course fees and grants 128
Terms and conditions 136
Course index 140
ARVON FRIENDS
“I became a friend as
I wanted to support the
great work Arvon do,
having got so much out
of my course last year,
and also to have the
chance to book onto
courses earlier.”
—Mark, Arvon Friend
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Priority Booking – book
onto Arvon courses one
month before public release
Writing Resources – browse
exclusive writing tips and
exercises from Arvon tutors
Monthly Motivation to
Write – receive new writing
tips by email to keep you
writing
Support Young Writers –
your Friends payment helps
bring young people to Arvon
Find out more by contacting
Meg Rumbelow Hemsley
[email protected]
020 7324 2558
www.arvon.org/arvonfriends
FROM £45
PER YEAR
“Two weeks ago I’d never
have scribbled away on
a train like this. I might
daydream out of the window,
passing the time, losing all
those thoughts to thin air. But
now they’ve become a source
of stories. Stories everywhere
that only I can capture, only
I can tell.” —Colette Watson,
course participant
“These are life-enhancing
weeks. I’ve witnessed the
most astonishing evolution
in students’ writing and
confidence over the period
of just a handful of days.”
—Simon Armitage
“Arvon offers new and
developing writers a beautiful
escape to learn their craft.”
—Guardian
“As a complete beginner I
have been amazed at the
amount of stories I’ve found
and what pleasure it has
brought me. My fellow writers
have been an inspiration.”
—course participant
“To create a place where
imagination and language
are so valued and put at
the heart of life is Arvon’s
great achievement.”
—Penelope Shuttle
WELCOME
Ruth Borthwick, Chief Executive
2016 is going to be a special year for Arvon as we
launch two new major initiatives to support the creative
process of writers.
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First of all, we will be opening the Clockhouse Retreat at
The Hurst.
We’ve been listening to writers who tell us that they would value
time away from home on retreat at Arvon, in purpose-built
space, with more choice of length of stay, and with the possibility
of catering. In our careful renovation of the Clockhouse, our
aim is to provide a haven for authors to pursue projects away
from the hurly-burly. There will be space for up to four people
to come and stay in comfortable study bedrooms, each with their
own bathroom, and a shared kitchen, dining room, lounge and
courtyard garden. We’ll be piloting Clockhouse Retreats over
the year ahead – if you are interested in participating in the pilot
please sign up at www.arvon.org/mailing-list
And we are excited to launch a new section of our website for
Arvon Friends, full of insightful writing advice and exercises
from Arvon tutors – designed to help writers keep the words
flowing long after they have finished their Arvon week. We’ll
continue to add content and develop this site throughout 2016,
so I’d heartily recommend becoming an Arvon Friend, if you
are not already.
Meanwhile, I’m pleased to invite you to look through our
2016 programme which is leaping off the page to greet you.
This year, as well as our fabulous kaleidoscope of regular
courses which includes Starting to Write, Fiction, Poetry and
Playwriting, we have revived some courses by popular demand,
such as Graphic Novel, Writing for Puppetry and Literary
Translation. We have new courses aimed at developing the craft
of the writer to edit your work, and ones that reflect lively trends
in writing: Psychological Thriller, Speculative Fiction, Popular
Science, Family History. Hot on the heels of our successful
Retreat with Yoga, we offer a Poetry Retreat with Walking – many
writers’ favourite inspiration.
Don’t be put off if you feel you can’t afford it. We have a grants
fund to which you can apply. We will also help you think through
which course is best for you, if you aren’t sure where to start.
We’d love to see you at Arvon this year.
Good luck with your writing!
Ruth Borthwick
Chief Executive, Arvon
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WHAT IS ARVON?
At Arvon we offer you
more than a writing
course – we offer the ideal
conditions to unlock your
imagination and develop
your craft.
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We run an annual
programme of residential
courses for schools, groups
and individuals at our
three rural writing houses
– in Devon, Shropshire
and Yorkshire – all tutored
by leading authors. In this
booklet, you’ll find details of
our 2016 public programme
of courses, covering a wide
range of genres, for writers
at all levels of experience,
from beginners to emerging
and published writers.
Generations of writers have
acknowledged the impact
that coming on an Arvon
course has had on their
writing life.
Thanks to the support of
Arts Council England and
generous donors, we are
able to offer grants to help
with the course fee.
We also run Arvon City, our
three-day non-residential
creative writing courses in
city centres. Have a look
at www.arvon.org/city for
more details.
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THE ARVON WEEK
Our courses run from Monday afternoon to Saturday morning.
You’ll be with a group of up to 15 other writers, and working
with two tutors. Most Arvon weeks follow this structure
(although Retreats are a little different):
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MONDAY
We welcome
you on Monday
afternoon.
We’ll give you
a home-cooked
dinner and
a general
introduction to
the course
TUESDAY
- Workshop
- One-to-one tutorials
- Time to write
-In the evening
tutors read from
their own work
WEDNESDAY
- Workshop
- Time to write
-In the evening a
guest speaker joins
the group
Each morning the tutors lead workshops to help you explore
writing ideas, forms and techniques. Afternoons are your time
for writing and one-to-one tutorials. You’ll have two tutorials
(at least 20 minutes long), one with each tutor during the week,
to consider your writing in depth.
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THURSDAY
- Workshop
- Time to write
FRIDAY
- Workshop
- Time to write
-In the evening
all writers gather
to share and
celebrate their
work
SATURDAY
The week comes to
a close on Saturday
morning, after
breakfast
CHOOSING A COURSE
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It’s important to read
the course descriptions
carefully. If it sounds
like you’re the intended
audience, then it’s
probably the course for
you. Apart from Retreats,
Starting to Write and
Work-in-Progress courses,
all weeks are suitable
for writers at any level
of experience.
If you are not sure about
which course is right for
you, give us a call on
020 7324 2554.
STARTING TO WRITE
If you’ve done little creative
writing before, or none at all,
then a Starting to Write course
might suit you best. We offer
Starting to Write courses in
specific genres, and a general
Starting to Write course that
includes fiction and poetry
writing.
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Work-in-Progress weeks are
designed for people who
already have significant
writing experience and would
like project-specific feedback
and writing time.
RETREATS
We recommend Retreats for
the more experienced writer.
All Retreats offer single rooms
only. Otherwise, domestic
arrangements are the same
as for all courses. We have
four types of Retreat:
Tutored Retreat
Two tutors are available for
two one-on-one tutorials
each, with a guest tutor on
Wednesday. There are no
workshops in the morning.
Retreat
No tutors, no morning
workshops and no evening
readings. You’re free to
structure your time as you
see fit.
Retreat with Yoga
This is structured in the same
way as a Retreat, but you
have optional Hatha yoga
and meditation sessions in the
morning and evening with
a trained instructor.
Poetry Retreat with
Walking
Structured in the same way
as a Retreat, but you have
optional guided walks with an
author, or solo walking time.
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ARVON IS OPEN TO ALL
Did you know Arvon is
a charity?
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Arvon provides up to 200
grants a year through our
Grants Scheme, enabling
adults who would not
otherwise be able to afford
the course fee, and stateschool English teachers,
to attend a course on our
public programme.
A third of our residential
weeks are for schools,
young people, and adult
community groups, including
many people who may
never otherwise have the
opportunity to be mentored
by published authors and
poets. Each year around 50
schools and groups come to
Arvon; recent groups include
Start 360, working with
vulnerable young people with
complex and diverse needs
across communities
in Belfast, and Mouthy Poets,
who provide support for
young emerging writers in
Nottingham.
As a not-for-profit
organisation, we rely on
the ongoing and generous
support of our donors and
course participants to ensure
that Arvon remains open
to all.
“The trip has raised
aspirations so high that the
students actually feel they are
able to become writers
in their own right in the future!
...Most of the students now
want to take an English course
at A-level – which I’m thrilled
about.” —teacher
ARVON IMPACTS ON LIVES
Our centres promote the
ideal environment for
imagination and creativity
to thrive.
The residential weeks
also promote:
•enjoyment and
engagement with writing
•writing skills
•self-confidence
•motivation to learn
•independence and
social skills
For many, these five days
can be life-changing.
Teachers who accompany
groups of young people tell
us that the week enhances
their understanding of creative
writing, and helps them
to develop more effective
teaching strategies.
We’re always eager to
welcome new schools and
groups to our centres.
We take great care to shape
each week around the
particular needs and interests
of the group, whether you
want to bring talented writers,
or individuals who need
more support.
Thanks to our fundraising
efforts, in certain instances,
Arvon can assist with funding,
or support you in finding your
own funding.
To find out more, contact
Joe Bibby, Learning and
Participation Coordinator
020 7324 2562
[email protected]
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CENTRE FACILITIES
ACCOMMODATION
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An Arvon centre is your
home for the week.
The accommodation
is deliberately simple,
comfortable and clean.
The centre staff will be
your hosts, ensuring a
relaxed, friendly and
informal atmosphere.
Each centre has a living room,
a well-stocked library and
many other quiet spaces,
as well as an inspirational
landscape to explore beyond
the house. See pages 14-25
for details of bedrooms/
bathrooms at each centre.
You do not need a computer
on our courses, but you
are welcome to bring your
own laptop. We have a few
computers and a printer at
each centre, which you can
use for writing or printing out
your own work (a donation
for printing is requested).
Mobile phone reception is
poor at some of the centres,
but there is a payphone
in each house. We do
not provide an internet
connection or wifi – so there
is nothing to distract you
from your writing!
FOOD
Throughout the week, all your
food and drink is provided,
except for alcohol, which can
be purchased from a local
wine merchant on arrival and
delivered early in the week.
We’re firmly committed to
buying seasonal and locally
produced goods. You’ll help
yourself to breakfast, and a
tasty lunch is provided for you
every day by centre staff. Each
evening, a different team of
writers takes a turn cooking
dinner. The recipes and
ingredients are provided and
there’s lots of help at hand.
Cooking teams also take
turns to do the washing-up.
Cooking is a fun and
important part of the Arvon
experience. Many of our
previous participants talk
fondly about the opportunities
that cooking collectively can
provide for sharing ideas and
creating bonds with people
from all walks of life.
If you have dietary needs,
for ethical, religious or
medical reasons, we’re happy
to cater for you – when you
book, it’s important that you
let us know.
ACCESSIBILITY
Arvon welcomes writers with
disabilities. If you have any
specific access requirements,
please discuss with us prior to
booking and we will do our
utmost to accommodate your
needs. All communal spaces,
including workshop spaces,
are accessible to people
with mobility issues. Each
centre can accommodate a
personal assistant or carer
if required, and if there are
spaces available. Accessibility
to bedrooms and bathrooms
varies depending on the
centre – see pages 14-25.
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THE HURST
The John Osborne
Arvon Centre, Shropshire
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It’s bright, airy, inviting and
warm, with views of the
spectacular surroundings.
The makeover has kept the
atmosphere of creativity,
inspiration and relaxation
whilst bringing back
the glory of its past and
retaining its great history.
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THE HURST
The John Osborne
Arvon Centre, Shropshire
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The Hurst is the ideal place
to find your voice. Formerly
the home of playwright John
Osborne, the newly renovated
19th-century manor house
is set in the Shropshire
Hills, a designated Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Explore the 26 acres of
inspiring woodland, unwind by
the spring-fed lake, or simply
sit and enjoy the view while
you write.
Centre Director:
Natasha Carlish
Assistant Centre Director:
Gabriela Blandy
Centre Administrator:
Dan Pavitt
Centre Assistants:
Anna Taylor
Rachel Hawes
The centre is fully accessible,
with a lift to all floors and 16
single, en-suite bedrooms.
There are rail connections
to London, Wales, the North
and South-West England from
Craven Arms station, eight
miles away – please contact
centre staff about taxi services
when you book your course.
Telephone
01588 640 658
Email
[email protected]
Twitter
@hurstonthescene
The Hurst, Clunton,
Craven Arms,
Shropshire SY7 0JA
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LUMB BANK
The Ted Hughes Arvon Centre,
West Yorkshire
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My heart and writing
soul is still at Lumb Bank
and still absorbing the
week… it exceeded all
my expectations.
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LUMB BANK
The Ted Hughes Arvon Centre,
West Yorkshire
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Lumb Bank is an 18th-century
mill-owner’s house set in 20
acres of steep woodland.
The house once belonged
to Ted Hughes and has a
breathtaking view to the valley
below – a Pennine landscape
of woods and rivers, weavers’
cottages, packhorse trails and
ruins of old mills. It is half a
mile from the historic village
of Heptonstall and two miles
from Hebden Bridge.
There are 14 single rooms
and one shared room. One
bedroom has a specially
adapted bathroom for people
with mobility issues and can
also accommodate a personal
carer. Hebden Bridge train
station is on the Leeds to
Manchester Victoria railway
line and 10–15 minutes by
taxi from Lumb Bank.
Centre Director:
Rosie Scott
Jill Penny
Becky Liddell
Centre Assistant:
Jack Bell
Bookkeeper:
Jean Warburton
Lumb Bank, Heptonstall,
Hebden Bridge,
West Yorkshire HX7 6DF
Telephone
01422 843 714
Email
[email protected]
Twitter
@Lumb_Bank
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TOTLEIGH BARTON
Devon
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Everything at Totleigh
Barton was magical
– the food, location,
accommodation,
company and poetry.
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TOTLEIGH BARTON
Devon
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Totleigh Barton, the first
ever Arvon centre, is a
16th-century thatched manor
house in one of the most
peaceful and idyllic parts of
Devon, two miles from the
village of Sheepwash. There
is a beautiful and productive
garden and orchard, with
access to walks along the
River Torridge nearby.
The renovated barn offers
a comfortable space for
evening readings. Totleigh
Barton has 12 single and
two shared rooms. The main
work/living space is fully
accessible and there is
a wheelchair-accessible
bedroom with en-suite
bathroom. The nearest railway
station is Exeter St David’s,
which is around an hour’s
drive from Totleigh. We can
arrange for course participants
to share a taxi to and from
the station if you contact us
in advance.
Centre Director:
Mary Morris
Eliza Squire
Sue Walker
Centre Assistant:
Erica Fisher
Totleigh Barton,
Sheepwash, Beaworthy,
Devon EX21 5NS
Telephone:
01409 231338
Email:
[email protected]
Twitter:
@TotleighBarton
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COURSES
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STARTING
TO WRITE
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1. STARTING TO WRITE
April 18 – 23, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Mark Haddon &
Kathryn Heyman
May 16 – 21, The Hurst
Tutors: Lucy Burnett &
Adam Marek
July 18 – 23, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Jenn Ashworth &
Adam O’Riordan
August 15 – 20, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Clare Pollard &
Nikesh Shukla
September 5 – 10,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Sam Riviere &
Emma Jane Unsworth
October 17 – 22, The Hurst
Tutors: Nii Ayikwei Parkes &
Rebecca Goss
For Starting to Write courses
about specific genres, see:
26. STARTING TO
WRITE A NOVEL
28. STARTING TO
WRITE FICTION
42. STARTING TO
WRITE POETRY
55. STARTING TO
WRITE NON-FICTION
67. STARTING TO
WRITE A PLAY
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April 18 – April 23, Totleigh Barton
Novels, short stories, memoir
Fact. Fiction. Memory. Research. Invention. We’ll explore all
the avenues for your story. With carefully planned exercises,
talk, laughter and lots of writing time, we’ll examine how we
can structure and sustain those stories. Come with an idea.
Leave with the opening pages of your story, and the inspiration
to keep going.
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Mark Haddon is a novelist, dramatist, poet
and illustrator, best known for his novel The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
His collection of short stories, The Pier Falls,
comes out in May 2016.
Kathryn Heyman’s novels have won or been
nominated for various awards in Australia and the
UK. Her plays for BBC Radio include adaptations
of her own work. She is the programme director for
Faber Academy Australia and the director of the
Australian Writers Mentoring Program. Her sixth
novel, The Dazzling Deep, is published in 2016.
Guest: Jane Rusbridge is the author of The Devil’s
Music and Rook, a Guardian Readers’ Book of the
Year. She is a recipient of the Philip Lebrun Prize for
Creative Writing, and associate lecturer in English at
the University of Chichester.
The Hurst, May 16 – May 21
Finding your feet and learning to leap
Writing should feel like play. A knowledge of underlying
structures can allow you to take an exploratory approach to
writing that is unpredictable and fun. We’ll combine practical
craft techniques for writing great fiction and poetry with a range
of exercises to jump-start the creative process and increase your
confidence. Whether you’re just starting out or stuck in a rut,
you’ll leave with lots of writing, ideas and techniques to take you
to the next step in your writing journey.
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Lucy Burnett has published one poetry collection,
Leaf Graffiti, and a hybrid experimental novel,
Through the Weather Glass, with a second poetry
collection forthcoming. She currently teaches
Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett University.
www.lucyburnett.net
Adam Marek is the award-winning author of
two short story collections: Instruction Manual For
Swallowing and The Stone Thrower. He won the 2011
Arts Foundation Short Story Fellowship, and was
shortlisted for the inaugural Sunday Times EFG Short
Story Award and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize.
www.adammarek.co.uk
Guest: Zoe Gilbert’s short stories are inspired by
folklore and folktales. She won the Costa Short Story
Prize 2014 and is working on her first collection.
July 18 – July 23, Lumb Bank
Generating and progressing your ideas
This enjoyable and challenging week is suitable both for those
new to writing poetry and prose and for more experienced
writers seeking to develop their technique and try new forms.
There will be a series of stimulating exercises designed to
generate fresh ideas, revitalise works in progress and move
your writing on to a new level. This course will leave participants
confident, inspired and equipped to experiment with their writing.
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Jenn Ashworth’s first novel, A Kind of Intimacy,
won a Betty Trask Award. On the publication of her
second, Cold Light, she was featured on the BBC’s
The Culture Show, as one of the UK’s twelve best
new writers. Her third novel is The Friday Gospels.
She lives in Lancashire and teaches Creative Writing
at Lancaster University.
Adam O’Riordan’s first collection In the Flesh won
a Somerset Maugham Award in 2011. He is lecturer
in Poetry Writing at the Writing School at Manchester
Metropolitan University.
Guest: Andrew McMillan’s debut poetry collection
is physical. He lectures in Creative Writing at
Liverpool John Moores University.
Lumb Bank, August 15 – August 20
Fearless first drafts
Do you know the feeling – you’re full of ideas, but when you
sit down to write that first chapter, verse or scene, life gets in
the way? Poetry, prose or script, this course is designed to help
kick-start your first drafts. We’ll be destroying the doubts and
diving in, with lots of tips on how to focus on your writing,
find time and stay motivated.
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Clare Pollard has published five collections of
poetry, the most recent of which is a new version of
Ovid’s Heroines. Her play The Weather premiered
at the Royal Court Theatre. www.clarepollard.com
Nikesh Shukla is the author of the critically
acclaimed novel Meatspace, the Costa shortlisted
novel Coconut Unlimited and the award-winning
novella The Time Machine. He wrote the short film
Two Dosas and the Channel 4 sitcom Kabadasses.
Guest: Poet Kayo Chingonyi is a Fellow of the
Complete Works and the author of two pamphlets,
Some Bright Elegance and The Colour of James
Brown’s Scream.
September 5 – September 10, Totleigh Barton
Finding your way
No two writers have the same relationship with writing, so yours
is yours alone – and yours to discover. We will look at different
approaches to fiction and poetry to help you build an individual
relationship with writing. With a range of exercises to get you
started, you can find a way in that suits you, that feels exciting,
rewarding and achievable. We will look at things such as craft
and technique in existing works of literature, building your skills
and confidence, and giving you fresh eyes on your own work.
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Sam Riviere is the author of 81 Austerities, which
won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection,
Standard Twin Fantasy, a pamphlet of poems,
and Kim Kardashian’s Marriage. He received an
Eric Gregory Award in 2009.
Emma Jane Unsworth’s first novel Hungry, the
Stars and Everything won a Betty Trask Award.
Her second novel Animals won a Jerwood Fiction
Uncovered Prize 2015. She is currently adapting
Animals into a screenplay and writing a third novel.
www.emmajaneunsworth.com
Guest: Lucy Caldwell is the multi-award winning
author of three novels, several stage plays and radio
dramas. Her debut collection of stories, Multitudes,
is published in May 2016. www.lucycaldwell.com
The Hurst, October 17 – October 22
Building narrative
If fiction is foliage and poems are floral, then narrative is the
bud. We will explore narrative in poetry and fiction, gathering
ideas and turning them into unique pieces of creative work.
Through it all, we will hold true to the traditions of horticulture
– an apprenticeship of care, pruning and grafting. In the craft
of writing, the parallel is the importance of drafting and editing
your work.
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Nii Ayikwei Parkes is the author of the hybrid
novel, Tail of the Blue Bird. It was shortlisted for the
2010 Commonwealth Prize and went on to win
the Prix Baudelaire, Prix Mahogany and Prix Laure
Bataillon. Nii is also the author of a book of poetry,
The Makings of You.
Rebecca Goss is the author of two collections:
The Anatomy of Structures and Her Birth. The latter
was shortlisted for the 2013 Forward Prize for Best
Collection. In 2014 she was selected for The Poetry
Book Society’s Next Generation Poets.
Guest: Peter Salmon is an Australian writer living
in the UK. His first novel, The Coffee Story, was a
New Statesman Book of the Year.
FICTION
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7. FICTION
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
April 11 – 16, The Hurst
Tutors: Bernardine Evaristo &
Paul Murray
8. FICTION
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
April 25 – 30, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Kerry Young &
Christopher Wakling
9. HISTORICAL FICTION
Tutors: Sanjida O’Connell &
Tom Bullough
10. EDITING A NOVEL
May 9 – 14, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Patricia Duncker &
Jenny Parrott
11. FICTION
May 16 – 21, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Clare Allan & Tash Aw
12. SHORT STORY
Tutors: Clare Wigfall &
Tod Wodicka
13. CRIME FICTION
June 6 – 11, The Hurst
Tutors: Tobias Jones &
Dreda Say Mitchell
14. WRITING A NOVEL
June 13 – 18, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Samantha Harvey &
Ross Raisin
15. ROMANTIC FICTION
July 11 – 16, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Mike Gayle &
Chrissie Manby
16. FICTION:
TUTORED RETREAT
July 18 – 23, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Romesh Gunesekera &
Lawrence Scott
17. WRITING A NOVEL
August 3 – 8, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Fred D’Aguiar &
Monique Roffey
18. FLASH FICTION
August 22 – 27, The Hurst
Tutors: Tania Hershman &
David Swann
19. EDITING FICTION
August 29 – September 3,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Max Porter &
Francesca Main
20. FICTION:
TUTORED RETREAT
September 12 – 17, The Hurst
Tutors: Nadifa Mohamed &
David Szalay
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21. FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
September 19 – 24,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Jenni Fagan &
Niall Griffith
22. STARTING TO
WRITE A NOVEL
September 26 – October 1,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Rachel Seiffert &
Courttia Newland
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23. SHORT STORY:
TOWARDS A
COLLECTION October 3 – 8, The Hurst
Tutors: Michèle Roberts &
Jim Hinks
24. FICTION:
PSYCHOLOGICAL
THRILLER
October 17 – 23,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Melanie McGrath &
Alex Marwood
25. FICTION WITH
A GOTHIC TWIST
October 31 – November 5,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Diane Setterfield &
Jim Friel
26. STARTING TO
WRITE A NOVEL
November 7 – 12, The Hurst
Tutors: Tiffany Murray &
Jonathan Lee
27. EXPERIMENTAL
FICTION
November 7 – 12,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Toby Litt &
Adam Foulds
28. STARTING TO
WRITE FICTION
November 14 – 19,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Stephen May &
Emylia Hall
November 21 – 26,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: James Runcie &
Ian Sansom
30. SPECULATIVE
FICTION
November 28 – December 3,
The Hurst
Tutors: Joanna Kavenna &
Liz Jensen
See also:
50. LIFE WRITING
51. NATURE WRITING
58 – 62 CHILDREN’S/
YA FICTION
The Hurst, April 11 – April 16
7. FICTION: WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Helping you solve the challenges
in your fiction
This course is aimed at anyone who needs guidance in how to
progress their work of short or long fiction. We will look at any
issues that may arise from your work, such as how story structure
can build suspense, how to create credible characters who also
drive a story forward and the use of dialogue and setting to
explore people and place. We will make sure that the course is
a constructive and a creative space where everyone is welcome.
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Bernardine Evaristo is the author of eight books of
fiction and verse fiction, most recently Mr Loverman.
She is also a literary critic and essayist. She has
written drama for BBC radio and theatre. Her many
awards and honours include an MBE in 2009. She
is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University
London. www.bevaristo.com
Paul Murray has written three novels, The Mark and
The Void, An Evening of Long Goodbyes, and
Skippy Dies. His stories have appeared in Granta,
the Paris Review, the New York Times and elsewhere.
Guest: Paul Burston’s books include the novels
Shameless and The Gay Divorcee. He is the host of
Polari Literary Salon and founder of The Polari First
Book Prize.
April 25 – April 30, Lumb Bank
8. FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Making it up, nailing it down
You’ve started so you’ll finish. This course will combine
workshops on all aspects of writing fiction – beginning well,
finding an authentic voice, drawing rich characters, creating a
compelling plot, sharpening dialogue, sustaining tone, working
out a satisfying ending, and editing – with focused feedback on
your work-in-progress. Come prepared to look afresh at what
you’ve written so far and we’ll help you bring your story home.
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Kerry Young is the author of two novels: Pao,
shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and
Gloria, longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for
Caribbean Literature. www.kerryyoung.co.uk
Christopher Wakling’s six acclaimed novels
include, most recently, What I Did. He runs the
Bristol Writing Project, writes travel journalism for
the national press, and is lead fiction tutor at Curtis
Brown Creative. www.christopherwakling.com.
Guest: Karin Altenberg’s first novel, Island of
Wings, was shortlisted for the 2011 Saltire First
Book Award and the Scottish Book of the Year
Award. Altenberg is a regular contributor to the
Wall Street Journal.
The Hurst, May 2 – May 7
Bringing historical fiction to life
The American Quaker novelist Jessamyn West said,
“Writing of the past is a resurrection; the past lives in your
words and you are free.” Historical fiction, more than most
other genres, requires writers to transport their readers to
a definite time and place. This course will show you how to
make your work sing by concentrating on authenticity whilst
not weighing your words down with facts. You will be invited
to submit up to 2000 words to the tutors before the course
starts, though this is not obligatory.
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Sanjida O’Connell is the author of nine books:
four works of non-fiction and five novels. The Naked
Name of Love and Sugar Island are historical fiction;
coincidentally both are set in 1859.
www.sanjida.co.uk
Tom Bullough is the author of four novels: A,
The Claude Glass, Konstantin and the forthcoming
Addlands. He is also a screenwriter and a Visiting
Fellow at the University of South Wales.
Guest: Rupert Thomson is the author of ten novels
and an award-winning memoir.
May 9 – May 14, Totleigh Barton
10. EDITING A NOVEL
What kind of book are you writing?
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Are you determined to write the best novel you can? We will help
you identify your book’s strengths and suggest which elements
will benefit from further work. These might include aspects of
structure, setting, characterisation and dialogue. We will also
consider the changing publishing landscape and practical
concerns such as publicity, marketing and subsidiary rights,
e-books versus print editions, and social media. We will discuss
how agents and publishers make decisions about representation
and acquisition, and what a writer can do to improve their
chances in a rapidly evolving market.
Patricia Duncker is the author of six novels
including Hallucinating Foucault, two collections of
short fiction, and many critical essays. Her most
recent novel is Sophie and the Sibyl: A Victorian
Romance. www.patriciaduncker.com
Jenny Parrott has worked in publishing since
1987, and acquired for Bloomsbury, Little,Brown,
HarperCollins and Oneworld, where currently she
heads a crime list launching in 2016. She recently
signed her own three-novel deal.
Guest: Will Eaves is a novelist and poet. His most
recent book, The Absent Therapist, was shortlisted
for the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize. The Inevitable
Gift Shop – “a memoir by other means” – will be
published in 2016. He teaches at
the University of Warwick.
Lumb Bank, May 16 – May 21
11. FICTION
Inventing reality
How can you use your own experience to give your fiction that
authentic feel? What is the role of research in writing fiction?
How do you convey the feeling of a particular time and place?
Through a mixture of discussion, practical exercises and close
reading of key texts, we’ll be exploring these questions and
others, and looking at the skills and techniques you can use to
help create a convincing narrative world.
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Clare Allan is an award-winning fiction writer
and author of Poppy Shakespeare. Her second
novel, Everything is Full of Dogs, is published
in 2016. Clare lectures in Creative Writing at
City University London.
Tash Aw is the author of three novels, which have
been translated into twenty-four languages; the
most recent is Five Star Billionaire. His work has
won numerous prizes, including the Whitbread,
Commonwealth and O. Henry Prizes, and twice
been longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Guest: Jeremy Page is a prize-winning author
of three novels, Salt, The Wake and The Collector
of Lost Things. He is also a screenwriter, and has
taught on the Creative Writing MA at the University
of East Anglia.
12. SHORT STORY
Exploring other lives
and worlds in miniature
Intense, challenging, funny, beautiful; despite their diminutive
size, the best short stories linger long beyond the final line.
Come explore this most glorious of literary forms with exposure
to inspirational short stories, and energising workshops that
guarantee to fire your imagination. You’ll be amazed at what you
can produce. Emphasis will be placed on the transporting nature
of stories and the freedom they offer to explore lives and worlds
far removed from your own.
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Clare Wigfall, author of The Loudest Sound And
Nothing, won the 2008 BBC National Short Story
Award. She is currently working on a new collection.
Tod Wodicka is the author of two novels, The
Household Spirit and All Shall Be Well; And
All Shall Be Well; And All Manner Of Things Shall
Be Well.
Guest: Petina Gappah’s debut story collection, An Elegy for Easterly, won the Guardian First Book
Prize in 2009. Her novel, The Book of Memory, was
published in 2015.
The Hurst, June 6 – June 11
13. CRIME FICTION
How to commit a perfect crime novel
This course will teach you all the essentials of good crime writing:
not just a convincing plot, but compelling characterisation,
decent dialogue, pace, setting, narrative techniques and so on.
We will also make suggestions as to how to incorporate factual
crimes into fictional stories. Whilst ideal for those who have a
criminal idea they want to put on the page, this course will also
help those who know they want to write in the genre, but are
uncertain how to get started.
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Tobias Jones is the author of four works of nonfiction and three crime novels set in Italy. He has
written extensively about Italian true crime. Three of
his works have been optioned by film companies.
www.tobias-jones.co.uk
Dreda Say Mitchell has published seven crime
novels, has been awarded the CWA’s John Creasey
Dagger, contributed to the multi-award-winning
Books To Die For and was chosen as a World
Book Night author. She is also a broadcaster,
campaigner, journalist and motivational speaker.
www.dredamitchell.com
Guest: Sophie Hannah is an internationally
bestselling crime writer, published in more than 32
countries. In 2014 she wrote and published the first
Hercule Poirot novel since Agatha Christie’s death,
The Monogram Murders, with the blessing of the
Christie family.
June 13 – June 18, Lumb Bank
14. WRITING A NOVEL
Building a world with words
On this course you will be introduced to new writers, on the page
and around the table; you will debate, and take a thorough
look, guided by exercises and tutorials, at the craft of writing a
novel. Whether you are part-way through a project, stuck, or you
are fussing at the edges wondering how to start, you will leave
at the end of the week with new ideas and techniques, and the
propulsion to write.
46
Samantha Harvey is the author of three novels,
most recently Dear Thief which was published in
2014. She teaches on the MA in Creative Writing
at Bath Spa University.
Ross Raisin is an author of short stories and two
novels, God’s Own Country and Waterline, which
won or were shortlisted for a dozen awards. He was
named as one of the Granta Best of Young British
Novelists 2013.
Guest: Nikita Lalwani is the author of two novels,
The Village and Gifted, which was longlisted for the
Man Booker prize in 2007, shortlisted for the Costa
First Novel Award and winner of the Desmond Elliot
Award for New Fiction.
Lumb Bank, July 11 – July 16
15. ROMANTIC FICTION
Planning for love: plotting
techniques for romantic fiction
Writing a romantic novel can be every bit as emotionally
challenging as falling in love in real life. Easy to read but
definitely not so easy to write, the romantic novel requires
a strong plot beneath the sweet nothings. Whether you’re
just starting out or you’re bogged down in the middle of a
work-in-progress, join us to learn how our plotting techniques
and tricks can help you keep your readers’ interest from first
kiss to happily ever after.
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Mike Gayle is the author of 13 bestselling novels.
He was previously a journalist and Agony Uncle.
www.mikegayle.co.uk
Chrissie Manby is the bestselling author of 19
romantic comedies including A Proper Family
Holiday, Lizzie Jordan’s Secret Life and Seven Sunny
Days. She also writes as Stephanie Ash, Olivia
Darling and Stella Knightley.
Guest: Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous
bestselling novels, including The Little Beach Street
Bakery, Christmas at the Cupcake Café which won
the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy
Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.
July 18 – July 23, Totleigh Barton
16. FICTION: TUTORED RETREAT
Time to focus
Here’s your chance to give your fiction writing the time and
focus it needs in a supportive and inspiring environment.
We will be on hand to offer detailed advice on matters like
structure, voice and control through one-to-one tutorial sessions,
and the rest of the time is yours to make real progress with your
fiction project. There will also be the opportunity to share your
work with other writers on the same journey. Participants are
invited to submit 2000 words of work-in-progress to be sent to
the centre by 17th June 2016.
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Romesh Gunesekera’s books include the Bookershortlisted Reef and Novel Writing: A Writers’ &
Artists’ Companion. He was a judge for Granta’s
Best Young British Novelists 2013 and the 2015
Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
www.romeshg.com
Lawrence Scott is a prize-winning novelist and
short-story writer from Trinidad and Tobago.
His latest books are Leaving By Plane Swimming
Back Underwater and Light Falling on Bamboo.
www.lawrencescott.co.uk
Guest: Deborah Levy is the author of The Unloved,
Swallowing Geography, Beautiful Mutants, Things
I Don’t Want to Know and Swimming Home, which
was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Totleigh Barton, August 1 – August 6
17. WRITING A NOVEL
Capturing the first draft of a novel
If you’ve started to write a novel and you’re stuck part-way
through, or if you have tried novel-writing many times and
floundered, or even if you are simply thinking of writing a
novel, this course is for you. Through workshops and tutorials,
we will guide you through the decisions and choices you need
to be aware of when you approach a first draft. We will discuss
research, craft, plot, opening pages and characterisation,
all the essentials of long fiction. Bring your ideas and your work.
49
Monique Roffey’s novels have been shortlisted for
the Costa fiction prize, the Orange Prize, the Encore
Award and the Orion Award. Archipelago won the
OCM BOCAS Award for Caribbean Literature in
2013. www.moniqueroffey.com
Fred D’Aguiar writes fiction, poetry, plays and
essays. He teaches Creative Writing and literature
courses at University of California, Los Angeles.
www.freddaguiar.com
Guest: Lisa O’Donnell has written two books,
Closed Doors and The Death of Bees, which won
the Commonwealth Book Prize in 2013. Lisa also
teaches and writes screenplays. She won the
Orange Prize for New Screenwriters in 2000.
August 22 – August 27, The Hurst
18. FLASH FICTION
Short-short stories
They’re small enough to perch on the palm of your hand and so
short it takes more time to smoke a cigarette – yet the best shortshort stories linger long after the smoke has cleared. Now a
boom area in contemporary literature, flash fiction is no new kid
on the block, but rooted in a rich heritage that spans the globe
and nudges up to poetry. We’ll use diverse examples from this
exciting form and bring many ideas to stimulate the imagination
in order to fuel our own forays into flash writing, leaving you
fired up for the voyage home.
50
Tania Hershman is the author of two story
collections: My Mother Was An Upright Piano:
Fictions and The White Road and Other Stories and
co-author of Writing Short Stories: A Writers’ & Artists’
Companion. www.taniahershman.com
David Swann’s book The Privilege of Rain was
shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award. His flash
fiction chapbook, Stronger, Faster, Shorter appeared
in 2015. An ex-journalist, he now lectures at
Chichester University.
Guest: Carrie Etter has published three
collections of poetry and numerous flash fictions.
She teaches Creative Writing at Bath Spa University
including Sudden Prose, a module on prose poetry
and flash fiction.
Lumb Bank, August 29 – September 3
19. EDITING FICTION
Midwifery and meddling,
marketing and mending
This week is aimed at anyone interested in editing their own
fiction, to improve or sharpen it to make it the best it can be,
the most like itself. The course will be as valuable to writers just
starting out as it will be to published authors. Everyone needs
editing. We will get our hands dirty in your texts. We will also
focus on the role of the modern editor, part brutal marketer,
part creative playmate to the author. From broad structural
edits to proofreading and writing copy, we will candidly share
experiences of editing, and being edited.
51
Max Porter is senior editor at Granta Books and
Portobello Books. His authors include Eleanor
Catton, Patrick deWitt, Ben Marcus and Han Kang.
His debut novel Grief is the Thing with Feathers was
published in 2015.
Francesca Main is editorial director at Picador and
won the Bookseller Industry Award for Editor of the
Year in 2015. Her authors include Jessie Burton,
Naomi Wood, Mark Watson and Lottie Moggach.
Guest: Cynan Jones is the award-winning
author of four short novels, most recently The Dig.
His next book Cove will be published in
Autumn 2016.
September 12 – September 17, The Hurst
20. FICTION:
TUTORED RETREAT
Your fictional world
Creating a compelling world, where character and plot can
grow naturally, is an integral part of fiction. Whether you are
writing long or short works, we will guide you in your journey
to create dynamic and memorable writing. Disappear into your
characters’ minds and spirits, and bring them to life so that they
linger in your readers’ minds. View your narrative structure with
fresh eyes: be it a single incident splaying out, or a series of
events that you are looking to order.
52
Nadifa Mohamed’s first novel, Black Mamba
Boy, won a Betty Trask Prize, was longlisted for the
Orange Prize, and shortlisted for the Guardian First
Book Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Dylan
Thomas Prize, and the PEN Open Book Award. In
2013 she was selected as one of Granta’s Best of
Young British Novelists.
David Szalay has published three novels:
London and the South-East (which won a Betty
Trask Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize),
The Innocent, and Spring. In 2013 he was selected
by Granta as one of the best 20 British novelists
under 40.
Guest: Sunjeev Sahota’s second novel,
The Year of the Runaways, was nominated for the
Man Booker Prize. He is one of Granta’s Best of
British Novelists 2013.
Lumb Bank, September 19 – September 24
21. FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Pushing through to finish your novel
This course is for writers who are already part way through
a work of fiction and want to work on taking it to conclusion.
Throughout the week we’ll address issues relating to plot,
characterisation, free-writing vs planned sessions and retracing
your steps when you feel the way is lost. Helping you create a
backbone to your approach, we will give you techniques to help
ensure you get to that completed draft. We will focus on the perils
and pitfalls inherent in fiction writing and how to overcome them.
53
Jenni Fagan is a novelist, poet and screenwriter.
Her debut novel The Panopticon has been
translated into eight languages and is now in
production with Sixteen Films. She was Granta’s
Best of Young British Novelist and writer-in-residence
at University of Edinburgh. Her work has been
featured in the New York Times and the Independent.
Niall Griffith is the author of seven novels and
more short stories and travel pieces and articles
and reviews than he cares to, and probably even
can, count. His work has been translated into 20
languages. His third novel Kelly+Victor, was turned
into a BAFTA-winning film.
Guest: Sarah Butler is the author of two novels:
Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love and Before The Fire.
September 26 – October 1, Totleigh Barton
22. STARTING
TO WRITE A NOVEL
Getting started – keeping going
A week designed to give you writing stimulus and space for
writing too. Suitable for those starting their first long work
of fiction. The course will cover the ins and outs of structure,
back-story, authentic characterisation and dialogue – and
how to keep going through all the rewrites.
54
Rachel Seiffert’s books have been nominated
for the Booker and Orange/Baileys Prizes and
published in 18 different languages. She has also
taught Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College,
Glasgow University, and the Humboldt University
Berlin, amongst others.
Courttia Newland is the author of six books.
His latest, The Gospel According to Cane, was
published in February 2013. He also writes for
the stage and screen.
Guest: Jane Harris is a writer of fiction and
screenplays. Her novel Gillespie and I was
published in 2011. Her first novel The Observations was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2007.
23. SHORT STORY:
TOWARDS A COLLECTION
Finding your strengths in writing
short stories
Working towards a collection means understanding your
strengths as a short-story writer and identifying through-lines
in your work. We’ll look at archetypal story structures (and what
you can learn from them), how to refine your voice and sharpen
your prose, approaches to self-editing, and what publishers are
looking for. There’ll be an opportunity for tailored feedback on
individual stories, and guidance on how to approach publication
strategically. Suitable for all short-story writers, whether you’re
just beginning to accumulate material, or have already
assembled a collection’s worth of stories.
Michèle Roberts has published prize-winning
novels, essays and poetry, plus three collections of
short stories. She is Emeritus Professor of Creative
Writing at University of East Anglia.
Jim Hinks is an editor at Comma Press, the
independent publisher specialising in short fiction.
Guest: Kate Clanchy is a poet, playwright
and novelist. Her first collection of short stories,
The Not-Dead & The Saved & Other Stories, was
published in 2015.
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October 17 – October 22, Totleigh Barton
24. FICTION:
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
How to write a whydunnit
The psychological thriller produces its own particular challenges
and satisfactions for a writer. More shaped by character than the
police procedural, they require a different approach to the tight
plotting that remains essential to their core. With exercises and
practical tips, we will lead you through the pleasures and pitfalls
of working in this most rewarding of genres. For beginners
with an interest in identifying and developing an idea for a
psychological thriller.
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Melanie McGrath is the author of the Edie Kiglatuk
Arctic mystery ‘series’, translated into 18 languages,
and the psychological thriller Give Me The Child.
She is twice-nominated for the Crime Writers’
Association Gold Dagger.
Alex Marwood has written three thrillers to date,
plus four novels under another name. The Wicked
Girls won an Edgar Allen Poe Award in 2014 and her
novels have been shortlisted for seven other prizes.
Guest: Kate Hamer’s debut novel The Girl in
the Red Coat was published in 2015 and has
been shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood)
Dagger Award. Kate won the Rhys Davies Short
Story Prize, and the story ‘One Summer’ was
broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Lumb Bank, October 31 – November 5
25. FICTION WITH
A GOTHIC TWIST
Something of the night
The Gothic is not just a genre but, more so, a tendency across all
genres – an awareness that the world is other than it immediately
appears, and events are heightened. It is writing with a secret
pulse, where place is character, and motivations are mysterious.
In workshops, readings and tutorials, we will explore and develop
writing that works an emotional effect upon your readers, and
gives them a sense of something of the night.
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Diane Setterfield is the author of The Thirteenth
Tale, a no.1 New York Times bestseller, filmed for
the BBC. Bellman & Black is a genre-defying blend
of rooks, death and Victorian retail.
James Friel’s most recent novel is The Posthumous
Affair. His other novels include The Higher Realm,
Left of North, Taking the Veil and Careless Talk.
He is programme leader for the MA in Writing at
Liverpool John Moores University.
Guest: Lauren Owen’s first novel, The Quick, was
published in 2014. She was a recipient of the Curtis
Brown Prize. She is studying for a PhD in Gothic
writing and fan culture.
November 7 – November 12, The Hurst
26. STARTING TO
WRITE A NOVEL
From idea to first draft
If you have the urge to write a novel but don’t know where to
begin, or have made a start but need fresh impetus to push on
through to the end of a draft, this week is for you. We’ll cover
the basic areas a new novelist needs to engage with: character,
setting and the events that form the plot. We’ll study different
openings to successful novels, carry out exercises to begin
building and honing your characters, and help you find ways
to shape your ideas into a structure that suits your story.
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Tiffany Murray’s novels Diamond Star Halo and
Happy Accidents have both been shortlisted for the
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize. The Guardian
selected Diamond Star Halo as one of ‘the best’ in
their pick of 2010 fiction. She is a senior lecturer in
Creative Writing at the University of Glamorgan.
www.tiffanymurray.com
Jonathan Lee is the author of the novels Who Is Mr
Satoshi?, Joy, and High Dive. He is also an editor at
the New York-based literary journal A Public Space.
www.jonathanlee.net
Guest: Shelley Harris’s debut novel Jubilee was
a Book at Bedtime, a Richard and Judy selection
and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize.
Her latest novel is Vigilante.
Totleigh Barton, November 7 – November 12
27. EXPERIMENTAL FICTION
Wise wild words
What kind of writer are you? Are you a Jack Kerouac or a
Georges Perec, a Virginia Woolf or a Christine Brooke-Rose?
Do you just need pen, paper and a few hours of freedom to
let your imagination loose? Or are you liberated by seemingly
impossible restrictions of form? Or are you as yet unsure, and
curious to find out what suits you best? In this wide-open (but
also carefully structured) course, we will explore and discover
some of the many ways of setting off into the unknown, and
returning enriched, wiser, changed.
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Toby Litt is a short-story writer who also writes
novels, lyrics, comics and things he doesn’t know
the names of. His last book was called Life-Like.
He teaches Creative Writing at Birkbeck College.
Adam Foulds is a poet and author of three novels
and a narrative poem. He has received a number
of literary awards and has most recently been
shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for his novel,
The Quickening Maze. He was one of the 2013
Granta Best of Young British Novelists.
Guests: Natasha Soobramanien and Luke
Williams are the authors of, respectively, Genie
and Paul and The Echo Chamber. They are
collaborating on a novel, Diego Garcia, which
is being published in instalments.
November 14 – November 19, Totleigh Barton
28. STARTING TO WRITE FICTION
Truths and lies
You might not know it yet, but you already have the material
you need. The next step is to give it shape and structure. Take
the myriad sights, sounds and feelings we encounter and use
them to tell a story that, for all its fiction, reveals the truth. This
course will help you build authenticity through three-dimensional
characters, vivid sense of place, and the power of detail. There’ll
be light moments too. Writing is hard work, but there should be
joy along the way, and this course will bring you plenty.
60
Stephen May’s first novel was longlisted for Wales
Book of the Year, his second Life! Death! Prizes!
was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and the
Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize. His latest novel is
Wake Up Happy Every Day.
Emylia Hall is the author of three novels. The Book
of Summers was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick
and has been translated into eight languages. Her
latest is The Sea Between Us. www.emyliahall.com
Guest: Sarah Winman attended the Webber
Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to
act in theatre, film and television. She has written
two novels, When God was a Rabbit and A Year of
Marvellous Ways.
Lumb Bank, November 21 – November 26
The challenge and reward of writing
historical fiction
Writers often look to the past to understand the present but
how do you make your historical fiction convincing? How much
research do you need to do? How do your characters think,
speak and dress? How do you avoid cliché? Over the course of
a week we will explore a series of techniques that will help your
writing about the past become thrillingly present.
61
James Runcie is the author of The Grantchester
Mysteries, a series of six novels set from 1953–1979;
they have been adapted for television. His previous
novels include The Colour of Heaven and The
Discovery of Chocolate. www.jamesruncie.com
Ian Sansom is a novelist and critic. He writes for the
Guardian, the London Review of Books, the Spectator
and the New Statesman. He is a regular broadcaster
on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. He is the author of 13
books including the ‘Mobile Library’ series of novels
and the ‘County Guides’ series.
Guest: Antonia Hodgson is the award-winning
author of The Devil in the Marshalsea and The Last
Confession of Thomas Hawkins. She has also worked
in publishing for 20 years.
November 28 – December 3, The Hurst
30. SPECULATIVE FICTION
Writing about what you don’t know
What if there were a writing course that covered all the basics –
story structure, characterisation, setting, and themes – but took
things further? We’re often told to “write about what we know,”
to base our stories on our own real lives. But in Speculative
Fiction anything goes, from historical ‘what ifs?’ to parallel
realities, to sci-fi to satire and fantasy. If you have ever wanted
to fashion an alternative reality, govern your own imaginary
civilisation, or stray beyond the boundaries of daily life, then this
is the course for you.
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Joanna Kavenna writes fiction, non-fiction and
much that is both. In 2008 she won the Orange
Prize for New Writing, and in 2013 she was named
as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.
www.joannakavenna.com
Liz Jensen is the author of eight novels spanning
several genres including science fiction, among them
Ark Baby, The Rapture and The Uninvited. Her work
has been nominated for several awards, developed
for film, and translated into more than 20 languages.
Guest: Brian Catling is a poet, novelist and artist.
He is also Professor of Fine Art at the Ruskin School,
University of Oxford. The Vorrh, the first of an epic
trilogy, was published in 2015.
POETRY
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31. POETRY
April 25 – 30,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Karen McCarthy Woolf
& Vicki Feaver
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38. POETRY
Tutors: Jacob Polley &
Jean Sprackland
32. POETRY
Tutors: Jackie Kay &
Jo Shapcott
39. POETRY
September 5 – 10,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Mimi Khalvati &
Ian Duhig
33. POETRY:
TUTORED RETREAT
Tutors: George Szirtes &
Pascale Petit
40. POETRY
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Jane Draycott &
Jack Underwood
34. POETRY
Tutors: Ann & Peter Sansom
41. POETRY
September 26 – October 1,
The Hurst
Tutors: Helena Nelson &
Cliff Yates
35. EDITING POETRY
May 30 – June 4,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Sasha Dugdale &
Michael Laskey
36. POETRY
Tutors: Caroline Bird &
Kei Miller
37. POETRY
July 18 – 23, The Hurst
Tutors: Luke Kennard &
Colette Bryce
42. STARTING
TO WRITE POETRY
October 3 – 8,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Kathryn Maris &
Jamie McKendrick
43. POETRY
October 17 – 22, Lumb Bank
Tutors: Tim Liardet &
Jennifer Militello
44. POETRY:
TUTORED RETREAT
The Hurst
Tutors: John Greening &
Jo Bell
See also
79. POETRY RETREAT
WITH WALKING
45. POETRY
November 14 – 19,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Daljit Nagra &
Julia Copus
46. POETRY: TOWARDS
A COLLECTION
November 28 –
December 3,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Jen Hadfield &
Penelope Shuttle
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April 25 – April 30, Totleigh Barton
31. POETRY
New ways to write about nature
City or country? For centuries, poets have drawn inspiration
from the polarities and tensions between the two. Blake’s London
and Wordsworth’s Lake District are famous examples. Now,
in a time of ecological crisis, mass urbanisation and climate
change, ‘writing nature’ brings with it a host of new and inspiring
challenges. On this course we’ll look at a variety of international
contemporary poets whose work addresses these vital and
enduring themes, with the aim of giving students new ways to
create fresh work.
66
Karen McCarthy Woolf is the recipient of the
Glenna Luschei Prairie Schooner Prize and an
Arts and Humanities Research Council doctoral
scholarship at Royal Holloway, University of London,
where she is researching new ways of writing about
nature, politics and the city. Her book of elegies
An Aviary of Small Birds was shortlisted for the
Forward Prize for Best First Collection.
Vicki Feaver’s poetry collections The Handless
Maiden and The Book of Blood employ myth,
fairy-story and encounters with creatures and
plants to explore aspects of the child and adult
self. Her latest work, about the process of ageing,
is included in Saltire’s Second Wind.
Guest: Zaffar Kunial was one of the Faber
New Poets 2013–14. A recent Wordsworth Trust
poet-in-residence, he won the Geoffrey Dearmer
Prize in 2015.
32. POETRY
Imaginary gardens, real roads
This course aims to help you create a small body of work
during the week; we will use a mix of myth, science, reality
and imagination to inspire and excite and help in the
production of a series of linked poems. Jo Shapcott’s collections have won a number of
literary prizes including the Commonwealth Writers’
Prize for Best First Collection, the Forward Prize for
Best Collection and the National Poetry Competition
(twice). Her most recent collection, Of Mutability, was
published in 2010 and won the Costa Book Award.
Jackie Kay’s The Adoption Papers won a Forward
Prize, a Saltire prize and a Scottish Arts Council
Prize. Fiere, her most recent collection of poems,
was shortlisted for the Costa Award. Her novel
Trumpet won the Guardian Costa Award for Fiction.
She was awarded an MBE in 2006, and made a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2002.
Guest: Amanda Dalton is a poet and playwright.
Her most recent collection is Stray. She was a
Next Generation poet in 2004 and is currently
Fellow in the Writing School at Manchester
Metropolitan University.
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May 9 – May 14, The Hurst
33. POETRY: TUTORED RETREAT
The thrill of writing at your best
Editors often say they look for freshness and originality in
poems, a distinct style with fire at its heart. You may be
seriously engaged with the craft, but wonder where to go
next. Are you looking for that extra spark, and need the time
to make it happen? This retreat will give you the opportunity
to take your work to another level. There will be no workshops,
just concentrated writing time, and two tutors to help you
push your poetry forward towards publication and, more
importantly, to your best.
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George Szirtes published his first book of poems,
The Slant Door, in 1979. It won the Faber Prize.
He has published many since then, winning the
TS Eliot Prize in 2004, a prize for which he has
been twice shortlisted.
Pascale Petit’s sixth collection Fauverie was
shortlisted for the 2014 TS Eliot Prize and won the
2013 Manchester Poetry Prize. Pascale has had
four collections shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize.
www.pascalepetit.co.uk
Guest: Liz Berry’s debut collection, Black Country,
received a Somerset Maugham Award and won
the Forward Prize for Best First Collection 2014.
Totleigh Barton, May 16 – May 21
34. POETRY
Moving our writing on
This demanding but hugely enjoyable course will take your
poetry to another level, whether you are well-published or just
starting out. Working from classic poems, exhilarating writing
sessions are the main focus of this week with “the best poetry
teachers in the world” (Guardian).
69
Ann and Peter Sansom
Ann has been Guest Poet at the Times Educational
Supplement and has run writing workshops with
First Direct, while Peter has been Company Poet
with Marks & Spencer and Prudential. They are
co-directors of The Poetry Business in Sheffield,
where they edit The North magazine and Smith/
Doorstop Books. Ann’s books include Romance and
In Praise of Men & Other People and Peter’s include
Writing Poems and Careful What You Wish For.
Guest: Peter Carpenter is the author of six
collections of poetry, most recently Just Like
That; he is the co-director of Worple Press
and has taught Creative Writing at the University
of Warwick.
May 30 – June 4, Lumb Bank
35. EDITING POETRY
Practice making perfect
How does a poem evolve from that initial inkling to reach its full
potential? This course is designed to stimulate and encourage
novices and more experienced poets to consider the process of
revision, and the opportunities that reworking a poem can offer.
We’ll help you build confidence by discussing and practising
how to diagnose the problem areas and to identify ways of
improving them. We will look closely at poems you’ve already
written as well as the new work we will generate and develop
during the week.
70
Sasha Dugdale is a poet, translator and editor
of Modern Poetry in Translation. She was also editor
of Salt’s Best British Poetry 2012. She has published
three collections of poems.
Michael Laskey directed the Aldeburgh Poetry
Festival for ten years and co-edited Smiths Knoll
for 21 years. His five collections include The Man
Alone: New and Selected Poems and, most recently,
Weighing the Present.
Guest: Christopher Reid has worked in publishing
and the academic world. His collection of poems,
A Scattering, was Costa Book of the Year 2009.
His latest is The Curiosities.
The Hurst, June 20 – June 25
36. POETRY
Finding a fresh perspective
“A door opens, a door shuts. In between you have had a
glimpse: a garden, a person, a rainstorm, a dragonfly, a heart,
a city.” (Sylvia Plath) How do we ‘glimpse’ our own lives, as if for
the first time? Experience the thrill of the unknown, in our own
backyard? This week will explore new ways of seeing, new ways
of writing, and hidden doors. Be prepared to write an almost
criminal number of poems.
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Caroline Bird is an award-winning poet, with four
collections, most recently The Hat-Stand Union.
She is also a playwright, currently writing Dennis
the Menace the Musical for the Old Vic.
Kei Miller is an award-winning poet and novelist.
His most recent collection, The Cartographer Tries to
Map a Way to Zion, was awarded the Forward Prize
for Best Collection in 2014.
Guest: Ross Donlon is a winner of international
poetry competitions and a frequent reader at events
in Australia and Europe. www.rossdonlon.com
July 18 – July 23, The Hurst
37. POETRY
Grand designs
What’s new in poetic form? Whether reinventions of the
traditional, or innovations driven by the times – we’ll be testing
the structural aspects of contemporary poems and trying fresh
approaches for ourselves. Does the content guide the form or
vice-versa? You’ll be encouraged to examine your own formal
practice and to strike out in new directions.
72
Luke Kennard is the author of five collections
of poetry and was the youngest writer to be
shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection,
with The Harbour Beyond the Movie in 2007.
Colette Bryce’s most recent collection, The Whole &
Rain-domed Universe, was shortlisted for the Forward
and Costa Book Award. From 2009–2013 she was
poetry editor for Poetry London.
Guest: Rebecca Perry’s first collection,
Beauty/Beauty, is shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize.
38. POETRY
New ways of generating new work
To get you writing in fresh ways, this course will focus on
generating new work through different ‘habits of art’.
As well as re-writing, re-reading and re-thinking, we will be
celebrating the sheer joy of the best words in the best order.
73
Jacob Polley’s third book of poems, The Havocs,
won the 2013 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize,
and was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize and Forward
Prize for Best Collection. He teaches at Newcastle
University. www.jacobpolley.com
Jean Sprackland’s latest collection is Sleeping Keys.
Tilt won the Costa Poetry Award in 2008. She is
also the author of Strands: A Year of Discoveries on
the Beach. Jean is academic director of the Writing
School at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Guest: Sean Borodale is one of 2014’s Next
Generation Poets. He is currently Creative Fellow
at Trinity College, Cambridge. His second collection
Human Work (a poet’s cookbook) was published
in 2015.
September 5 – September 10, Lumb Bank
39. POETRY
Between states: poetry lost
and found in its hinterlands
‘Between States’ refers to ideas on the verge of becoming
poems, or poems becoming a different form (prose poem,
lyrical essay, formal, free verse...). This course will also bring
to bear an understanding of different traditions of poetry.
The course tutors, Mimi Khalvati and Ian Duhig, have direct
experience of these traditions from Iran, Ireland, and the
North and South of England. You and your writing will benefit
from a rich mix of reorientations to find new ways forward.
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Mimi Khalvati’s eight collections include
The Meanest Flower, shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize
and, most recently, The Weather Wheel, a Poetry
Book Society recommendation. She is the founder
of The Poetry School where she teaches.
Ian Duhig has written six books of poetry, three
of which have been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize.
He has won the Forward Prize for Best Poem, and the
National Poetry Competition twice. He is a former
homelessness worker.
Guest: Mona Arshi was joint winner of the
Manchester Creative Writing Prize in 2014.
Her collection Small Hands won the Forward Prize
for Best Collection.
Totleigh Barton, September 19 – September 24
40. POETRY
The poem as controlled explosion
How do we create poems which don’t recount events but are
events in themselves? This course aims to help you find new
ways of talking and writing in your poetry that are dynamic
and dramatic in their action, detonating the world of the poem
and rearranging it, thinking about ideas and feelings by setting
things off, making them transform and shift.
75
Jane Draycott’s last collection Over was shortlisted
for the TS Eliot Prize. Her translation of the medieval
elegy Pearl, a Stephen Spender Prize-winner, was
published in 2011. She tutors at the universities of
Oxford and Lancaster. www.janedraycott.org.uk
Jack Underwood’s collection Happiness was
published in 2015. A Faber New Poet in 2009,
he is a lecturer in Poetry and Creative Writing
at Goldsmiths College, and he reviews for
Poetry Review and Poetry London.
Guest: Sarah Howe’s book of poems, Loop of
Jade, is shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. She won
an Eric Gregory Award in 2010. She is currently a
Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
September 26 – October 1, The Hurst
41. POETRY
Daring to be different
How do you sharpen and strengthen your own distinctive voice?
What makes a poem arresting? We will explore a variety of ways
into writing and read an eclectic range of contemporary poems
in a course designed to surprise you into writing the poems that
only you could have written. This stimulating week will energise
both new and experienced poets.
76
Helena Nelson runs HappenStance Press. Her own
first collection, Starlight on Water, was an Aldeburgh
Jerwood Prize winner. Plot and Counter-Plot is her
most recent book. She blogs about poetry at
www.happenstancepress.com
Cliff Yates’s collections include Henry’s Clock,
which won both the Aldeburgh First Collection
Prize and the Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet
Competition. A former Poetry Society poet-inresidence, he’s currently Royal Literary Fund Fellow
at Aston University. www.cliffyates.co.uk
Guest: Sean Burn is a poet and performer. He has
published three collections, most recently Is that a
bruise or a tattoo?
Totleigh Barton, October 3 – October 8
42. STARTING TO WRITE POETRY
Some essentials of rhythm,
rhetoric and form
What makes poetry distinct from other genres? How does a
poem start and when is it finished? What are poetic devices?
In this course we will explore these and many other questions
concerning rhythm, metre and structure. Through reading,
discussion, writing exercises and detailed feedback, the aim is
that you become a more confident and well-equipped reader
and writer of poetry.
77
Kathryn Maris’s poetry collections include
The Book of Jobs and God Loves You. Her poems
have appeared in The Best British Poetry, The
Pushcart Prize Anthology and many periodicals
in the US and the UK.
Jamie McKendrick has published six books of
poetry, most recently Out There, which won the
Hawthornden Prize. He has also translated a
number of works from Italian including the poems
of Antonella Anedda.
Guest: Mark Ford has published four collections
of poetry (Landlocked, Soft Sift, Six Children and
Selected Poems), a biography of the French writer
Raymond Roussel, and the anthology London:
A History in Verse. He has recently completed
a book on Thomas Hardy.
October 17 – October 22, Lumb Bank
43. POETRY
Inventing a language
“Resist much, obey little,” said Whitman. Is this how originality is
born? This course argues that every poet’s truest uniqueness is
founded in the language she/he invents, and that this is her/his
primary responsibility. A language unlike any other is comprised
of many elements: word-choice, metaphor, imagery and the
appeal of rhythm to the unconscious. In workshops, through
writing exercises and discussions of choices, you will explore
ways of making your language utterly your own.
78
Tim Liardet’s The Blood Choir was shortlisted for the
TS Eliot Prize. The World Before Snow was published
in March 2015 and his New and Selected Poems will
soon follow. He is Professor of Poetry at Bath Spa
University. www.timliardet.org
Jennifer Militello is the author of A Camouflage
of Specimens and Garments and Body Thesaurus,
named one of the best books of 2013 by Best
American Poetry. She teaches in the MFA program
at New England College. wwwjennifermilitello.com
Guest: WN Herbert’s recent work includes
Omnesia (2013). He is Professor of Poetry and
Creative Writing at Newcastle University, and the
Dundee Makar, or City Laureate.
The Hurst, October 31 – November 5
44. POETRY: TUTORED RETREAT
A dialogue between poets,
present and past
All poetry is a conversation – with the past, with other writers,
with other art forms. This retreat will include one-to-one
tutorials and the usual opportunity to write in solitude, but we
will encourage conversation and collaboration between group
members who wish it – offering you music, ideas and optional
exercises which you can use as a stimulus or disregard entirely.
Bring a musical instrument, a sketch book or anything that gets
your creative juices flowing.
79
John Greening is an Eric Gregory Judge and
Cambridge RLF Fellow. He has received a
Cholmondeley Award and the Bridport Prize.
His collections include To the War Poets and a
music anthology, Accompanied Voices. Recently
he edited Edmund Blunden’s Undertones of War.
www.johngreening.co.uk
Jo Bell is a poet and broadcaster who likes to
work in collaboration with other artists. Her awards
include the Charles Causley Prize and a Saboteur
Award for her global workshop project, 52. Formerly
Canal Laureate for the UK and director of National
Poetry Day, her latest collection is Kith.
Guest: Niall Campbell is from the Outer Hebrides
of Scotland. His first collection, Moontide, was
published in 2014. He was a Jerwood-Arvon mentee.
November 14 – 19, Lumb Bank
45. POETRY
The joy of poetry
Are you seeking to find new ways to write, to put the fun, the
freshness, the spark into your verse? This course is aimed at new
and experienced poets seeking inspiration and impetus to create
new verse. In this fun interactive course, we will deliver exciting
exercises and present you with a broad range of the finest
contemporary poets. Participants should go home having started
many new poems in a range of free and formal approaches.
80
Daljit Nagra was born in London and has
published three collections of verse. He has won
the Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem and for
Best First Collection. In 2015 he was selected as a
New Generation Poet. www.daljitnagra.com
Julia Copus’s latest collection, The World’s Two
Smallest Humans, was shortlisted for the TS Eliot
and Costa Poetry awards. She has won First Prize
in the National Poetry Competition and the Forward
Prize for Best Single Poem.
Guest: Emily Berry is the author of Dear Boy
which won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection
and the Hawthornden Prize.
Totleigh Barton, November 28 – December 3
46. POETRY:
TOWARDS A COLLECTION
Creating a dynamic and coherent structure
Finding or creating the structure for a collection is as creative
an act as writing a poem. Exciting yet daunting, the prospect
brings the poet into very close proximity with his/her work. There are often surprises along the way! As with pruning a rose,
this is not simply a process of subtraction – new and stronger
work often flowers in response. We will advise you on the when
as well as the how, helping you decide for yourself the right
moment to publish and exploring with you methods of editing
that are both unflinching and delicate.
81
Penelope Shuttle has published 11 collections
of poetry, and worked as a tutor and poetry mentor
for many years. She is co-author (with Peter
Redgrove) of the non-fiction book The Wise Wound.
Jen Hadfield has published three poetry collections:
Almanacs, Nigh-No-Place and Byssus. Like the three
little pigs, all are concerned with the right way to
make ourselves at home: in poems, among people,
in the natural world.
Guest: Tom Chivers’s books include How to
Build a City and Dark Islands. He was shortlisted
for the Edwin Morgan and Michael Marks prizes,
and received an Eric Gregory Award in 2011.
NONFICTION
82
47. LIFE WRITING:
FAMILY HISTORY
Tutors: John-Paul Flintoff &
Alice Jolly
53. MEMOIR
Tutors: Hannah Lowe &
Horatio Clare
48. MEMOIR
Tutors: Sathnam Sanghera &
Hannah Pool
54. NON-FICTION:
POPULAR SCIENCE
Tutors: Michael Brooks &
Aarathi Prasad
49. NON-FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Tutors: Lois Pryce &
Ian Merchant
55. STARTING TO
WRITE NON-FICTION
Tutors: Laura Barton &
Colin Grant
50. NON-FICTION
July 11 – 16, The Hurst
Tutors: Andrea Stuart &
Alexander Masters
56. LIFE WRITING
October 24 – 29,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Kapka Kassabova &
Nick Barlay
83
51. NATURE WRITING
July 11 – 16, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Jay Griffiths &
Paul Kingsnorth
52. NON-FICTION
August 22 – 27,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Sarah Wise and
Rachel Lichtenstein
57. NON-FICTION
Tutors: Julie Summers &
Sukhdev Sandhu
47. LIFE WRITING:
WRITING FAMILY HISTORY
Family as fact, fiction and myth
84
Families provide some of our most powerful stories – whether
they’re funny or sad, fact or fiction. This course, for new and
experienced writers alike, will use techniques from novels,
journalism and theatre to help you generate plentiful material,
and freely adapt it. We will examine a writer’s right to tell their
story, and how that affects others (is it sometimes necessary
to lie in order to bring over the truth?) And to focus your
writing, we will consider structure, scene-building, character
development, dialogue, viewpoint and other elements that
can make one person’s story truly universal.
John-Paul Flintoff is a journalist, performer
and author. His books, including a novel and two
memoirs, are published in 16 languages. The Family
Project, written with his wife Harriet Green, was
published in 2015. www.flintoff.org
Alice Jolly has written two novels and four plays.
She won the Royal Society of Literature’s VS Pritchett
Memorial Prize in 2014. Her memoir Dead Babies
and Seaside Towns was published in 2015.
Guest: Tim Lott’s first memoir, The Scent of Dried
Roses, won the PEN Ackerley Prize and the Whitbread
First Novel Award. It was followed by Rumours of
Hurricane, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread
Novel Award.
48. MEMOIR
Shaping narratives
Write about what you know, they say. Mine your experience, they
add. But so many things can get in the way, from family politics
to legal issues to the normal writerly concerns of tone and style.
This week is designed for writers aiming to say something about
their lives. We’ll help you understand the importance of shaping
narrative, finding your voice and how to navigate the joys.
85
Sathnam Sanghera is a journalist with the Times
and has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards
twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and
his novel Marriage Material. www.sathnam.com
Hannah Pool writes regularly in the national
and international media, including the Guardian.
Hannah’s book, My Fathers’ Daughter: A Story of
Family and Belonging is a memoir of her journey
back to Eritrea to find her birth family.
Guest: Katharine Norbury trained as a film editor
with the BBC. She was chosen as the Observer’s
rising star in non-fiction, 2015, for The Fish Ladder,
which is her first book.
49. NON-FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Weaving real-life events
into an engaging story
The course will concentrate on building an engaging non-fiction
narrative, and how to convey the facts while weaving them into
a good story. We will look at how to convey real-life characters
and conversations without them appearing stagey or faked.
And we will talk about how to learn what to leave out – deciding
what is essential information without drowning your reader in
unnecessary facts and figures.
86
Lois Pryce is an author and journalist. She has
written two travel memoirs about her solo motorcycle
journeys in the Americas and Africa and is currently
writing her third book, about her recent travels in
Iran.
Ian Marchant has written three critically acclaimed
travel memoirs, Parallel Lines, The Longest Crawl and
Something of the Night. He is a regular broadcaster
on BBC Radio 4.
Guest: Viv Albertine is a songwriter, musician and
formerly the guitarist in influential female punk band
The Slits. 2014 saw the publication of her memoir
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys,
Boys, Boys.
The Hurst, July 11 – July 16
50. NON-FICTION
From idea to first draft
Have you got a true story to tell? Whether you want to write a
memoir, a biography, a family history or a travel narrative, every
non-fiction writer is attempting to convey a story. This course
will help you understand the tenets of non-fiction writing, how
the genres are distinguishable and the makings of an attractive
narrative-driven story. Through exercises and workshops,
we will help you develop character in the context of real life,
understanding how to research, structure, and sell your story.
87
Andrea Stuart is an award-winning writer whose
books include Showgirls, The Rose of Martinique and
Sugar in the Blood. She has published in numerous
anthologies and literary magazines as well as the
popular press.
Alexander Masters wrote the biography Stuart:
A Life Backwards. It was shortlisted for the Samuel
Johnson Prize and the Guardian First Book Award.
His second book Simon, the Genius in My Basement
is the biography of a mathematician, Simon Norton.
Guest: Jasmine Donahaye’s latest books are a
memoir, Losing Israel, and a biography of the writer
Lily Tobias, The Greatest Need, both published in
2015.
July 11 – July 16, Totleigh Barton
51. NATURE WRITING
Nature and human nature:
to vivify and vitalise
What is the role of the writer in an age of climate change and
mass extinction? This course will focus on the natural world
and its vitality, the politics of nature in the broadest sense, and
the natural element of the human spirit. Its aim is to encourage
writing about Nature which has a voice and a purpose and in
which language is significant, subtle and alive. The course will
include immersive time in the natural world, and much teaching
outdoors. Writers of both fiction and non-fiction are welcome,
and participants at all levels of experience.
88
Jay Griffiths is the award-winning author of
Pip Pip: A Sideways Look at Time, Wild: An Elemental
Journey, and Kith: The Riddle of the Childscape.
Her fiction includes Anarchipelago and A Love Letter
from a Stray Moon. She is the Hay Festival Fellow
for 2015/16.
Paul Kingsnorth is the author of two non-fiction
books, including Real England, and a collection of
poetry. His debut novel, The Wake, was longlisted
for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for
the Goldsmiths Prize.
Guest: William Atkins is the author of The Moor,
a cultural history and travel book about England’s
moorlands. He’s currently working on a book about
the world’s deserts, due to be published in 2018.
52. NON-FICTION
Unlocking the archives
to write the people’s history
This course is suitable for writers who already have a creative
non-fiction project in mind (a local history, social history,
biography, travelogue) and would like some advice and
encouragement. It examines ways in which the UK’s rich
archival holdings can suggest new stories and angles; and it
aims to open up pathways of research that seem to be blocked.
We will explore a variety of research methods and creative
writing techniques including: archival research, photography,
walking, oral history and archaeological remains, all of which
can be used to create exciting and moving narratives.
Sarah Wise is the author of three works of social
history that explore less-well-known aspects of 19th
century life. Undertaking archival research, she
pieces together the stories of those who often go
missing in the history books. www.sarahwise.co.uk
Rachel Lichtenstein is an author, artist and lecturer.
She is currently writing her fourth non-fiction book,
Estuary. Her publications include Diamond Street:
The Hidden World of Hatton Garden, On Brick Lane
and Rodinsky’s Room. www.rachellichtenstein.com
Guest: Simon Garfield is the prizewinning author
of non-fiction. His books include On the Map, Just
My Type and The Wrestling. www.simongarfield.com
89
September 5 – September 10, The Hurst
53. MEMOIR
Life into art
As fiction and non-fiction continue their evolving relationship,
most recently as the kind of ‘autofiction’ practised by Rachel
Cusk (among others), the question of how to turn life into art
becomes ever more interesting. This course is for writers who
wish to address truth, fact or non-fiction from their own lives or
another’s. We will focus on technical and creative opportunities
and challenges in structuring, writing and selling memoir.
For writers of all levels, this course will provide invaluable
and inspiring ways of seeing and writing about life.
90
Hannah Lowe has published three chapbooks
of poetry, and one full collection, Chick. Her family
memoir Long Time No See was a BBC Radio 4 Book
of the Week.
Horatio Clare is a travel writer specialising in
creative non-fiction. His books include Running for
the Hills, A Single Swallow and Down to the Sea in
Ships – Travels with Men. His next book is Aubrey
and the Terrible Yoot, a children’s book.
Guest: Marion Coutts is an artist and writer.
Her first book, The Iceberg, won the Wellcome
Book Prize 2015.
The Hurst, September 19 – September 24
54. NON-FICTION:
POPULAR SCIENCE
How to craft engaging
literature from scientific research
Science is full of intriguing ideas, but they are often complex
and abstract. Weaving them into a popular science book can be
a daunting challenge. On this course you will explore ways to
engage readers with science, and you’ll have the opportunity to
develop a book idea into a draft proposal. You will plan a book,
creating chapter outlines and openings, and sample passages of
writing that demonstrate your unique voice. You will also spend
time dissecting the techniques of successful science writers in
order to learn the most useful tricks in the business.
Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum
physics, is an author and journalist. His books
include The Secret Anarchy of Science and the
bestselling 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense.
www.michaelbrooks.org
Aarathi Prasad’s first book, Like A Virgin: How
Science is Redesigning the Rules of Sex, was published
in 2012. Her second book Indian Medicine was
written around the themes of a Wellcome Collection
exhibition. She has a PhD in molecular biology
and has written and presented many television and
radio programmes including Brave New World with
Stephen Hawking for the Discovery Channel.
Guest: Robin Ince is a science populariser and
comedian. He presents Infinite Monkey Cage on
BBC Radio 4 with Brian Cox, which won a Sony
Gold Award.
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55. STARTING TO
WRITE NON-FICTION
Finding the centre of your life-writing story
How do you find the centre of the life-writing story that you’re
trying to tell? What are the bookends of that story? How do you
begin and, importantly, how do you end? Over the week we
will explore how you sift through characters to select your cast,
and how to establish the tone and direction of your story.
How and when do you employ dialogue, and how do you
weigh the accuracy of anecdotes and story vignettes against
the larger purpose and truth of your non-fiction writing?
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Laura Barton, previously a feature writer and
music columnist for the Guardian, now writes for
various publications including Intelligent Life, Q,
and the New York Times. She has written short
stories and documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and
a novel, Twenty-One Locks.
Colin Grant’s books include Negro with
a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey and I&I,
The Natural Mystics. His memoir, Bageye at the
Wheel, was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize.
www.colingrant.info
Guest: Ian Thomson is an award-winning
biographer, reporter, translator and literary critic.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
and a senior lecturer in Creative Non-Fiction at
University of East Anglia.
Totleigh Barton, October 24 – October 29
56. LIFE WRITING
Suitcase stories: from life to page
Departures, arrivals, journeys: what happens when people
migrate? What stories emerge from the contrasts between
different worlds? And how do we go about telling these stories?
On this course, we will unpack truth, imagination, characters,
places, and different kinds of stories. We will explore personal
and family history to write compelling fiction or non-fiction.
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Kapka Kassabova is author of Twelve Minutes of
Love, a tango biography, and Street Without a Name,
a memoir of her native Bulgaria. After emigrating to
New Zealand in her teens, she now lives in Scotland.
Nick Barlay has written four novels and was
mentioned in Granta’s Best of Young British
Novelists in 2003. Born to Hungarian Jewish
refugees, his latest book, Scattered Ghosts,
explores his family history. www.nickbarlay.com
Guest: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is a weekly
columnist for the Independent newspapers. She has
written several works of non-fiction, including a food
memoir, The Settler’s Cookbook. Her latest book is
Exotic England.
57. NON-FICTION
History, memory and
the art of telling stories
We’ll cover the basic areas a new novelist needs to engage with:
character, setting, and the events that form the plot. We’ll study
different openings to successful novels, carry out exercises to
begin building and honing your characters, and help you find
ways to shape your ideas into a structure that suits your story.
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Julie Summers is the author of 12 non-fiction
books, some drawing on her family, focussing on
20th century adventure and the Second World War.
Jambusters inspired the ITV drama series
Home Fires. www.juliesummers.co.uk
Sukhdev Sandhu is the author of London Calling,
I’ll Get My Coat, and Night Haunts. He is a publisher,
writes regularly for the Guardian, and is an Associate
Professor at New York University.
Guest: Madge Dresser is the author of Slavery
Obscured: the Social History of the Slave Trade in
Bristol. She co-authored and co-edited Slavery and
the British Country House for Historic England and
Women and the City: Bristol 1373–2000.
WRITING
FOR
CHILDREN
AND
YOUNG
ADULTS
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58. YOUNG
ADULT FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Tutors: Marcus Sedgwick &
Sally Gardner
59. CHILDREN’S AND
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
TUTORED RETREAT
May 30 – June 4, The Hurst
Tutors: Narinder Dhami &
Malachy Doyle
60. PICTURE BOOKS
Tutors: Joyce Dunbar &
Petr Horacek
61. CHILDREN’S FICTION
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Steve Voake &
NM Browne
62. YOUNG
ADULT FICTION
October 10 – 15, The Hurst
Tutors: Tanya Byrne & Bali Rai
Lumb Bank, April 11 – April 16
58. YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Connecting with the young adult within
This week will explore where your writing comes from and
examine how to make it connect powerfully with the reader.
Work will focus on basic elements such as plot, character and
place, and how using them well offers the path to telling your
story in the strongest way. Perhaps most importantly we will
encourage you to uncover the sources of your imagination.
And we will discuss questions such as: Why YA? What is it?
Should it even exist as a concept? Participants are invited
to submit up to 2000 words of a work-in-progress, to be sent
to Lumb Bank by March 1st 2016.
Marcus Sedgwick’s books have won or been
shortlisted for more than 40 prizes in the UK and
abroad. His work has been translated into more
than 30 languages.
Sally Gardner is a multi-award-winning novelist
who has a fascination with fairytales. Her work has
been translated into more than 22 languages.
Guest: CJ Flood is the author of Infinite Sky, which
was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and won
the Branford Boase Award. Her second novel,
Nightwanderers, is published in 2016.
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May 30 – June 4, The Hurst
59. CHILDREN’S AND
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
TUTORED RETREAT
Bringing it to life
The Hurst is a wonderful place to write, and children’s writers
are always a friendly bunch. So join us to start/work on/complete
that story. Whatever age-group you’re writing for, from picture
book to young adult, we will be on hand to provide help and
inspiration. If you can send up to 2000 words of a work-inprogress to The Hurst by April 4th 2016, it’ll help us give you
more considered feedback.
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Narinder Dhami has been a full-time writer for
17 years. Her books include 13 Hours, Bang, Bang,
You’re Dead!, the novelisation of the film Bend It
Like Beckham and many of the multi-million selling
‘Rainbow Magic’ titles.
Malachy Doyle has written more than 100 books
for young people of all ages. Among his most recent
are Too Noisy, Tadcu’s Bobble Hat and Pete and the
Five-a-Side Vampires.
Guest: Geraldine McCaughrean is author of 170
books and plays for every age. They have brought
her dozens of awards, even more pleasure.
60. PICTURE BOOKS
Dancing with words: dreaming in pictures
What comes first in the making of a picture book? Words?
An idea? An image? This course is for anyone interested in
writing and/or illustrating picture books. How do writers and
illustrators work together? What is their relationship? What
about the people who do both? What is the role of the editor
and designer? How do you approach a publisher or an agent?
The course will explore the many elements of picture-book
making in order to inspire and shape ideas. It will be playful,
fun, experimental and enlightening.
Joyce Dunbar has written more than 80 books,
working with world-class illustrators and published
in many languages. Her most recent title, created
in collaboration with Polly Dunbar, her daughter,
is called Pat-A-Cake Baby.
Petr Horacek was born in 1967 in Czechoslovakia.
As a writer and illustrator he has published more
than 30 books. Since 1995 he has lived in England.
His latest books are The Mouse Who Reached the Sky
and Blue Penguin.
Guest: Polly Dunbar is the author/illustrator of
Penguin. She has also collaborated with her mother
Joyce Dunbar. Their latest book is Pat-A-Cake Baby.
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August 29 – September 3, Totleigh Barton
61. CHILDREN’S FICTION
Serious play
A course for writers who are seriously interested in writing for
young people. Practical writing exercises, group discussion
and individual tutorials will help you get started and develop
your story. We will cover topics such as characterisation, plot,
structure, viewpoint and voice, and provide an insight into the
contemporary children’s publishing market.
100
Steve Voake is the award-winning author of
more than 20 books for young people including
The Dreamwalker’s Child, The Starlight Conspiracy
and Blood Hunters. He is senior lecturer in Creative
Writing at Bath Spa University.
NM Browne is an enthusiastic reader, writer and
teacher of children’s literature. To date she has
published nine young adult novels and eight books
for younger children. www.nmbrowne.com
Guest: Piers Torday began writing The Last Wild
trilogy on an Arvon course. The books have since
sold around the world, and won the Guardian
Children’s Fiction Prize in 2014.
www.pierstorday.co.uk
62. YOUNG ADULT FICTION
The art of young adult fiction
This will be a fun and exciting week focused on the art of writing
young adult fiction. From character development to dialogue,
in-depth editing to successful plotting, we will take you past the
basics, and give you an understanding of how YA works. How do
you craft an authentic teenage voice? How do you develop your
own YA style? This course is suitable for new and existing writers.
Take the next step and let us help you to develop your work.
101
Tanya Byrne’s debut novel, Heart-Shaped Bruise,
was published in 2012, shortlisted for the CWA John
Creasey Dagger, and longlisted for the Branford
Boase Award. Tanya was also shortlisted for New
Writer of the Year at the National Book Awards. Her
third novel, For Holly, was recently published.
Bali Rai is a multi-award-winning author of more
than 30 young adult, teen and children’s books.
His writing pushes boundaries and has made him
extremely popular on the school visit circuit across
the world. Two of his books are recommended
reads for KS3 and GCSE.
Guest: Sally Green’s debut YA novel Half Bad won
the Best Book for Teens in the Waterstones Children’s
Book Prize, and broke the world record for most
foreign language rights sold ahead of publication.
THEATRE/
TV/FILM/
RADIO
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63. PLAYWRITING
Tutors: Simon Stephens &
Graham Whybrow
64. TUTORED RETREAT:
SCREENWRITING
May 30 – June 4,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Robin Mukherjee &
& Ursula Rani Sarma
65. PLAYWRITING
Tutors: David Eldridge &
Tanika Gupta
69. TV COMEDY
October 10 – October 15,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Sarah Morgan &
David Quantick
70. WRITING FOR
PUPPETRY
Tutor: Mervyn Millar
71. MUSICAL THEATRE
November 21 – 26,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Willy Russell &
Nick Stimson
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66. RADIO DRAMA
August 1 – 6,
Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Simon Armitage &
Susan Roberts
67. STARTING TO
WRITE A PLAY
Tutors: Jessica Swale &
Inua Ellams
68. SCREENWRITING
The Hurst
Tutors: Kate Leys &
Andrea Gibb
63. PLAYWRITING
Writing original plays for stage
104
This week is a creative investigation of the mechanics of
playwriting. It explores elements of form such as character,
action, setting, narrative and structure. It delves into dramatic
action and dramatic irony. It pulls this all together to develop
new stories and find dramatic form. The week focuses on writing
original stories for theatre (not adaptations from other sources).
It is useful both for playwrights at the beginning of their career,
and for writers who have written one or two plays and wish
to develop their craft. The week aims to be creative, inventive,
challenging, irreverent and fun.
Simon Stephens has been teaching and writing
for theatre for 14 years. More than 20 of his plays
and adaptations have been produced in many
languages, all over the world.
Graham Whybrow works internationally advising
theatres, playwrights, directors and other theatremakers. He was literary manager of the Royal Court
Theatre from 1994–2007. He is a consultant on
developing arts policies for producing new plays
and for fostering the artistic development of talented
playwrights and theatre directors.
Guest: Lucy Prebble is a writer for film, television,
games and theatre. Her latest play, The Effect, won
the Critics Circle Award for Best New Play 2013.
Totleigh Barton, May 30 – June 4
64. TUTORED RETREAT:
SCREENWRITING
Take your writing to the next level
This is an opportunity to develop your script under the
supervision of two award-winning industry professionals. Rather than workshops, you will have a one-to-one tutorial
each day focusing on your writing, its challenges, and your
questions. In the evenings we can gather for informal discussions
and advice. So that the tutors can do some advance planning,
please submit a two-page outline of your script along with the
first ten pages, if available, by 23rd May 2016, preferably by
email, to Totleigh Barton.
105
Ursula Rani Sarma is an award-winning
playwright and screenwriter. She has written for
the BBC, RTE, TV3, Element Films and Company
Pictures amongst others. Her plays have been
produced by companies such as the RNT,
The Abbey, Clean Break and The Traverse.
Robin Mukherjee has written extensively for
film, television, radio, and theatre. His recent film,
Lore, won critical acclaim and numerous awards
worldwide. He is currently adapting Paul Scott’s
novel, Staying On, with support from the BFI.
Guest: Lee Thomas is a creative producer whose
credits include the Oscar-nominated The Voorman
Problem, Michael Winterbottom’s The Road to
Guantanamo and Crush.
65. PLAYWRITING
Improving your playwriting
craft from blank page to stage
Expect a fun and packed week expanding your writer’s toolkit.
We will think think about what it is you want to write, how to
focus first ideas and then how to begin to structure and shape
them. We’ll look at ways in to character, telling the story through
dramatic action, the importance of subtext and making your
backstory active. We will offer our expertise and insight to help
get your script ready to be produced.
106
David Eldridge’s plays include Under The Blue
Sky, Festen (after the dogme95 film), Market Boy,
The Knot of the Heart, In Basildon and recently Holy
Warriors. His work has been performed at The Royal
Court, the Bush, the Almeida, the Royal Exchange
and the National Theatre, amongst others. He has
adapted classic Scandinavian dramas, and written
for TV, film and radio.
Tanika Gupta is a playwright and screenwriter. Her
plays include The Empress, Sugar Mummies, Catch,
White Boy, Wah!Wah!Girls and Love N Stuff. Her
plays have been performed at the RSC, Royal Court
and Sadlers Wells. She has also written extensively
for BBC radio drama and television series.
Guest: Vivienne Franzmann’s plays include
Mogadishu and The Witness and Pests. In 2008, she
was one of the winners of the Bruntwood Playwriting
Competition. She has written for radio and television.
66. RADIO DRAMA
Develop your lyrical voice
and your technical skills
A course designed for confident writers who are keen to
explore dramatic writing for radio, considering both the
creative and the practical aspects of the art form. Alongside
workshops, discussions, listening sessions and tutorials we
offer the opportunity for you to make a short recorded piece
with a leading sound designer.
107
Simon Armitage has published over a dozen
collections of poetry and writes extensively for
radio, television and theatre. In 2015 he was elected
Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.
Susan Roberts, editor of BBC Drama North,
is an award-winning director (including Sony Gold,
Silver and Amnesty International) for radio, film
and theatre. She has produced a wide range of
BBC radio dramas and documentaries.
Guest: Eloise Whitmore, a radio and animation
sound designer, has been working in broadcasting
for 15 years. In 2013, she won the Radio Sound
Designer and Producer of the Year Award.
67. STARTING TO WRITE A PLAY
Thinking in three dimensions
Playwriting is one of the most exciting forms of writing,
because you’re creating live action. This course will help you
explore the key elements of drama. Beginning with basic story
construction through to specific exercises and scene analysis,
we’ll look at character, plot, structure and dialogue, before
helping you shape your own work in individual tutorials.
You’ll leave with a full notebook and a play on the way.
108
Jessica Swale is an award-winning theatre director
and playwright. Her plays include Nell Gwynn,
Thomas Tallis and Blue Stockings, one of 2015’s most
performed plays, and numerous stage adaptations.
She recently won a JJ Screenwriting Bursary Award
from BAFTA.
Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright and performer.
Identity, displacement and destiny are recurring
themes across his work. He mixes traditional African
storytelling with contemporary poetry to create new
stories.
Guest: Richard Bean is an award-winning
playwright. He is best known for the international
hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors.
The Hurst, August 29 – September 3
68. SCREENWRITING
Defining and telling your story
Screenwriting is always ‘work-in-progress’ and script
development runs on for longer than anyone ever thinks it will.
Screenplays are written and revised countless times but the real
work is always on the story, not the scenes. This course offers the
chance to work on the story at the heart of your screenplay with
two highly experienced screenwriting professionals. We will focus
on your story in an intensive week of insight and inspiration.
Before the course, we will ask you for a one-page story synopsis,
three-page treatment and the first ten pages of your script.
109
Kate Leys is a feature film script editor who works
on television and film screenplays at all stages of
development. Recent projects include John Maclean’s
Slow West and Jesse Armstrong & Sam Bain’s
Babylon.
Andrea Gibb is an award-winning Scottish film
and television writer. Her screenplays for Dear
Frankie and Afterlife won her the Scottish Screen
Filmmaker of the Year Award and a Women In
Film and Television script award. Her feature film
adaptation of Swallows and Amazons is released
in 2016. Guest: Jonathan Asser worked in prison with
violent inmates, then he wrote the multi-awardwinning Starred Up as his first feature.
October 10 – October 15, Totleigh Barton
69. TV COMEDY
Sketches and sitcom, from script to screen
Where do you get ideas for sketches? Are there rules for
writing a sitcom – and can you break them? Why are some
words funnier than others? How does an idea go from script
to screen? If you love comedy and want to write for TV, this
course run by industry professionals is full of practical advice
and assignments to improve your skills. Participants are invited
to submit three sketches and/or the first 10 pages of a sitcom
(not mandatory) to Totleigh Barton by 10th September 2016.
110
Sarah Morgan has written for Tracey Ullmann,
Mitchell and Webb, Horrible Histories and many
more. She is the creator of original sitcoms for the
BBC and Sky.
David Quantick is the Emmy-winning sitcom writer
of HBO’s Veep, and a sketch-writer for Brass Eye,
TV Burp, The Fast Show, David Quantick’s First
Impressions and many more.
Guest: Isy Suttie is a comedian, actor and writer.
She starred in the sitcom Peep Show, and in 2013
won the Gold award for Best Comedy at the Sony Radio Academy Awards for her radio
show Pearl and Dave.
Lumb Bank, October 24 – October 29
70. WRITING FOR PUPPETRY
Writing the impossible
Explore the possibilities of the stage. Traditional puppets are
just the start of a process allowing your imagination to unfold
in your theatre writing. This course will focus on writing for
the theatre when you may want to include non-human
characters, theatrical experiment or anything that doesn’t seem
to fit the patterns of the traditional play. We will lead playful,
practical sessions exploring the language of puppetry, and
playwriting practice. An opportunity to try something different
in your stage writing.
111
Mervyn Millar is a theatre director and puppetry
specialist. He was in the original creative team for
War Horse and artistic director of Handspring UK.
He has worked in new writing throughout his career.
www.significantobject.com
Carl Grose is a member of the UK’s acclaimed
Cornish company Kneehigh Theatre and has
performed shows such as The King of Prussia, Nights
at the Circus and most recently, Dead Dog in a
Suitcase. He has also written for BBC TV and Radio.
Guest: Horse and Bamboo have been
making visual theatre in Rossendale and touring
internationally since 1978. Alison Duddle, joint
artistic director, and Esther Ferry-Kennington,
producer, will bring some puppets and talk about
how they go about developing a show from initial
ideas through to touring show.
November 21 – November 26, Totleigh Barton
71. MUSICAL THEATRE
Using music and lyrics to tell the tale
For those who want to experiment with how the story can be
told through song and drama. We will cover setting the scene,
assailing the heart, making the point and moving the plot along.
Each evening there will a presentation of the day’s completed
work. This week is suitable for both tunesmiths and wordsmiths.
Please bring instruments where practical.
112
Willy Russell is the author, lyricist and composer
of Blood Brothers, one of the longest-running
musicals in West End history. His other musical
works include John Paul George Ringo and Bert,
Our Day Out – the musical – as well as film scores
for Mr Love, Terraces and Shirley Valentine.
www.willyrussell.com
Nick Stimson is a playwright and director. Musicals
include Korczak (music by Chris Williams); NHS The
Musical (music by Jimmy Jewell) and A Winter’s Tale
(music and lyrics by Howard Goodall).
OTHER
113
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72. SONGWRITING
June 6 – 11, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Helen Porter &
Helen Chadwick
73. GRAPHIC NOVEL
Tutors: Leah Moore &
Kate Charlesworth
74. SONGWRITING
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Samantha Parton &
Kathryn Williams
114
75. BOOK ART
Tutors: Rachel Hazel &
Stevie Ronnie
76. LITERARY
TRANSLATION
November 7 – 12,
Lumb Bank
Tutors: Margaret Jull Costa &
Daniel Hahn
77. COMEDY WRITING
Tutors: Richard Thomas &
Ivor Baddiel
Totleigh Barton, June 6 – June 11
72. SONGWRITING
In search of the song
This course will feature daily group sessions to explore melody,
harmony, accompaniment, rhythm and lyrics. You will try
creating songs in different genres, and there will be plenty
of time for solo and small group work and some individual
coaching, including performance where desired. Bring texts for
songs that inspire you or which you have written/half-written as
well as something to record and play back your musical ideas
(for example a smartphone and/or MP3 player). The course
is aimed at those with some experience of songwriting or for
experienced writers who want to expand their range. Please
send examples of two songs you have composed as MP3 files
to [email protected] by 4th April 2016.
Helen Porter is a singer, composer, musical director
and vocal coach. She composes music for theatre,
arranges for choirs and teaches singing. She also
writes for and performs with the quartet Misbehavin.
www.counterparts.org.uk
Helen Chadwick is a songwriter, performance
creator and recording artist, who composes mainly
for unaccompanied voices. www.helenchadwick.com
Guest: Sam Lee is a folk singer, song collector and
founder of The Nest Collective. His debut album
was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Award and his
new album, The Fade In Time, was called “one of the
albums of the year” by the Guardian.
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June 13 – June 18, The Hurst
73. GRAPHIC NOVEL
Writing pictures and drawing stories
Are words just not enough? Do you aspire to collaborate on
a comic or go solo with a self-drawn project? Do you want to
explore memoir or embark on an epic? We’ll show you how to
generate and flesh out ideas, write for visual narrative, and lay
out pages. We’ll help you explore graphic styles and techniques
to realise your vision on the page.
116
Leah Moore has written comics since 2004.
She has written most genres, including original
‘Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries, horror, fairytales,
and even Doctor Who.
Kate Charlesworth has written and drawn
strips and comics for many different publications.
Her books include a recent collaboration with
Mary and Bryan Talbot – Sally Heathcote:
Suffragette. She is currently scripting a graphic
memoir. www.katecharlesworth.com
Guest: Isabel Greenberg is a London-based
comic artist and illustrator. Her first graphic
novel The Encylopedia of Early Earth was published
in 2013.
Lumb Bank, September 12 – September 17
74. SONGWRITING
Off the beaten track
This course, for songwriters with some experience, will guide
you on a quest to find new inspiration and lead you out of
your usual songwriting pathways, armed with all the essential
equipment you’ll need for the journey. We’ll use exercises,
such as first-person character writing, to distil big ideas into
more original observations, helping you kickstart your creativity
and hone your own idiosyncratic lyric voice.
117
Samantha Parton is a singer, songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding
member of Canadian band The Be Good Tanyas.
Her songs have appeared in film and television
shows such as Skins and Weeds.
Kathryn Williams is a Mercury Prize-nominated
singer-songwriter. Her first album, Dog Leap Stairs,
was famously released on her own label with a
budget of £80. Her tenth studio album, Crown
Electric, was released in 2013.
Guest: Bill Ryder-Jones left The Coral after their
fifth studio album Roots and Echoes. Since then
Bill has released a fully orchestrated imaginary
soundtrack to Italo Calvino’s novel If On A Winters
Night A Traveller and a critically acclaimed second
solo album A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart.
75. BOOK ART
Word forms
Are you a writer interested in making, or an artist who would
like to explore new ways of incorporating text into your work?
How does the physical format of the book affect the way in
which we interpret a text? How can we play with form to heighten
the reader experience? Starting with etymology, we will combine
making and writing techniques to challenge conventional ideas
of linguistic, literary and book forms.
118
Rachel Hazel is a book-artist who has taught
workshops in inspiring landscapes from Iona
to Antarctica. She has been commissioned by
Edinburgh International Book Festival, The Conran
Shop and The National Galleries of Scotland.
www.rachelhazell.com
Stevie Ronnie is a freelance writer and
multidisciplinary artist. His latest poetry collection
is Manifestations and he is the recipient of a
MacDowell Fellowship, a Jerwood/Arvon menteeship
and a Northern Promise Award.
Guest: Amy Shelton is a full-time artist and founder
of Honeyscribe. Recent exhibitions have been at the
Southbank, the Eden Project, The Royal Botanical
Gardens Edinburgh and DAAD Gallery, Berlin.
Lumb Bank, November 7 – November 12
76. LITERARY TRANSLATION
A writer’s instinct
Literary translators write the world’s books for new readers.
But how? To be a translator you need to be the closest of readers
in one language, and the most accomplished and versatile of
writers in another. You need rich cultural understanding, detailed
literary sensitivity and a writer’s instinct, as you strive to create
a new piece of English writing that is identical to the original
– apart from all the words. It is perhaps the simplest kind of
writing, perhaps the most complex. This course will examine the
skills needed to make a great translation, and a great translator.
119
Margaret Jull Costa has been a literary translator
for nearly 30 years, translating such writers as Eça de
Queiroz, José Saramago and Javier Marías. In 2014
she was awarded an OBE for services to literature.
Daniel Hahn is an award-winning translator from
Portuguese, Spanish and French, whose work
spans fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, plays
and poetry. He is a former Chair of the Translators
Association.
Guest: Stefan Tobler is a literary translator from
Portuguese and German and the founder of And
Other Stories. His translation of Lispector’s Água
Viva was shortlisted for the 2015 Oxford-Weidenfeld
Translation Prize.
77. COMEDY WRITING
Finding your comedy voice
What makes something funny? How do you take your ideas
and turn them into comedy gold? Whether you have work in
development or you’re a complete beginner, this week is for you.
We will cover every aspect of comedy writing, from stand-up to
musicals, from scriptwriting to prose. We will offer you guidance
and top tips on how to pursue your passion for comedy in a
seriously fun environment.
120
Richard Thomas’s comedy roots are in stand-up.
He went on to be the creator, writer/composer of
Jerry Springer The Opera, co-written with Stewart
Lee. Other credits include Rose D’Or-winning
Kombat Opera Presents, Tourettes Diva and Anna
Nicole. He also wrote lyrics for Made in Dagenham.
He is currently working on a number of projects for
BBC and Sky Arts.
For 20 years Ivor Baddiel has been writing comedy
for television, radio and whoever pays. He’s written
for Stephen Fry, Graham Norton and Joan Rivers
(to name a few), and credits include The BAFTAs,
Mock The Week and Comic Relief.
Guest: Claire Zolkwer is commissioning editor of
comedy entertainment for ITV. She oversees a range
of programmes across the ITV family of channels.
RETREATS
121
121
78. RETREAT
79. POETRY RETREAT
WITH WALKING
122
See also
16. FICTION
TUTORED RETREAT
20. FICTION
TUTORED RETREAT
80. RETREAT
WITH YOGA
June 13 – 18, Totleigh Barton
59. FICTION
TUTORED RETREAT
81. RETREAT
33. POETRY
TUTORED RETREAT
82. RETREAT
Totleigh Barton
44. POETRY
TUTORED RETREAT
64. SCREENWRITING
TUTORED RETREAT
Lumb Bank, April 18 – April 23
78. RETREAT
Leave the world behind and spend five days concentrating on
your writing project, surrounded by 20 acres of steep woodland
and rivers, weavers’ cottages, packhorse trails and ruins of old
mills. Let the landscape inspire you, and give your writing the
concentration and time it deserves.
123
May 23 – May 28, The Hurst
79. POETRY RETREAT
WITH WALKING
The rhythm of walking
124
“I was the world in which I walked”, wrote Wallace Stevens.
Many poets and writers have been keen walkers, knowing that
the rhythms of travel can walk you into your best thoughts in
the best order. As Rebecca Solnit said, “the rhythm of walking
generates a kind of rhythm of thinking, and the passage through
a landscape echoes or stimulates the passage through a series
of thoughts… A new thought often seems like a feature of the
landscape that was there all along, as though thinking were
travelling...” Join us for a magical week of walking, natural
history and writing poetry in the first Arvon Retreat of its kind
in the inspirational woodlands, hills and valleys of Shropshire.
David Morley’s recent poetry collections include
The Gypsy and the Poet, Enchantment and
The Invisible Kings. The Invisible Kings: Selected
Poems was published in 2015. He is a fully trained
ecologist and Professor of Poetry at Warwick
University. www.davidmorley.org.uk
Guest: Steve Ely has published two books of
poetry, Oswald’s Book of Hours and Englaland.
Totleigh Barton, June 13 – June 18
80. RETREAT WITH YOGA
Stretch your creative muscles
Stretch your body, relax your mind and tap into your most
creative self. Writer and yoga teacher Lucy Greeves will help
you get inspired this summer with tried-and-tested yoga and
meditation techniques. Work on your writing project at your
own pace, in the company of supportive peers and with the
benefit of twice-daily classes designed to energise (8–9.30am)
and unwind (4.30–5.30pm). Suitable for anyone with a genuine
interest in yoga, including beginners. Single rooms for all writers.
125
Lucy Greeves has been using yoga to support
her own writing career since 1999, and has been
leading retreats at Totleigh Barton since 2011.
She is particularly interested in helping her students
to access a more expansive, authentic way of being –
and writing – through yoga and meditation.
81. RETREAT
If you are seeking space, time and tranquillity to write, then this
week is for you. Come to The Hurst, set in 26 acres of beautiful
Shropshire countryside. All rooms are en-suite and the friendly
staff are on hand ensuring that you are well looked after.
Step aside from everyday distractions and commitments and
give yourself the greatest gift of all: time. We look forward to
welcoming you.
126
Totleigh Barton, October 31 – November 5
82. RETREAT
No distractions but the occasional owl and the crackle of the
wood stove. Retreat to Totleigh Barton, a cosy and tranquil
16th-century manor house in beautiful Devon, and find the
motivation to get to grips with your work-in-progress or begin
something new. With all day to yourself, near-infinite supplies
of tea and cake on hand, and the invitation to dine with your
fellow writers in the evening, you can really give your writing
the time and focus it needs.
127
128
COURSE FEES
HOW TO BOOK
A COURSE
The fee for 2016 standard
courses and tutored
retreats is £750.
Bookings can be made online
at www.arvon.org. You can
also book by calling the
centre where your chosen
course is held.
This covers a single room,
all workshops, tutorials
and readings, and full
board accommodation
(not including alcohol).
A few places with shared
rooms are available at
Totleigh Barton and Lumb
Bank at the reduced rate
of £700.
Other courses
All single rooms only:
Retreat (untutored): £550
Retreat with yoga: £650
Retreat with walking: £650
Grants are available if
you cannot afford the full
fee (please see page 129).
To secure your place, you
will need to pay a deposit of
£150 at the time of booking
(unless you’re applying for
a grant). You are welcome
to pay in instalments via
our online booking system.
The full balance of your
course fee is payable no
later than six weeks before
the course starts.
GRANTS FOR
WRITERS
TEACHERS’
GRANTS
If you are a UK resident and
cannot afford the full course
fee, we encourage you to
apply for one of our grants,
which are awarded on the
basis of financial need and
not writing ability. Last year
we were able to help more
than 90% of all writers who
applied. Priority is given to
those coming to Arvon for
the first time. You may apply
for any amount up to the
full course fee, although
most grants are between
£200 and £400. We offer
higher amounts only in
exceptional cases. To help us
support as many people as
possible, please apply only
if you’d be unable to attend
the course without a grant,
and ask for the minimum
amount you need.
Arvon supports the
professional development of
practising teachers of English,
who may apply for a special
fixed grant of £200 towards
a course fee. You will need
to send evidence that you are
a practising teacher of English
at a UK state primary or
secondary school, or further
education college. Teachers’
grants are limited in number
and can be applied for in
addition to the usual grant
if further financial assistance
is needed.
Find out how to apply for a
grant overleaf.
129
TO APPLY
FOR A GRANT
1 Download a grant pack from our website, or ask us to send it
to you. It contains full details of the application procedure and
an application form.
2 Reserve a place on your chosen course, either online or by
phoning the centre hosting your course, and make sure you
indicate that you wish to apply for a grant. You do not need to
pay a deposit at this stage.
130
3 Complete the application form and send it along with your
supporting documents to your chosen centre within a week.
4 Within seven days we will assess your application, contact
you with a decision, and finalise your booking. If you have any
questions, please contact the appropriate centre.
“To have had the opportunity to be inspired by such beautiful
surroundings and people and meet and work with experts as
impressive as our tutors has had a major impact on my writing
and would not have been possible without the grant.”
—grant recipient
If you would like to support Arvon’s grant fund with a donation
please see page 132 for more details.
Arvon
Free Word Centre
60 Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3GA
Tel: 020 7324 2554
[email protected]
www.arvon.org
ARVON NATIONAL OFFICE
Chief Executive:
Ruth Borthwick
Director of Operations:
Nick Murza
Finance Officer:
Tufel Miah
Administrator (National
office): Suzie Jones
Head of Learning and
Participation: Becky Swain
Learning and Participation
Coordinator: Joe Bibby
Founders
John Fairfax
John Moat
Patrons
Simon Armitage CBE
Lord (Melvyn) Bragg FRS, FRSL
Alan Brownjohn FRSL
Lady Caroline Chichester-Clark
Dr David Cohen CBE
Carol Ann Duffy CBE
Jerry Hall
Professor Sir Andrew Motion
Nigel Pantling
David Pease MBE
Salman Rushdie FRSL
Wole Soyinka FRSL
Pete Townshend
Head of Development:
Kathryn Beale
Development Officer:
Dean Stigwood
Development Administrator:
Head of Communications:
George Palmer
Communications
Administrator: Livia Filotico
Digital Communications
Officer: Somshun Khan
Joint Presidents
Sir Robin
Chichester-Clark
Terry Hands CBE
Board of Trustees
Alistair Burtenshaw (Chair)
Dr Judith Abbott
Patience Agbabi
Sir Andrew Cahn KCMG
Tony Cohen
Kate Donaghy
Marion Gibbs CBE
Michael Symmons Roberts
Sophie Rochester
Meriel Schindler
Simon Trewin
Virginia Wedgwood
Andy Wimble
131
HOW CAN I MAKE
A DONATION?
Arvon is grateful for
donations of all sizes, which
support young people and
adults from disadvantaged
backgrounds to attend an
Arvon course.
132
You can make a donation
via our website, or write a
cheque payable to Arvon,
posting it to Development,
Arvon, Free Word Centre, 60
Farringdon Road, London
EC1R 3GA. Or you may
prefer to discuss your gift first
– we would be delighted to
hear from you.
Why not become a Friend of
Arvon, and help others whilst
staying inspired to write?
For an annual fee of £45
you’ll have first choice on our
courses, and you’ll receive
specialist writing tips and
exercises. (See the inside back
page for more details.)
Remember Arvon in your
will and help us grow our
work for future generations.
If you would like to start this
conversation, do please
contact us.
See page 10 for more details
on how your donation helps
Arvon.
To discuss supporting
Arvon, contact
Kathryn Beale,
Head of Development:
[email protected]
020 7324 2576
www.arvon.org/supportus
ARVON RELIES
ON YOUR GENEROSITY
Thank you to those who support our work
The Fagus Anstruther
Memorial Trust
The Hollick Family
Charitable Trust
The Elizabeth and Gordon
Bloor Charitable Trust
The McGrath Trust
The D’Oyly Carte
Charitable Trust
The Finnis Scott Foundation
The John S Cohen Foundation
The Barbara and
Philip Denny Charitable Trust
The Eranda Foundation
The Hedley Foundation
The Golsoncott Foundation
The Rayne Foundation
The Tedworth Charitable Trust
The Harold Hyam
Wingate Foundation
Authors’ Licensing and
Collecting Society
Amazon
Betsy Tobin and Peter Sands
Arvon Friends, Angels, Trustees, and those who wish to
remain anonymous
The Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Scheme is generously supported by
133
STAY IN TOUCH
TWITTER
News and writing advice
from Arvon and the writing
community
@arvonfoundation
@TotleighBarton
@Hurstonthescene
@Lumb_Bank
134
@
ENEWSLETTER
www.arvon.org/
mailing-list
Sign up to our emailing list
for monthly updates on new
courses, writing tips from
tutors and updates from
Arvon centres, and to receive
our annual e-brochure.
FACEBOOK
arvonfoundation
Daily snippets of inspirational
quotes and literary news
INSTAGRAM
arvoninsta
The best images from
our centres and from
our national office
PINTEREST
arvon
Inspiring photos from
Arvon centres, writing
tips and quotes
TUMBLR
arvonwriter
A resource for writers,
with writing advice from
Arvon tutors
PHOTO CREDITS
Arvon is very grateful to all the photographers and photo
agencies who kindly gave us permission to reprint their author
portraits. We aim to credit every photographer. Please let us
know if we have been unable to credit you.
Simon Armitage by Paul Wolfgang Webster
Mona Arshi by Amanda Pepper
Jenn Ashworth by Martin Figura
Michael Brooks by Andrew Perris
N.M. Browne by Paul Browne
Colette Bryce by Christopher Phyliss
Tom Bullough by Juilian Broad
Lucy Burnett by Alex Hewitt
Paul Burston by Adrian Lourie
Sarah Butler by Eva Sajovic
Helena Chadwick by Hazel Holder
Kate Charlesworth by Dianne Barry
Kayo Chingonyi by Naomi Woddis
Tom Chivers by Travis Elborough
Clare Wigfall by Troy Giunipero
Nagra Daljit by Lucinda Douglas-Menzies
Ian Duhig by Gerry Cambridge
Patricia Duncker by Keith Morris
Petina Gappah by Bathsheba Okwenje
Rebecca Goss by Rosie Bennett
Colin Grant by Maya Grant
Jay Griffiths by Timothy Griffiths
Romesh Gunesekera by Yemisi Blake
Jen Hadfield by Tineke De lange
Emylia Hall by fayetography.com
Samantha Harvey by Matt Lincoln
Rachel Hazel by Uli Schade
Bill Herbert by Isobel Taylor-Herbert
Tania Hershman by Lou Abercrombie
Kathryn Heyman by Luke Stambouliah
Sarah Howe by Hayley Madden
Kapka Kassabova by Marti Friedlander
Mimi Khalvati by Caroline Forbes
Michael Laskey by Jovita Valaityte
Jonathan Lee by Tanja Kernweiss
Sam Lee by Frederic Aranda
Chrissie Manby by Michael Pilkington
Adam Marek by Jayne Odell
Kathryn Maris by Marion Ettlinger
Stephen May by Jonathan Ring
Melanie McGrath by Patricia Grey
Jamie McEndrick by Caroline Forbes
Andrew McMillan by Innes Morrison
Dreda Say Mitchell by Hugo Dixon
Leah Moore by Mitch Jenkins
Helena Nelson by Peter Everard Smith
Katharine Norbury by Robin Farquhar Thomson
Lisa O’Donnell by C.J Monk
Adam O’Riordan by Mark Pringle
Lauren Owen by Urszula Soltys
Jenny Parrott by Mark Rusher
Peter Sansom by Charlie Hedley
Pascale Petit by Kaido Vainomaa
Lumb Bank by Susan Elliott Wright
Jacob Polley by Mai Li Lin
Hannah Pool by Aida Muluneh
Max Porter by Lucy Dickens
Aarathi Prasad by Wang Wei
Rachel Seiffert by Charlie Hopkinson
Ross Raisin by Angus Muir
Richard Bean by Johan Persson
Michele Roberts by Viv Pegram
Monique Roffey by Abigail Hadeed
Stevie Ronnie by Colin Davison
James Runcie by Charlotte Runcie
Willy Russell by James Maloney
Sunjeev Sahota by Simon Revill
Sukhdev Sandhu by Gail O’Hara
Lawrence Scott by Eugene McConville
Penelope Shuttle by Jemimah Kuhfeld
Piers Torday by James Betts
Jack Underwood by Laura Lewis
Emma Jane Unsworth by Darren Hall
Sarah Winman by Patricia Niven
Sarah Wise by Katie Vandyck
Tod Wodica by Michael Lionstar
Totleigh Barton by Meg Rumbelow Hemsley
135
TERMS & CONDITIONS
In making a course
booking, by phone or
online, you agree to
the following terms
and conditions:
136
Bookings
All bookings must be
accompanied by the
appropriate deposit. For
standard Arvon weeks the
deposit is £150. You should
not consider your booking
as definite until we have
confirmed it in writing or by
email. The balance of your
course fee is payable no
later than six weeks before
the course starts and we do
not send reminders. Unpaid
or late balances may be
treated as a cancellation.
If we do not receive your
balance when it’s due, we
reserve the right to offer the
place to someone else.
Travel insurance
We cannot reimburse
travel costs or other losses
incurred by you in the event
of cancellation by us or you.
You are strongly advised to
take out travel insurance to
cover potential loss arising
from cancellation or other
eventuality affecting your
booking, including course
fees and travel costs. You
should check that any policy
you take meets your needs.
Cancellations
Cancellations will be accepted
up to six weeks before the
course takes place. Your
deposit will be returned less
a £50 cancellation charge.
If a place is cancelled after
this time, we will retain the
full deposit of £150. For
cancellations later than six
weeks, we will do our best
to find someone else to take
your place and, if we succeed,
the balance of your fee (less
the deposit of £150) will be
returned. If we cannot re-fill
your place, we will retain the
full fee.
Transfers
At our discretion, you may be
able to transfer your booking
to another course at the same
or another Arvon centre,
subject to availability. We will
normally accept transfers up
to six weeks before the course
takes place, and all of the fee
paid will be allocated to the
new course. If we receive a
request to transfer a booking
after this time, we will do
so only if we have already
received the full course fee
from you and we are able
to re-fill the place on the
original course. If either of
these conditions is not met,
we regret we are unable to
transfer the booking and will
treat it as cancelled, retaining
all of the fee paid. Please note
that we can only transfer a
booking to a course within the
same year, and that once a
booking is transferred, we are
unable to offer any refunds for
subsequent cancellation, or
further transfers. We cannot
accept transfers from weeklong courses to any other type
of course.
Changes to the programme
Arvon reserves the right
to make changes to the
advertised programme and
tutors. As we plan the Arvon
programme in advance,
changes will inevitably
occur to some courses, and
occasionally the original
tutors are unavailable. We
always endeavour to replace
tutors with someone of similar
experience, and to give you as
much notice as possible. On
very rare occasions we may
need to cancel a course; in
this case we will offer you an
alternative course or return
all of the fee paid. Please
note that where we have to
change tutors, you do not
have additional rights of
cancellation and our standard
terms still apply. We cannot
pay travel or other costs, which
you may however be able
to reclaim from your travel
insurance policy, and our
liability to you in all cases is
limited to the course fee you
have paid.
Conduct
Arvon courses rely on a level of
tolerance and understanding
of others and their creative
work and we ask that you are
thoughtful and respectful of
other students. Arvon reserves
the right to refuse a place and
to exclude from a course any
student who, in the opinion of
the Centre Director, behaves
in an abusive or disruptive
manner or engages in any
discriminatory conduct. No
refund will be given if exclusion
is made for these reasons.
137
138
Privacy and data
By booking, you agree that we
may collect and store personal
information about you and
your interactions with Arvon.
These include: your personal
contact details; gender; details
of your booking and course
booking history, including
any access and dietary needs
you have told us about;
records of payments (not
including credit/debit cards
numbers etc.); details of
any grant applications, any
correspondence and any
other information we need to
keep in order to administer
your booking. All personal
information is kept securely
on electronic systems. We do
not store payment card details.
We will use this information to
communicate with you about
your booking and we may,
unless you tell us otherwise,
communicate with you
occasionally about our work
and other courses and support
for writers that we offer.
We never share or sell
information about our course
participants with any third
party, either in aggregate or
in individual form.
Grants
All grant applications must
follow the guidelines on our
grant application pack. Only
UK residents are eligible for
our general grants scheme
and teachers’ grants are only
available to those currently
employed and practising as a
teacher of English in a UK state
primary or secondary school,
or further education college.
Individuals are eligible for up
to three grants in total but no
more than one in any given
year; each successive grant will
be smaller than the last. It is a
requirement of the grant that
a written report is completed
within two weeks of the
course. Other restrictions and
conditions may apply to other
grant schemes run by Arvon.
Under-18s
Anyone under 18 wishing to
book on one of the public open
courses shown in this booklet
must provide written consent
from their parent or guardian
at the time of booking. We
do not accept bookings from
anyone under 16. Please note
that under-18s may only book
into single rooms. Parents
should note that Arvon does
not act in loco parentis.
Loss
Arvon cannot accept
responsibility for any loss,
damage or expense sustained
by students as a result of an
event or circumstance whether
arising from natural cause,
human agency, or beyond
its control otherwise. Where
Arvon is unable to provide a
course place to you for any
reason, our liability is limited
to return of the fees paid.
Participation and access
Arvon is committed to
providing a supportive and
welcoming environment to
all. During a week’s stay,
course participants should
expect to take part in daily
group workshops, one-to-one
sessions with tutors, group
readings and discussions.
You will also be expected
to share in domestic duties
with your group, such as
preparing a meal and washing
up, for which guidance is
provided. Arvon staff provide
some general support to all
participants but not continuous
care, and participants
should be able to live
independently. Depending on
circumstances, we may be able
to accommodate a personal
care assistant. While we offer
some accessible facilities, our
centres do vary considerably
and we regret we may not be
able to accommodate some
requirements. If you have
specific needs, it is important
that you discuss these with
the centre prior to booking,
to establish whether your
needs can be met.
Comments and complaints
While Arvon makes every
effort to maintain high
standards and provide high
quality experiences for all
writers, you may on occasion
want to offer comments or
make a complaint. At the
end of every Arvon week,
we give you the opportunity
to provide feedback through
our evaluation form but if you
feel this is not sufficient, you
may wish to make a formal
complaint. A copy of our
complaints procedure can be
found on our website. Note
that all complaints should be
made, in writing, within ten
working days of the end of
your course.
139
Centre
Page
Fiction Work-in-Progress
Young Adult Fiction
Playwriting
Retreat
Starting to Write
Poetry
Fiction Work-in-Progress
Historical Fiction
Poetry
Life Writing: Family History
Poetry: Tutored Retreat
Editing a Novel
Starting to Write
Fiction
Poetry
Poetry Retreat with Walking
Memoir
Short Story
Children’s and YA:
Tutored Retreat
May 30 – Jun 4 Editing Poetry
May 30 – Jun 4 Screenwriting: Tutored Retreat
Jun 6 – 11
Crime Fiction
Jun 6 – 11
Non-Fiction: Work-in-Progress
Jun 6 – 11
Songwriting
No.
140
Apr 11 – 16
Apr 11 – 16
Apr 18 – 23
Apr 18 – 23
Apr 18 – 23
Apr 25 – 30
Apr 25 – 30
May 2 – 7
May 2 – 7
May 2 – 7
May 9 – 14
May 9 – 14
May 16 – 21
May 16 – 21
May 16 – 21
May 23 – 28
May 23 – 28
May 23 – 28
May 30 – Jun 4
Course
title
Date
COURSE INDEX
7
58
63
78
1
31
8
9
32
47
33
10
2
11
34
79
48
12
59
TH
LB
TH
LB
TB
TB
LB
TH
LB
TB
TH
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
39
97
104
123
30
66
40
41
67
84
68
42
31
43
69
124
85
44
98
35
64
13
49
72
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
70
105
45
86
115
Date
Course
title
No.
Centre
Page
Jun 13 – 18
Jun 13 – 18
Jun 13 – 18
Jun 20 – 25
Jun 20 – 25
Jul 11 – 16
Jul 11 – 16
Jul 11 – 16
Jul 18 – 23
Jul 18 – 23
Jul 18 – 23
Aug 1 – 6
Aug 1 – 6
Aug 8 – 13
Aug 8 – 13
Aug 8 – 13
Aug 15 – 20
Aug 22 – 27
Aug 22 – 27
Aug 22 – 27
Aug 29 – Sep 3
Aug 29 – Sep 3
Aug 29 – Sep 3
Sep 5 – 10
Sep 5 – 10
Graphic Novel
Writing a Novel
Retreat with Yoga
Poetry
Playwriting
Non-Fiction
Romantic Fiction
Nature Writing
Poetry
Starting to Write
Fiction: Tutored Retreat
Retreat
Radio Drama
Starting to Write a Play
Picture Books
Writing a Novel
Starting to Write
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Non-Fiction
Screenwriting
Editing Fiction
Children’s Fiction
Memoir
Poetry
73
14
80
36
65
50
15
51
37
3
16
81
66
67
60
17
4
18
38
52
68
19
61
53
39
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
TB
TH
LB
TB
LB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
116
46
125
71
106
87
47
88
72
32
48
126
107
108
99
49
33
50
73
89
109
51
100
90
74
141
Centre
Page
Starting to Write
Fiction: Tutored Retreat
Songwriting
Non-Fiction: Popular Science
Fiction: Work-in-Progress
Poetry
Poetry
Starting a Novel
Short Story:
Towards a Collection
Oct 3 – 8
Book Art
Oct 3 – 8
Starting to Write Poetry
Oct 10 – 15
Young Adult Fiction
Oct 10 – 15
Starting to Write Non-Fiction
Oct 10 – 15
TV Comedy
Oct 17 – 22
Starting to Write
Oct 17 – 22
Poetry
Oct 17 – 22
Fiction: Psychological Thriller
Oct 24 – 29
Writing for Puppetry
Oct 24 – 29
Life Writing
Oct 31 – Nov 5 Poetry: Tutored Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 5 Fiction: With a Gothic Twist
Oct 31 - Nov 5 Retreat
Nov 7 – 12
Starting to Write a Novel
Nov 07 – 12
Literary Translation
No.
142
Sep 5 – 10
Sep 12 – 17
Sep 12 – 17
Sep 19 – 24
Sep 19 – 24
Sep 19 – 24
Sep 26 – Oct 1
Sep 26 – Oct 1
Oct 3 – 8
Course
title
Date
COURSE INDEX
5
20
74
54
21
40
41
22
23
TB
TH
LB
TH
LB
TB
TH
TB
TH
34
52
117
91
53
75
76
54
55
75
42
62
55
69
6
43
24
70
56
44
25
82
26
76
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
LB
TB
TH
LB
TB
TH
LB
118
77
101
92
110
35
78
56
111
93
79
57
127
58
119
Course
title
No.
Centre
Experimental Fiction
Comedy Writing
Poetry
Starting to Write Fiction
Non-Fiction
Historical Fiction
Musical Theatre
Speculative Fiction
Poetry: Towards a Collection
27
77
45
28
57
29
71
30
46
TB 59
TH 120
LB 80
TB 60
TH 94
LB 61
TB 112
TH 62
TB 81
Page
Date
Nov 7 – 12
Nov 14 – 19
Nov 14 – 19
Nov 14 – 19
Nov 21 – 26
Nov 21 – 26
Nov 21 – 26
Nov 28 – Dec 3
Nov 28 – Dec 3
143
GIFT VOUCHERS
Do you have a friend with
a flair for fiction? Or a
relative who is harbouring
a desire
to pen poetry?
144
Find out more at
www.arvon.org/giftvouchers
or call 0207 324 2554
An Arvon Gift Voucher is an
inspirational present. Arvon
Gift Vouchers can be made
up to any amount – perfect
for a friendly nudge or a
grand gesture.
ARVO
G IF T N
VOUC
HE R
Welcome 2
What is Arvon? 4
The Arvon week 6
Choosing a course 8
Arvon is open to all 10
Arvon centres/ facilities 12
2016 course programme
- Starting to Write 28
- Fiction 36
- Poetry 63
- Non-Fiction 82
- Writing for Children/YA 95
- Theatre/TV/Film/Radio 102
- Other 113
- Retreats 121
Course fees and grants 128
Terms and conditions 136
Course index 140
ARVON FRIENDS
“I became a friend as
I wanted to support the
great work Arvon do,
having got so much out
of my course last year,
and also to have the
chance to book onto
courses earlier.”
—Mark, Arvon Friend
2
Priority Booking – book
onto Arvon courses one
month before public release
Writing Resources – browse
exclusive writing tips and
exercises from Arvon tutors
Monthly Motivation to
Write – receive new writing
tips by email to keep you
writing
Support Young Writers –
your Friends payment helps
bring young people to Arvon
Find out more by contacting
[email protected]
020 7324 2558
www.arvon.org/arvonfriends
FROM £45
PER YEAR
Arvon’s residential creative writing courses are renowned
for their ability to release your imagination and transform
your writing. Come to one of our beautiful rural houses
in Shropshire, Devon and Yorkshire for a powerful mix of
workshops and individual tutorials with highly respected
authors. Choose from a wide range of genres. You’ll have
time and space to write, and the support of your fellow
writers. Grants are available to help with course fees.
“For writers, Arvon can be a truly inspirational and unforgettable
experience, a time of companionship, enjoyment of literature
and intense learning. It is unique among writing programmes.”
—Sarah Hall, author of Wolf Border
“A perfect place to write. I loved the format of the workshops,
tutorials and readings being woven together by food, friendships
forming and the time to work on your own pieces too. The way
the day is broken up made me feel as though I had received ten
days of focused education in five.” —Lorraine, course participant
www.arvon.org
2016
Arvon is a registered charity (Charity No. 306694) and a company limited by guarantee
(registered in London No.1086582).
RELEASE YOUR IMAGINATION
Creative writing courses 2016

2016 Arvon brochure

Transcription

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