Tutored courses start on a Monday evening with a welcome talk from staff at 6.30pm who will then join you for a meal. Your two tutors will lead an introductory session after dinner. Tutored Courses usually include workshops each morning from one or both of your tutors. A buffet lunch is provided at 1pm. Afternoons provide time free to write or explore the surroundings, as well as a 30-minute one-to-one tutorial with each tutor during the week.
Evenings are often spent in the company of your group. Tutors will read from their own work on a Tuesday, and lead a sharing of your work at an informal ceilidh on Friday. A guest author usually joins you on Wednesday for dinner, followed by a reading from their work and a Q&A session.
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2431 Writing Parenthood with Lucy Caldwell and Kerri ní Dochartaigh
Mon 29th Jul - Sat 3rd Aug
Fully Booked
In this course, which can include childcare, we will explore what it means to write contemporary motherhood in fiction and non-fiction, in all of its blood, guts, despair, sublimity, and soul. There are options for attendance on this course.
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2432 Life-Writing: Memoir and Memory with Ali Millar and Kat Lister, Guest Reader Dr Akira O’Connor
Mon 5th Aug - Sat 10th Aug
Fully Booked
Navigate the Fallible Past: Kat Lister and Ali Millar will explore memoir and memory, and where the two intersect, tackling the big question – can a writer trust such a capricious source?
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NEW SONGS: RESIDENTIAL
Sun 11th Aug - Fri 16th Aug
Join Boo Hewerdine and Michele Stodart for a songwriting and recording opportunity! This residential is offered as part of the Creativity and Care Programme for care experienced young people aged 14-30.
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2434 Poetry: Nature and Poetry with Alycia Pirmohamed and Genevieve Carver, Guest Reader Tim Tim Cheng
Mon 19th Aug - Sat 24th Aug
Limited Places Available
How do we engage with the non-human world? How do our own personal histories intersect with our experiences in nature? In this course we will explore how environment, place and wildlife can inform our poetry.
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2440 Playwriting: Honing Your Voice with Ella Hickson and Al Smith, Guest Reader Douglas Maxwell
Mon 30th Sep - Sat 5th Oct
This course is aimed at new and developing writers; you’ll be discussing structure, form and voice and focusing on how to apply those concepts to your work.
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2441 Songwriting: Connections with Boo Hewerdine and Hafdís Huld, Guest Reader Xan Tyler
Mon 7th Oct - Sat 12th Oct
Fully Booked
Join us for a week of creating new songs and connecting with other songwriters. This week will explore songwriting, as both individuals and also through the joy of collaboration, and the unexpected creative treasures that come from trying something new.
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2442 Fiction: Writing Different with Cynan Jones and Samantha Harvey, Guest Reader Alan Warner
Mon 14th Oct - Sat 19th Oct
Sometimes, writing requires an unconventional approach. Challenge common ideas about narrative, language, and other vital elements. This course will focus on the ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘whether you should’ of writing differently.
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2444 Creative Non-Fiction: Writing From Life with Adam Farrer and Miranda France, Guest Reader Alice Jolly
Mon 28th Oct - Sat 2nd Nov
Drawing on a range of examples, we’ll explore ways to write freely and imaginatively about your own and other other people’s experience.
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2447 Writing Climate – Open Form: Writing Towards the Great Turning with Monique Roffey and Owen Sheers, Guest Reader Charlie Hertzog-Young
Mon 18th Nov - Sat 23rd Nov
In this open-form course we explore what ecologically informed and engaged writing looks like. And what, if anything, can our writing contribute to the challenge of what Joanna Macy calls ‘the Great Turning’ – a turning towards nature, an era of peace, justice and environmental restoration.
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2448 Writing for YA: Turning Ideas into Stories with Melvin Burgess and Emily Barr, Guest Reader Liz Flanagan
Mon 25th Nov - Sat 30th Nov
This week is designed to help you with the entire process of writing for young people, from turning original ideas into full length story ideas, through structuring, polishing and editing your work to completion.
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