June Writing Workshops

We're offering a limited number of places available on the following workshops:

19th-20th June, 7-9pm both evenings
AUTOFICTION TASTER WORKSHOP
with Natasha Bell

Serge Doubrovsky, who coined the term 'autofiction' on the back cover of his 1977 novel Fils, defined it rather paradoxically as “Fiction of strictly real events”. Since then, autofiction has grown in popularity all over the world, but writers, critics and booksellers are rarely in agreement about quite what it is. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, this slippery genre can be a rich and exciting playground for us as authors.
 
In this taster workshop, we will use writing exercises to develop our own autofictional personas, experiment with key techniques for signposting autofictionality to a reader, and ask what might be gained from blending the ‘real’ with the imaginary in our own work. Whether you’re currently working on fiction, memoir, or something in between, this practical workshop will help you explore with new ways to approach life narratives.

NATASHA BELL is the author of two novels, This Nowhere Place, and His Perfect Wife, and teaches for Faber Academy, City Lit, and on Jericho’s Ultimate Novel Writing Course. Find out more about Natasha hereLinks to an external site..
 
Please note this is a four-hour online workshop that takes place over two evenings — please make sure you can commit to both evenings before contacting us to secure a place. Email colette.paul@aru.ac.uk to book.

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24th June, 7-9pm
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY COMICS
with Chrissy Williams

Ever tried combining poetry and comics? Using lots of visual examples alongside some practical exercises, this workshop will get you started on the process of composing in this exciting, growing new medium, as well as providing tips and insights on comics-writing more generally.

CHRISSY WILLIAMS is a poet, writer, editor and tutor, working in both poetry and comics. Her comic GOLDEN RAGE is described as "Battle Royale meets The Golden Girls" -- a story about older women who have been deemed useless to society, and are abandoned on an island to fight to the death. She is also co-editor of Over the Line: An Introduction to Poetry Comics, and author of two poetry collections, Bear and Low, both published with Bloodaxe Books.

This is a two-hour online workshop. Email jon.stone@aru.ac.uk to book.

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26th June, 6-8pm
WEAVING INTERACTIVE STORIES: HOW TO GET STARTED AND WHAT TO EXPECT
with Charlene Putney

Writing a linear story is an art. Writing an interactive story is a related art, but it possesses a few key differences! In this workshop, I hope to bridge the gap by sharing my own experience with crafting award-winning interactive stories. I will share what I've learned from generating meaningful choices to structuring narrative to looking back on the finished product. We'll do some hands-on work during our time together -- no prior preparation needed!

CHARLENE PUTNEY is an award-winning writer and teacher from Ireland. After working at Google and Facebook in management positions, she turned to the more creative side of tech and began writing for videogames in 2013. Before moving to Denmark, she worked on Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. She then worked as Story Lead at Die Gute Fabrik in Copenhagen, who recently launched Saltsea Chronicles. These days she's running a startup to bring personalisation and creativity to artificial intelligence at writewithlaika.comLinks to an external site.. She also teaches interactive fiction at university level and yoga on Tuesday evenings. Say hi to @alphachar!
 
This is a two-hour online workshop. Email jon.stone@aru.ac.uk to book.