Are you working on a memoir or other creative non-fiction project? Would you like the chance to hone your skills with expert tuition in a small group?
Huddersfield Literature Festival presents a full day of 3 x 2-hour memoir/creative non-fiction workshops with award-winning writers and tutors: Michael Stewart, Amy-Jane Beer and Jacob Ross. Followed by an optional early evening 'Sharing Session' of your work in a friendly group.
Limited numbers - book early to secure your place. Tickets: £20 (£15 conc) for the day (3 workshops), plus coffee/tea on arrival and during the afternoon break.
Plus 3 x free places available for unwaged/low waged Kirklees residents; to apply, contact michelle@key-words.co.uk. Supported by funding from Arts Council England.
Dates
Sat 25 November 2023
Space
Ten Queen Street
Tickets
£15.00 - £20.00
Duration
435 minutes
Intermission Duration
45 minutes
Age guidance
18+
Schedule
Registration 10am-10.30am
10.30am-12.30pm Writing Life: an introduction to creative non-fiction – with Michael Stewart
This workshop will cover a range of techniques, focusing on memoir, biography and autobiography. We will examine the specific craft required to bring people to life and how to immerse your reader in the sensory detail of a scene. We will look at how other writers do it, before turning to your own writing. Michael Stewart is the multi-award-winning author of three novels, two short fiction collections, two poetry collections, several plays and a hybrid memoir: Walking the Invisible: Following in the Brontës’ Footsteps. He teaches creative writing at the University of Huddersfield and is the editor of Grist Books.
1pm-3pm Workshop – with Amy-Jane Beer
A workshop with the winner of the 2023 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing. Workshop details to follow. Dr Amy-Jane Beer is a biologist turned naturalist and writer. She has worked for more than 20 years as a science writer and editor, contributing to more than 40 books on natural history. She is currently a Country Diarist for The Guardian, a columnist for British Wildlife and a feature writer for BBC Wildlife magazine, among others. She campaigns for the equality of access to nature and collaboration between farming and conservation sectors. Her book The Flow won the 2023 James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing.
3.15pm-5.15pm Writing Your Truth – with Jacob Ross
In addition to exploring and learning practical approaches to writing powerful personal narratives, you will look at sample texts by successful writers in the genre. We will look at the value of integrity in your work — how far can and should you go when writing personal narratives? What might be the challenges and blockages? How might we overcome them? Through a series of short exercises, we will learn how to exploit the four key 'building blocks of narrative' in order to maximise the impact of your writing. Jacob Ross is Associate Fiction Editor at Peepal Tree Press. He is a novelist, journalist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He won the inaugural Jhalak Prize in 2017 for The Bone Readers.
