Arvon at Home

Book, mug and banana on a table with note paper in the background

We have created an online programme of activities, Arvon at Home, where you can find inspiration and keep writing, no matter the setting. We're pleased to share Writing Weeks, Evening Courses, Masterclasses, How I Write, our Children & Young People programme and Arvon 1-1s, all accessible from the comfort of your sofa.

Masterclasses

Join an Arvon tutor for a two hour masterclass, delivered directly from their own writing desk (or maybe the kitchen table). Similar to workshops on a traditional Arvon course, the tutor will share their invaluable writing advice and explore forms and techniques. You’ll also have time to write over the two hours, with helpful prompts set by the tutor. If you want a boost of motivation and inspiration to write, but can’t commit to a full Writing Week, this is the option for you. Masterclasses are delivered via Zoom and last two hours (11:00am – 13:00pm for morning masterclasses and 7pm-9pm for evening masterclasses) including time for you to write.

At Home Writing Weeks

For the first time we’re bringing our acclaimed week-long writing courses online. Capturing the transformative power of an Arvon week, we’re helping you to create the Arvon experience in your home, across five days. Join us for a structured week of workshops, one-to-ones, social gatherings and readings delivered by two Arvon tutors via Zoom. You’ll also get a ticket to our Wednesday How I Write session, and a celebratory Friday evening reading to share your work.

Online Evening Courses

Do you want to commit time to your writing but can only manage a couple of hours a week? Would you like a writing boost and a network of writing buddies? Then join us for the Arvon evening course which unpacks our popular 5 day online writing week over 5 weeks of evening classes. Each week, your tutors will deliver a workshop designed to propel your writing forward, with one to one tutorials offered mid course. There will be tutor readings, weekly socials and ‘How I Write sessions’ with guest writers. You will have plenty of opportunities to get to know your writing buddies over the course of the 5 weeks by sharing work and writing together, developing a network of fellow writers who might be companions in your writing career for years to come.

You’ll develop a regular writing routine and because this course extends over a longer period than any previous Arvon course, you’ll have the opportunity to generate a really substantial quantity of work, to see and deeply feel the changes in it.

At Home Writing Day

If a full five-day writing week is not possible right now, or you just need a boost while you tackle your latest writing project, these one-day courses are aimed at writers who already have a work in progress, or a current working practise and would like a concentrated bolt of creative inspiration to get themselves back on track. Sessions include a guest speaker who will speak to the themes of the day, and often feature agents and editors to give inside advice on how to get your work out there. Sessions are delivered via Zoom webinar, so you can take the day at your own pace, without the pressure of having your video or camera on. Sessions are also recorded so if you are only able to attend part of the day, the other sessions will be available to view for a fortnight after the course.

How I Write

Now more than ever we need stories – to engage, to entertain, to nourish, and to help us make sense of what we’re living through. So join us from the comfort of your sofa and listen to writers share their work, the stories behind their work, and invaluable writing advice directly from their own desk (or maybe the kitchen table). And the best part? At the end you get to ask them questions about their words, pick their brains on craft, and learn more about the business of writing.

Children & Young People

It’s fair to say 2020 probably wasn’t the year any of us expected. As we dust ourselves off, with new working environments and home arrangements springing up around us, we find ourselves navigating a world that feels familiar yet also markedly different. The impact of these changes seems to be especially acute for young people, and our new Arvon at Home Workshops for Children and Young People are designed with this in mind. They offer online opportunities for creativity and self-expression, outside the curriculum, for young people aged 8 upwards, whether from their own home or in a school classroom, under the guidance of expert tutors in poetry and prose.

No courses or retreats found.

Arvon 1-1

Online 1–1 tutorials are available to book in a range of genres. If you have a writing project on the go, this is a wonderful opportunity to get in-depth one-to-one feedback on your writing. You can now request a 1-1 with an Arvon tutor of your choice, and select times and dates that work for you. You’ll get one hour of one-to-one feedback via Zoom, and a follow-up email with recommendations on the next steps you can take with your writing.

Tutors currently available for 1-1s include:

Adam Marek, Colin Grant, Christopher Wakling, Elise Valmorbida, Horatio Clare, Jen Hadfield, Lucy Burnett, Rory MacLean, Lois Pryce  and Rachel Long.

Find out more