COURSES & RETREATS
Online or in-person, from one hour to five weeks – find inspiration, support, and transform your writing with Arvon’s courses for every writer, in every genre.
WHAT IS AN ARVON COURSE?
In-person or online
Whatever the setting, online or at our historic writing houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire, Arvon is home to your imagination.
Nurturing
and advice
Be supported by expert tutors to help you explore and develop your writing. Hone your craft with workshops, 1-1 tutorials, readings and Q&As.
Time and
space to write
Step away from your normal routine and immerse yourself in the creative process without distractions. The perfect way to let your writing off the leash.
Community
of writers
Encouragement, support and fellowship from a group of writers. You’ll inspire one another while learning from today’s leading authors.
DISCOVER OUR RANGE
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMME
Live as a writer in one of our houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire.
Residential Writing Courses and Tutored Retreats give you time and space to write, nurtured by two expert tutors. Experience the transformative power of Arvon, surrounded by beautiful scenery and a supportive group of up to 16 peers.
ARVON AT HOME
Our online programme of activities will help you find inspiration and keep writing, no matter the setting.
Writing Weeks, Short Courses, Evening Courses, Masterclasses, Saturday Writing Club and Arvon 1-1s, all accessible from the comfort of your sofa, delivered via Zoom.
CLOCKHOUSE RETREATS
Give your writing the time at space it deserves at The Clockhouse in Shropshire.
Your own private apartment at our dedicated Writers Retreat, with bedroom, study, en-suite bathroom, and all food provided, for six-day and four-day writing retreats.
MASTERCLASS ON-DEMAND
Bring your words to life in a two-hour recorded workshop led by today’s finest writers.
Explore our back catalouge of Masterclasses, ready to watch on-demand, and come away with new words on the page, new techniques and a boost of creativity.
FIND A COURSE BY TYPE
Residential Writing Course
Residential Retreat (Tutored)
Residential Retreat (No Tutors)
Online Writing Week
Online Writing Month
Online Writing Day
Masterclass
Residential Writing Course
Residential Writing Courses take place at our houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire and span a range of genres. You'll work closely with two tutors, each week consisting of workshops, one-to-one tutorials and evening readings. You’ll have time and space to write, and plenty of support. Long after you leave, your creativity will grow.
Jun 15-20
Totleigh Barton
Residential Writing Course: Starting to Write
Introductions to genre, experiments in form
Jun 15-20
Lumb Bank
Lumb Bank Writing Retreat with Yoga
Stretch your creative muscles
Jun 22-27
The Hurst
Residential Writing Course: Fiction
The craft of character-driven fiction
Jun 22-27
Totleigh Barton
Residential Writing Course: Songwriting
Mining for gold
Jun 22-27
Lumb Bank
Residential Writing Course: Fiction and Non-Fiction
A sense of place
Jun 29-Jul 4
Totleigh Barton
Residential Writing Course: Poetry and the Lyric ‘I’
Poetry and self-making
Jun 29-Jul 3
The Hurst
Poetry Writing Course with The Poetry Business
Developing your writing practice
Jul 6-11
The Hurst
Residential Writing Course: Writing with Coaching
Get unstuck with your writing and move it on
Jul 13-18
Totleigh Barton
Residential Writing Course: Non-fiction
Writing lives
Jul 13-16
The Hurst
Short Course: Queer Fiction and Non-Fiction
Writing the world through a queer lens
Jul 25-Aug 1
Totleigh Barton
Residential Arvon Plus: Fiction
Inspiration, support, and time to write
Jul 27-Aug 1
The Hurst
Residential Writing Course: Memoir/Place (Fiction and Non-fiction)
The Power of Place
Jul 27-Aug 1
Lumb Bank
Residential Writing Course: Dramatic Narratives
Servicing your story
Aug 3-6
Lumb Bank
Short Course: Gentle Poetry Bootcamp
Refining your collection or pamphlet
Aug 3-8
The Hurst
Residential Writing Course: Advanced Poetry
Writing into risk
Aug 3-8
Totleigh Barton
Residential Writing Course: Fiction and Poetry
Leaping into poetry and prose
Residential Retreat (Tutored)
Our residential tutored retreats are designed to allow you the time and space to focus on your writing from our houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire. Tutored retreats allow you plenty of self-guided writing time without workshops. You'll benefit from one-to-one tutorials with your tutors in the afternoons and a guest on Wednesday.
Sep 28-Oct 3
Totleigh Barton
Tutored Retreat: Screenwriting
Deep dive into your script
Oct 5-10
Totleigh Barton
Tutored Retreat: Fiction
Finding your way
Dec 14-19
Lumb Bank
Tutored Retreat: Non-Fiction
Words come alive
Jan 18-23
Lumb Bank
Tutored Retreat: Fiction
Tackling your work-in-progress
Residential Retreat (No Tutors)
Jun 15-20
Lumb Bank
Lumb Bank Writing Retreat with Yoga
Stretch your creative muscles
Oct 19-24
Lumb Bank
Writers’ Retreat at Lumb Bank
Time and space to write
Dec 7-12
Lumb Bank
Writers’ Retreat at Lumb Bank
Time and space to write
Feb 1-6
Lumb Bank
Writers’ Retreat at Lumb Bank
Time and space to write
Online Writing Week
Capturing the transformative power of a traditional Arvon week, you’ll experience a week of workshops, one-to-ones, social gatherings and readings delivered live by two Arvon tutors online. You’ll connect with a small group of fellow writers and unleash your imagination, all from the comfort of your own home.
Jun 15-19
Online
Online Writing Week: Fiction
Tending your novel
Jul 13-17
Online
Online Writing Week: Nature and Eco-Poetry
Beauty versus Beast: nature and eco-poetry for a real, imperfect world
Nov 16-20
Online
Online Writing Week: Poetry
Movement and stillness
Nov 23-27
Online
Online Writing Week: Non-fiction
Navigating together: collaboration and non-fiction in a changing world
Online Writing Month
Perfect if you want to commit time to your writing but can only manage a couple of hours a week. Our Online Writing Months unpacks our popular 5-day Online Writing Week over a month of evening classes. You’ll have a weekly workshop, one-to-one tutorials, socials and How I Write sessions. You will develop a network of fellow writers and give your writing a transformational boost.
Jul 6-28
Online
Online Writing Month (evening): Writing for Performance
Re-thinking the way you write for performance
Oct 1-22
Online
Online Writing Month (daytime): Poetry and Memoir
Shaping lived experiences into writing that connects
Oct 5-27
Online
Online Writing Month (evening): Screenwriting
Develop your compelling calling card script
Online Writing Day
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 practice and would like a concentrated bolt of creative inspiration. Delivered live via Zoom and recorded for you to watch back later.
Jun 26
Online
Online Writing Day: Fiction
Playing with language, playing with form
Jul 24
Online
Online Writing Day: Memoir
Sorting out structure in a day
Aug 21
Online
Online Writing Day: Poetry
Boost your writing for performance
Sep 11
Online
Online Writing Day: Making Progress with your Novel-in-Progress
Dig deep and go forward
Sep 25
Online
Online Writing Day: Writing the Menopause
Poems of rage and power
Dec 11
Online
Online Writing Day: Short Fiction
Never the same again
Masterclass
Two-hour online creative writing workshops delivered live by acclaimed writers. With a mix of reading, discussion, and writing exercises, you’ll get new words onto the page, tighten your technique, and become the writer you were meant to be. You can also access an on-demand back catalogue of past Masterclasses.
Jun 19
Online
Masterclass: The Power of Story
A lightning guide to story structure
Jun 23
Online
Masterclass: Non-fiction that connects
Make your research come alive
Jul 7
Online
Masterclass: The Journey from Academic to General Readership
Permission to experiment
Jul 17
Online
Masterclass: Non-Fiction
Bringing non-fiction to life
Jul 21
Online
Masterclass: Drawing Inspiration from Myth
Ancient stories with modern resonance
Jul 31
Online
Masterclass: Writing with Grief
How to tell the most difficult stories
Aug 4
Online
Masterclass: Autofiction
Reimagining life on the page
Aug 7
Online
Masterclass: The Lyric Essay
Form, voice and possibility
Aug 11
Online
Masterclass: The family memoir
Whose story is it anyway?
Aug 18
Online
Masterclass: Fundamentals of Dialogue and Detail
Writing authentic dialogue, creating subtext and developing your eye for detail
Sep 1
Online
Masterclass: Playwriting
Structure and archetype
Sep 4
Online
Masterclass: Poetry and AI
Larger languages
Sep 8
Online
Masterclass: Research for Writers
Prying with a purpose
Sep 15
Online
Masterclass: Non-Fiction
Untangling story - writing lives
Sep 22
Online
Masterclass: Non-Fiction
Using first-hand impressions and sensory detail to bring your non-fiction to life
Sep 29
Online
Industry Insight Session: Steps to Publication
Everything you need to know about getting published
FIND A COURSE BY GENRE
Fiction
Poetry
Non-Fiction
Starting to Write
Children & YA
Screenwriting
Theatre
Other
Fiction
Our famous residential fiction writing courses, held in remote countryside locations. Tutored by leading authors including Mark Haddon, Sunjeev Sahota and Kamila Shamsie. Long after you leave, your creativity will grow.
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Poetry
Our poetry courses begin with a warm welcome, give inspirational support, and end with transformation. Since 1968, our poetry courses have supported and inspired writers of all kinds.
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Starting to Write
Build your writing confidence in a supportive environment, led by experts. We offer Starting to Write courses in specific genres and more general Starting to Write courses that include both fiction and poetry writing. Starting to Write courses include workshops and one-to-one tutorials.
View CoursesChildren & YA
Our range of courses and retreats aimed at writing for younger audiences – from picture books and children’s fiction, to YA fiction – will leave you feeling inspired, having made progress on your writing.
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Screenwriting
Many writers who have been on Arvon’s TV and Film courses go on to have their work produced. There are in-depth workshops each morning, personal feedback on your script in one-to-one tutorials, chances to share your work and ask industry experts questions in the evening, lots of writing time and opportunities for creative inspiration.
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Theatre
Our theatre and playwriting courses are the perfect environment to release imaginative potential. On these courses you will benefit from the support of accomplished playwrights, plenty of time to write, workshops and tutorials.
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Other
We like to keep things interesting at Arvon, and these courses don’t fit into a box. From writing for wellbeing and preparing for publication, to hybrid writing and nature writing, these courses are as unique as your imagination.
View CoursesGRANTS & CONCESSIONS
Grants are available for writers who are unable to afford our full course fees and would otherwise be unable to attend an Arvon week. We offer two grants: a low income grant and a teachers grant. We also offer concession pricing on Arvon courses and events, with a generous eligibility criteria.
IN THE PRESS
