Seamus Heaney wrote about the importance of ‘test[ing] out the scaffolding’ before we begin to build a structure, which ultimately allows us to have the trust we need to create. But what about the very, very beginnings – the seed moments of it all – the laying of our foundations? We grow, like tall oak trees, from very small acorns. And we grow best when our foundations are strong. Let’s lay those foundations for our memoir this winter. In this online writing day we will examine excerpts of writing that are sturdy enough to support the wholeness of a life, discovering in them ways that we ourselves might begin our task. We will find new ways to build safe, welcoming homes on the page – for our readers and ourselves alike – as we take the first steps towards sharing the story of our lives. We will touch on themes such as the body, the selves, memory, story, character, form, voice and ethics. Our experiences change us, and writing them does too. Both the process of writing a life, and of sharing it with others, holds the power to be a real gift to us, as well as to the world. It is, effectively, the laying of foundations for a structure that might then become a refuge for countless people we have never met. That’s what good memoir does: it makes us feel at home, safe in the story of another . . . Let’s begin.
Is this course for me?
Our one-day courses are aimed at anyone who is currently, or would like to begin, writing. They are regularly attended by writers who:
- would like to spend an intensive day progressing their writing
- would like a concentrated bolt of creative inspiration
- have time constraints
- would like to try out writing in a different genre
What will I gain?
- A taste of the Arvon experience in a day
- A whole day focusing on your writing while being guided and tutored by an experienced professional writer
- Two fully interactive workshops to propel your writing forward
- A Q&A at the end of the day to ask specific questions about your project
- Support at all times from friendly Arvon hosts
- An inclusive and supportive environment in which to open up creatively
- A live fully interactive experience with cameras optional
How does it work?
All sessions of the day are delivered live via Zoom meetings, with the option of cameras off or on. We strongly encourage you to participate in the live sessions, but if you find yourself unable to attend on the day, it will be possible to watch the recordings of each session at any time over the course of the following month.
A detailed timetable is included below.
Why Arvon?
Arvon is a not-for-profit charity that has been running since 1968.
At Arvon, everyone who crosses the door of one of our writing houses is a writer – no matter what their age or writing experience – and all are welcome.
For more information About Arvon – Home of Creative Writing since 1968 – Arvon
Online: £90
Concessions: £63
As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, a limited number of 30% concessions are available for this course at checkout, as well as two fully funded places for those who cannot afford the concession rate. To request a fully funded place please email grants@arvon.org.
We are committed to making our Arvon at Home programme accessible to as many people as possible.
Across all of Arvon at Home
- All sessions will have auto-generated captioning.
- There is a Chat facility to ask any questions.
Masterclasses
- A recording of the Masterclass will be available to view for one month after it is aired live, simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll find a link under the ‘Event Details’ tab in the ‘Video recording’ column (you may need to scroll right on your screen to see it), similarly, if any learning resources are available, another link will appear under the ‘Course Materials’ tab.
- There is a Chat and Q & A facility to ask any questions.
- Zoom webinar format (your video and audio will remain off throughout & your name will not be visible to other participants, so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).
- We aim to present all resources in two formats e.g., extracts of texts will be read aloud and provided in text form via screen-share or as a document. If it would be helpful for you to have any available resources ahead of the session, we will try to arrange this for you. Please email arvonathome@arvon.org to discuss.
Online Writing Day
- A recording of the workshops will be available to view for one month after it is aired live, simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll find a link under the ‘Event Details’ tab in the ‘Video recording’ column (you may need to scroll right on your screen to see it), similarly, if any learning resources are available, another link will appear under the ‘Course Materials’ tab.
- There is a Chat and Q & A facility to ask any questions.
- All sessions of the day are delivered live via Zoom meetings, with the option of cameras off or on.
- We aim to present all resources in two formats e.g., extracts of texts will be read aloud and provided in text form via screen-share or as a document. If it would be helpful for you to have any available resources ahead of the session, we will try to arrange this for you. Please email arvonathome@arvon.org to discuss.
How I Write
- There is a chat and Q&A facility to ask any questions.
- Zoom webinar format (your video and audio will remain off throughout, & your name will not be visible to other participants so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).
- A recording will be available to view for one month after the event is aired live, simply log in to your account on our website and you’ll find a link under the ‘Event Details’ tab in the ‘Video recording’ column (you may need to scroll right on your screen to see it), similarly, if any learning resources are available, another link will appear under the ‘Course Materials’ tab.
Online Writing Weeks and Evening Courses
- Courses are delivered by Zoom meeting, which means they are not recorded.
- Courses have much smaller groups than Masterclasses and How I Write events, and are also more interactive with your fellow course participants and tutors, so cameras and audio are usually on (though both are completely optional). If you would prefer your camera and audio to be off at all times, it would be helpful to let your course host know this in advance.
- We use Padlet as a landing page for all course materials, and to provide an optional platform for interaction with your tutors and fellow course participants. If you would like some more information about this, or if you have any anxiety about using this platform, please email arvonathome@arvon.org.
Subject to funding/permissions (please contact arvonathome@arvon.org for more details)
- Recording of Writing Weeks and Evening Courses.
- Downloadable transcripts.
- BSL interpretation.
- Live captioning.
If you have any access issues that we have not covered here, please contact us on access@arvon.org
See here for more access information.