How do you write creative non-fiction when it feels the world is both literally and metaphorically on fire, and we become ever more isolated from one another? From climate change to geopolitical conflict, our stories do not exist in a bubble: so how can you weave your personal or individual story within a wider context? And how can collaboration with your writing community open up your writing process?
In this one-week course you’ll consider how creative non-fiction can move between political, ecological, and ethical scales, to reflect on resilience, resistance and action in relation to your writing practice. You’ll explore how to navigate the personal impact of writing in what often feel like unprecedented times, asking how we can care for ourselves and our communities, how can we come together in our writing to find collaborative methods and outcomes that help us create a more just future, and how we can meet the challenges we face as we do so. We’ll also address how to maintain the motivation to write and co-create together, when the process can so often feel like a drop in the ocean.
Working alongside your peers to collaboratively write in response to class prompts, the course will include elements of group work and respectful co-creation, and by the end of the week you’ll be able to:
- Consider your personal experiences and contexts and how they are informed by, or interact with, larger global contexts
- Engage collaboratively with other participants through group creative writing prompts, discussion and peer feedback
- Explore how different creative non-fiction writers engage with the polycrisis and co-author nonfiction through recommended readings
- Identify some of the wider scales and stakeholders/rightsholders in relation to your individual writing project
- Forge a potential future writing community through in-class collaboration
- Create a practical plan for navigating your writing journey
Please see the detailed timetable here.
Is this course for me?
These courses are often attended by writers who:
• Want to commit time to their writing but life keeps getting in the way
• Want to set aside five days to focus on their writing
• Need the flexibility and accessibility of attending from their own space
• Would love one-to-one feedback from two professional writers
• Want a live, fully interactive experience with a group of no more than 14 writers
What will I gain?
• Daily interactive mornings workshops to propel your writing forward
• Two 25 minute one-to-one tutorials with experienced tutors
• Free passes to any webinar events happening elsewhere at Arvon at Home during your week with us including masterclasses (each worth £40)
• A reading and Q&A with your tutors
• Daily check-ins
• A group of creative peers who you may decide to keep in contact with after the course
• Support at all times from friendly Arvon hosts
• An inclusive and supportive environment in which to open up creatively
How does it work?
The week starts with an introductory session to get to know you and your writing, and the chance to meet the other writers in the group. Then each day there will be morning workshops designed to move you and your writing forward, and check-ins at the end of each day. You will also be offered one-to-one tutorials with each tutor + a free pass to all readings and masterclasses happening elsewhere at Arvon at Home.
All sessions are delivered live via Zoom meetings, with the option of cameras off or on. Groups are limited to 14 writers so the experience has a bespoke feel.
A more detailed timetable can be found here.
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.
About Arvon – Home of Creative Writing since 1968 – Arvon
We are committed to making our Arvon at Home programme accessible to as many people as possible.
Our FAQ page may also helpful.
Across all of Arvon at Home
- All sessions will have auto-generated captioning
- There is a Chat facility to ask any questions.
Online Writing Weeks
- Courses are delivered by Zoom meeting, which means they are not recorded.
- Online writing weeks and months have smaller groups than our other events of up 14 participants, and are interactive with tutors and your fellow course participants. We encourage everyone to participate in the way that is most comfortable. You are welcome to keep your camera and audio on or off, take breaks as needed, and contribute either on audio or in the chat.
- Tutors and participants often use the zoom chat to interact and share resources. If you have access barriers to using the chat, please let us know.
- 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 access barriers to using this platform, please email arvonathome@arvon.org.
A note on the use of AI and recording
- Due to concerns around privacy, we do not allow the use of external AI transcription services during our online events and courses. Auto-captioning is available across all of our online courses, and the transcript can be viewed during the session. For recorded events (Masterclasses, The Obsidian Black Poetry Lectures and Online Writing Days), the auto-captions, transcript and chatbox can be viewed alongside the recording. Please get in touch via access@arvon.org if you would like to discuss this further.
Subject to funding/permissions/availability (please contact arvonathome@arvon.org for more details)
- Recording of Writing Weeks and Writing Months
- Downloadable transcripts
- BSL interpretation
- Live captioning
If you have any access needs that we have not covered here, please contact us on access@arvon.org
See here for more access information.
Alycia Pirmohamed
Jessica J. Lee
