What makes a voice come alive? How do you find the ‘story’ in non-fiction? And how do you make it compelling? These are the problems that award-winning writers Rory MacLean and Laura Beatty have spent a lifetime thinking about in their own writing. Now, over a week of one to one tutorials and in the friendly community of an Arvon tutored retreat, you will have the chance to tap into some of what they have found. Both tutors will also run an optional group masterclass as part of the week, each honing in on a different element of craft.
Whether you’re at the start of your project or refocusing the first draft, Laura and Rory will work closely with you, helping you find your own inimitable voice, as you unfold your own story, refine its pinch points, and watch your own writing come alive.
What to Expect:
• Supportive workshops to deepen your craft: All the essential elements of non-fiction writing, from research and structure to voice and style – as well as putting together an effective proposal for an agent
• Expert guidance from your tutors: Acclaimed and prizewinning writers share their insights into building a writing practice
• Personal Feedback: Focused 1:1 sessions with your tutors for constructive feedback on your work
• Inspiration from a range of texts: Learn more about technique from the very best, from memoir to travel, biography to essays
• Writing Exercises: Try out new techniques, refine your style and build confidence in your voice
• Community: Share meals and workshops with a supportive group of fellow writers
• At the end of the week: You’ll leave with a new reading list, a full notebook, a sense of direction in your work and a greater understanding of how to move your non-fiction project forward
*Please use the expandable links below to reveal timings and further details of the course schedule.
Room with a valley view: £995
Rooms in this price band have a single or double bed, and most are on the first or ground floor. One room in this price band is in the attic but has a valley view.
Attic room without a valley view: £930
These rooms have low ceilings and extra stairs to climb.
Concessions: Room with a view £696.50
Concessions: Room without a view £651
As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, we offer limited concessionary places at a 30% reduction. You can select this option at checkout if available.
What your course fee covers:
Tutoring: Four morning group workshops, with inspiring writing exercises to kick-start your creativity, plus two 1:1 tutorials, one with each tutor, focusing on your own work. Our tutors are some of the leading writers at work today, and in addition to formal workshops and tutorials you will share meals with them and have opportunities for more casual conversation. During evening readings, you’ll hear your tutors – and a guest speaker on Wednesday evening – share their work and answer your questions, from the secrets of their craft to the practicalities of life as a writer.
Your accommodation: A week an 18th-century millowner’s house in West Yorkshire, set in 20 acres of steep woodland with breathtaking views to the valley below.
All meals: We hand over our well-stocked and welcoming kitchen to you, offering a fresh, tasty seasonal menu prepared from local ingredients where possible (with dietary requests catered for), as well as a constant supply of coffees, teas, and home-baked cakes throughout your stay.
Time and space to write: an opportunity to step away from the distractions of everyday life and focus solely on your creativity.
A community of writers: our writing weeks have a relaxed and sociable atmosphere and offer the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people. Many of the writers who attend our residentials stay in touch and continue to share work and support one another’s writing journeys – sometimes even decades later.
Support for our charitable activity: Arvon is a charity, and each year over 40 of our courses are with vulnerable groups and schools, from young people who have experienced bullying to adults recovering from an addiction. Your course fee helps to support groups who would otherwise not have the opportunity to access our transformational courses.
Physical access at Lumb Bank:
The upper floor of the barn is accessible by lift, and the ground floor is level access or ramped. There is an accessible all-gender toilet on the ground floor. Lumb Bank’s main building is accessible for wheelchair users, but the access to the house itself is down a steep country lane, and the initial part of the driveway is bumpy and uneven. If you are coming on a course and require assistance to enter the building or are a wheelchair user please contact us on access@arvon.org or rozie.kelly@arvon.org so we can meet you on arrival and guide any vehicles in. If you need to park onsite please contact us to arrange this in advance (one space available per course).
Please see our access page for general access information for residential courses.
Our grants scheme may be able to cover a portion of your course fees. Disability costs and additional living/support costs are taken into account when considering your grant application. You may also be entitled to concession pricing on selected courses.
If you have any questions or concerns and want to chat to a member of staff prior to booking please contact us on access@arvon.org
The Ted Hughes Arvon Centre, Lumb Bank is an 18th-century millowner’s house in West Yorkshire, which once belonged to Ted Hughes. It’s set in 20 acres of steep woodland with breathtaking views to the valley below.
You’ll find many quiet places to write in the house and garden – and a well-stocked library. All rooms are single occupancy, and bathrooms are shared. The shared bathrooms are all-gender.
All your meals are provided, locally and sustainably sourced wherever possible. Help yourself to breakfast, our team will prepare lunch, and dinner is prepared in groups each evening using the delicious recipes and ingredients provided.
Explore the Pennine landscape of woods and rivers, weavers’ cottages, packhorse trails and ruins of old mills. It is half a mile from the historic village of Heptonstall and two miles from Hebden Bridge.
See here for more information on Lumb Bank.
Rory MacLean
Laura Beatty
Nick Humphrey
