Kickstart your writing - from January!

I'm going to be running my 2 hour Zoom Kickstart Your Writing workshop on the first Monday of every month from January, 7pm UK time: a mix of reading, discussion & writing exercises to get you writing, from poems to stories, non-fic & hybrids! It will cost £20 per workshop, you can sign up for as few or as many as you like, with a discount for 3 or more - and there will be free places available for those who need them.

Everyone welcome, beginners and more experienced writers who need a bit of a firmly gentle shove! Email tania@taniahershman.com to sign up.

Online 8-week flash fiction course

I am delighted that I'm going to be teaching an 8-week online flash fiction writing course through the excellent London Lit Lab - it's open to both new and experienced writers, anywhere in the world. The course will start on July 23rd. Places are limited, and there are two subsidized places available. More details here - come flash with us!

Zoom online flash fiction workshop

How about a flash fiction online workshop to get the juices flowing? I'm running a 2-hour online flash fiction workshop for Arvon on May 28th, 11am - 1pm. It's open to all, no experience necessary, you'll end up with at least 3 new story drafts, so come and play! Booking details here:  https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/courses-retreats/arvon-at-home-masterclass-flash-fiction/

3 writing workshops in June in the North

Come write with me, no previous writing experience necessary! I'm running three writing workshop in June:

June 1 A science-inspired flash workshop as part of the Northern Short Story Festival in Leeds. More details here.

June 8 A place-themed flash fiction workshop as part of the inaugural Victoria Baths Weekend of Words, in the Victoria Baths in Manchester. Details here.

June 23 A very special tour of Manchester's Southern Cemetery  & cross-genre writing workshop together with fabulous tour guide Emma Fox as part of the Didsbury Arts Festival. Details here.

Arvon Starting To Write Course Aug 2017

I am really excited about co-tutoring on an Arvon 'Starting to Write' course for the first time, in August 2017! The three 5-day residential Arvon writing courses I went on over 10 years were quite literally life-changing, and it is a privilege to now be able to, I hope, pass some of that on. I had a great time tutoring Arvon's first flash fiction course this year, with the inimitable Dave Swann.

Next year, why not come and join me and my amazing co-tutor, Jo Bell, a great friend of mine, fantastic poet and teacher, at the wonderful Totleigh Barton in Devon - with our special guest, Inua Ellams, who is hard to describe because what doesn't he do? It doesn't matter what you write or want to write, it's about words in whatever shape they come! We will work hard, but we will also laugh, a lot. And eat clotted cream. It's Devon.

Here's a little more about the course, and we will have some news soon about funding we are organising to assist those who wouldn't normally be able to come on one of these courses...

. STARTING TO WRITE

Jump-start your word-machine

GENRE: Starting to Write
Aug 14th - Aug 19th 2017
Totleigh Barton

Starting to write fiction, poetry or other forms raises questions: Write what? How to write? Why write at all? There are no rules, no simple answers, but during our week together we will write, read, talk and imagine, leaving you with tools to discover how your own peculiar and unique word-machine works, as well as new pieces and ideas to propel you forward.

More details on how to apply here >>

Cork Intl Short Story Festival Workshops

I am really excited about the 4 flash fiction workshops I will be running at this year's Cork International Short Story Festival in Sept in Cork, Ireland. Booking opened today, and what's on offer is, in my opinion, a really exciting range of workshops which, if I wasn't teaching one, I'd go on myself:

Short Stories for Beginners with Nuala Nuala Ní Chonchúir
Advanced Short Story Writing with  Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
Writing flash fiction - that's me!
Writing Contemporary Fairy Tales with Kate Bernheimer
Writing Short Stories For Young People with Siobhan  Parkinson and Kevin Healy
Story Onto Stage with Jack Healy
Story into Song with Jack Spillane

Download the workshops brochure or visit the website for more info. This festival is one of the greatest lit fests I have ever been to - a must for all short story lovers, writers, readers, fans of fabulous writing! It's such fun... the full programme - with writers from Canada, the US, the Phillipines and the UK - hasn't been released yet but I'm getting pretty excited about Lydia Davis, who is flying in from the US to do a reading. I'm such a fan of her often very very short stories  - you can read my review of her Collected Stories here. There's a bit of a flash fiction theme going on at the festival this year - there'll be a panel discussion provocatively entitled Is Flash Fiction a true Literary Art Form or just something for chancers? You can imagine how I might vote on that question!

The workshops have limited space so do book soon. If you're coming to flash with me, I look forward to meeting you!

Workshop with Sarah Salway: Postcards to Yourself

Thanks to Sue G for drawing my attention to this - so that I can draw your attention to it! Sarah Salway and I co-tutored an Arvon Foundation course in May so I know firsthand what a fantastic teacher/tutor/inspiring person she is. She is running a course entitled "Postcards to Yourself" together with Alison Piasecka, who runs Moving Thru Transitions, here in the UK in February, here are more details:

POSTCARDS TO YOURSELF in Othona, East Anglia  22-24 February 2012 

A 3 day workshop led by Sarah Salway and Alison:   

Wish you were … where? 

Do you want to rediscover that creative spark you thought you’d lost and have fun exploring your life on the page through a varied series of short guided writing exercises? During this course, you’ll forget the grammar police, red pens and even neat handwriting as you give yourself space to tune your unique writing voice, liberate your imagination and use language as a map to support your journey to self-discovery and growth.  You’ll write at your own pace, and with absolutely no need to share unless you want to. No previous writing experience is necessary. 
For prices and more information click here

There is only space for 10 people, and the place itself looks stunning, so I would get your skates on... (anyone snowed in today? Very bright and sunny here in Bristol!). Have a lovely weekend.