News – Aug 2026

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I’m delighted to announce two new events for the Manchester Lit Fest! Mon Oct 12th and Fri Oct 23rd: Brave Bold Women History Forgot: A Writing & Walking Tour for the Manchester Literature Festival: What connects the National Football Museum with the Marble Arch Inn and the Sacred Trinity church a few minutes away? On this walking-tour and writing workshop led by me and my great friend and tour guide Emma Fox, we will meet the radical women connected with each of these locations – from the early trailblazers of women’s football to Sister Elizabeth Prout, known as the “Mother Teresa of Manchester” and Edith Cavell, the British nurse executed for helping Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium during WWI. The work and lives of these pioneers will be our inspiration for writing exercises along the route. The walking pace will be slow, and the writing exercises are suitable for all, no writing experience necessary. Details and booking for Mon Oct 12th here: https://manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/brave-bold-women-history-forgot-a-writing-walking-tour-12-oct and Fri Oct 23rd here https://manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/brave-bold-women-history-forgot-a-writing-walking-tour-23-oct 

And I’m so happy to be co-tutoring a residential Arvon course, Jan 18-23rd, at The Hurst, Shropshire Poetry: Queer and Queering Poetic Forms. What might a ‘queer’ poem even be? I’m delighted to be co-tutoring with fellow Nine Arches poet James McDermott on this wide-ranging course exploring poems from the traditional to the experimental, using a wide range of sources to generate material and taking prompts from a variety of topics, including science. You will gain tools and techniques to help you explore queer content and a queering of form in your writing. All abilities welcome. Midweek guest is our fellow Nine Arches poet, Kym Deyn! Details and booking here: https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/courses-retreats/residential-writing-course-poetry-22/  As with all residential Arvon courses I tutor on, I will be raising funds to offer at least one free place to someone from an underrepresented or marginalised community who would never otherwise be able to attend this course. Announcements soon on fundraising, and once we have the funds in place, I’ll be opening applications for the free place in November. Stay tuned!