Tuesday 21 August 2018

Steeped in Summer Stories - Winchester Writers' Festival and Oxford summer schools

This is one of those catch-up posts as it dawns on me how long it is since I last blogged! And why is that, you ask? The spring and summer were intense phases of teaching, along with my core editorial work. I realised yesterday that we are on the cusp of autumn and couldn't quite believe it. This post, then, is a photographic diary of my summer and of the amazing people I've met.

I taught a part-time course on getting started in writing from April onwards as part of the University of Oxford's Department of Continuing Education work.
At Winchester with my friend, writer Lisa Greaves

In June I ran three workshops at Cornerstone Arts
With the Festival's original founder,
the wonderful Barbara Large


in Didcot, then paid my annual visit to teach at the Winchester Writers' Festival.

Conference Director Judith Heneghan

Speaker Helen Dennis
The Stripe Theatre by night
Teaching on the OUSSA programme


With my OUSSA students
In July and August, I taught on Oxford University's Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) at Rewley House, followed by the university's International Creative Writing Summer School for three weeks at Exeter College.

OUSSA students










Along the way, I met, as I always do, writers who were starting out or more advanced, writers brimful of enthusiasm, motivation, curiosity and the desire to improve their craft. I read and gave feedback on writing that was poignant, dramatic, thoughtful, beautiful, gripping.

Getting ready to teach at Exeter College
with fellow tutors Julie Hearn, Frank Egerton and Matthew Barton
 
Exeter College, its lawns drier than we've ever seen!






Tutors Susannah Rickards and Rachel Bentham

Turl Street Oxford


Exeter College Chapel

Exeter College Chapel

Exeter College Dining Hall

Exeter College Chapel











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I'll be back in the autumn with more musings about the world of books, an IGISIRI catch-up,  and more interviews and guest-posts too. Till then, enjoy the rest of your summer!