Creative Writing for Ages 15–18

Public booking opens at 11am, Thursday 28 November. Join our mailing list before Monday 25 November to receive priority booking.

Ages 15–18

Course Dates & Times

Easter Course

Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 April 2025
10am–4pm

Summer Course:

Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 July 2025
10am–4pm 

About Creative Writing for Ages 15–18

Put pen to paper, let your imagination roam free and conjure your creativity with this new two-day course, led by London writer Annie Hayter.

Working with Annie, you will explore a range of literary texts including poetry and fiction, and will use artwork, photographs and songs to inspire your own creative writing.

You will learn to draft and develop your own stories and explore the best ways to present, perform and publish them. 

Maybe you want to write about your pet goose Doris, an imagined day in the life of your favourite popstar or whatever is important to you, this course will be a warm and open space for you to freely express yourself and delve into the depths of your imagination.

Who is the course for?

Anyone aged 15 to 18 with an interest in creative writing. No experience is required, just interest and enthusiasm.

What can I expect?

You can expect to:

• Discover your own unique voice
• Learn to explore new ways of writing creatively
• Draft and develop your own work
• Explore a wide range of modern literature
• Develop practical knowledge of the skills used to write and analyse literature
• Practise critical judgement
• Gain new skills in performing your work
• Participate in class discussions, within a welcoming and encouraging space

Please note that for those studying GCSEs and A-levels, this course will support your broader study. You will learn a range of analytical and extracurricular skills which will feed both into your creative practice and potential UCAS applications. Class discussions will give you a taste of what you might expect in seminars at university.

You will be given individual feedback on one piece of writing of your choice which you will be invited to share in a showcase of performances with invited friends and family at the end of the course. You will also have the opportunity to publish your work in a digital anthology of texts created during the workshops.

Do I need anything for the course?

A note pad and pen, or an electronic device to write on. Plus, a good dollop of imagination and curiosity.

Course Fee

£225

Public booking opens at 11am, Thursday 28 November. Join our mailing list before Monday 25 November to receive priority booking.

Eligibility

• For everyone aged 15–18
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course 

About the Course Tutor

This course is taught by Annie Hayter.

Annie Hayter was born in a paddling-pool in Deptford, beneath a waning moon, and they have been terrible at swimming ever since. They studied English at the University of Oxford, and won BBC PROMS Young Poet. 

A runner up for Times Young Poet of The Year, they came third in the Cúirt New Writing Prize for Poetry, and have been shortlisted for The White Review’s Poet’s Prize, Young People’s Laureate for London, Desperate Literature Prize, Bridport Prize, Bath Flash Fiction, the Sylvia Plath Prize and The London Magazine Short Story Prize, amongst others. They’ve had work published in The Big Issue, the Rialto, MAGMA, The London Magazine, TimeOut, Token Magazine, Tentacular, and Bedtime Stories for the End of the World.

They've performed across the UK, including at the Forward Prizes, Southbank Centre, Cheltenham Literary Festival, the American Embassy, Verve Poetry Festival and  Radio 3. They’ve facilitated workshops with organisations like the National Youth Orchestra, the Prince's Teaching Institute, University of Kent, the Barbican, Headway East London, Entelechy Arts, the Anna Freud Centre, Writerz & Scribez and Crisis.