Writing Hope in Darkness?

The theme of Book Week Scotland 2024 is "Hope". How do we find hope in a world where bad things happen?

In their work, award winning writers Helen Grant (Too Near The Dead, Jump Cut) and Alex Nye (Gallow Falls, Even The Birds Fall Silent) explore some very dark places indeed, delving into Gothic horror and crime. However, they frequently arrive at a place of conquering fear and finding hope. In this writing workshop, Alex and Helen talk about finding positive outcomes for the things that scare us. They also read from their work and lead some writing exercises to generate ideas, develop plot lines and create thrilling stories!

This event is part of Book Week Scotland, an annual celebration of books and reading that takes place across the country. We are delighted to have received funding from Book Week Scotland towards the cost of running this event. This means we can now offer you a reduced ticket price of £5 plus the booking fee. However, if you wish to contribute more, any additional funds will be directed back to our charity and support our ongoing efforts.

We also have funding to support anyone who would like to attend this event for free or has any access needs. Please select the ticket option that best suits your personal circumstances. The details of whichever ticket you choose will be discretionary and not be made known to the workshop leaders or fellow attendees.

Complimentary tea, coffee and refreshments will be provided. Doors open at 2:30pm.

About Helen Grant

Helen Grant writes Gothic novels and ghost stories. Joyce Carol Oates has described her as "a brilliant chronicler of the uncanny as only those who dwell in places of dripping, graylit beauty can be." A lifelong fan of the ghost story writer M.R.James, she has spoken at two M.R.James conferences and appeared at the Dublin Ghost Story Festival. She has also been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and currently runs writing workshops in schools for the Royal Literary Fund.

About Alex Nye

Alex Nye is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at The University of Stirling, and graduated from King’s College, London. As well as being a Fellow with the RLF & a Writer in Residence, she is also a qualified English teacher and taught Creative Writing professionally. She has been a Creative Writing Mentor with the Scottish Book Trust, mentoring young people with their creative writing projects culminating in the publication of their own stories.

This event is supported by Book Week Scotland 2024 event funding.