Witches and Creative Writing – Workshop

The witch has been a consistently formidable cultural figure for millennia, inspiring countless storytellers, poets and artists with her subversive and alluring ways.

In this creative writing workshop, Bernadette Russell invites students to dive into the rich otherworld of witches. Beginning with a consideration of real-life magical women from antiquity, Bernadette introduces Mary Laveau, Mother Shipton, La Voisin and Isobel Gowdie, amongst others. The group then consider some of the most famous witches from literature and folklore: Baba Yaga, Morgan Le Fey, Circe and the Witch of Endor. Expect playful exploration of spells, incantations, familiars and broomstick-flying, alongside more serious contemplation of witchcraft, women's issues and words. There will also be a retelling of an ancient tale of a witch in the woods, after which participants will be invited to create their own pieces using prompts, free writing and timed exercises. Note: there will be no sharing of work, so…