ARCHIVED: Women's Writing Festival

A festival showcasing and celebrating women's writing

THIS EVENT HAS NOW ENDED.


Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were pioneering women writers and continue to inspire contemporary literature in limitless ways. The Museum is delighted to be hosting its seventh festival dedicated to showcasing and celebrating women's writing.

Join us at Cobbles and Clay on Friday 22 September from 7pm, and discover more about Getting Yourself Out There! Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion with academic Laurie Garrison, and novelists Sarah Dunnakey, Jane Davis and Helen Taylor. The festival kicks off with this evening focuses on the growth of alternative publishing methods, and our panel will share their experiences of self-promotion and the dos and don'ts when developing your audience.

The Museum will be hosting acclaimed YA writer Liz Flanagan on Saturday 23 September, as she leads a workshop devised especially for girls aged 12-16. Draw your inspiration from our collection and create a new piece of writing as you Step into the Sisters' Shoes.

Also on Saturday 23 September, we'll be Adapting the Brontës with novelist Rachel Joyce and playwright Deborah McAndrew, discussing the challenges inherent in adapting some of the world's best loved fictional texts to suit a new medium, with Rachel and Deborah sharing their expertise on adpating for radio and the stage.

We are truly thrilled to welcome our headliner, Sarah Perry, to Haworth from 7.30pm on Saturday 23 September, to discuss The Essex Serpent, Waterstones' Book of the Year 2016. Set in 1893, The Essex Serpent follows Cora, a keen amateur naturalist convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a previously undiscovered species, and William Ransome, a local vicar who sees the rumours as a distraction to the true faith.

On the final day of the festival, Sunday 24 September, we are basing ourselves at the beautiful Ponden Hall for a pair of writing workshops. We will be Writing for Stage with playwright Deborah McAndrew, in a session combining advice and Deborah's extensive experience with more practical exercises, and a focus on the particular challenges of adapting classic novels. We will wrap up with Writing for Radio, a workshop covering the essentials of the medium with Rachel Joyce, the woman behind BBC Radio 4's Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey and Shirley.