WEA courses

Come write that story that you’ve been meaning to write! We get inspired into our own story by reading short extracts of published memoir and essays. The tutor teaches an element of craft each week to try out in our writing. We will have writing exercises in class which we can share to receive gentle feedback from peers and the tutor. You will leave feeling satisfied you put pen to paper. And made friends too!

This workshop will re-examine the golden rule in creative writing “Show don’t tell.” With published extracts from a variety of genres, both fiction and creative non- fiction, you will see what is meant by effective showing. How emotions, thoughts, reactions are described rather than explained to make the story so much more engaging. You’ll learn how to apply this to your work with great effect. Rather than ‘don’t tell’ you’ll learn where telling and summary are essential for pace and plot. This course is intended for those who have some experience of creative writing.

This friendly creative writing course will invite you to enter into relationship with your bodies and surroundings. The session will be held in a supportive way and will integrate some simple meditation (adaptable to all bodies), prompts for creative and reflective expression through writing, and even some environmental science! You will be guided to a holistic understanding of person and place. This course is ideal for people who like to write and to contemplate how to live more skilfully as individuals, as a community and in relationship with their surroundings. There will be time for sharing small parts of your writing towards the end of the workshop but no pressure, it’s about an unfolding individual/shared creative process and participants need to feel at ease to write freely.

Migration always brings a story. Whether migration stems from joyful exploration and curiosity, or is the result of loss, coercion or danger, each narrative tells us something new. In this course, we will be considering the portrayal of migration, the many contexts which lead to authors writing about migration, and how other themes are bound in with this idea. In our discussions together, we will be considering a wide range of texts and genres from across the ages, and working to expand our understanding of such a fundamental experience.

This workshop will re-examine the golden rule in creative writing “Show don’t tell.” With published extracts from a variety of genres, both fiction and creative non- fiction, you will see what is meant by effective showing. How emotions, thoughts, reactions are described rather than explained to make the story so much more engaging. You’ll learn how to apply this to your work with great effect. Rather than ‘don’t tell’ you’ll learn where telling and summary are essential for pace and plot. This course is intended for those who have some experience of creative writing.

This course offers an exploration into the craft of junk journaling- a creative process that turns everyday items and discarded materials into beautiful, personalised journals. Junk journals are more than just notebooks; they are expressive, tactile creations that tell a story, preserve memories, and serve as a safe place for emotional expression. Alongside creating these unique journals the course will look into methods of collecting, organising and storing ephemera - the small pieces of paper, fabric or objects that make each journal personal and truly unique. On this course we will look at: The concept, history and purpose of junk journals. Where to find materials How to make embellishments for inclusion in our journals. Page layouts and focal point placement. No prior experience is necessary – just a love of creativity and a desire to learn new skills along with some basic paper-crafting supplies.

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Master the art of setting and description with our Creative Writing: Sense of Place: Showing & Telling course. Learn how to create vivid, immersive settings in your writing that engage and captivate readers. Ideal for writers looking to enhance their descriptive writing skills.

Join us to investigate buildings across the county and discover the stories they tell. From when they were built and why, to what and who they were for, this course takes a selection of historic buildings including houses, shops, public buildings, places of industry and entertainment to start our exploration of the history of Essex people and places. By the end of the course you will have new places to visit and a starting place to investigate a building of your own.