Folk and fairy tales are instantly recognisable to us, from ‘Once upon a time’ to their happy or unhappy endings, but there are many other stylistic and structural tricks that can make any story feel like a folk tale.
In this online masterclass with author Zoe Gilbert (Folk, Mischief Acts) you’ll take a tour of the techniques that create the sense of a timeless tale, and try out applying some of them in a new piece of writing.
This masterclass will take place online via Teams. It will also be recorded so if you are unable to attend live, you'll be able to catch-up and access the recording for up to two weeks after the event has taken place. The session will end with a brief Q&A, so come ready with your questions!
This event is being run in collaboration with Book Aid International, with proceeds from ticket sales will go towards their Generation Reader campaign.
Zoe Gilbert's first novel, Folk (Bloomsbury), was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and adapted for BBC Radio (read by the brilliant Samantha Spiro). She has written the libretto for a song cycle based on Folk, for music composed by Helen Grime for full orchestra and soprano. Claire Booth and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will give the world premiere in Glasgow in September 2024.
Her second novel, Mischief Acts (Bloomsbury), was a Sunday Times Book of the Year in 2022, and is inspired by the past and future of the Great North Wood, which used to cover a large swathe of South London.
Since completing Mischief Acts, Zoe has moved from London to the Kent coast, which is (not surprisingly) influencing her third novel. It turns out that place - alongside folklore, nature and social history - is a starting point for her writing.
Besides novels, Zoe has been writing short stories for most of her adult life. You can find a few of them in anthologies by Comma Press, and they have also appeared in books and journals worldwide including The Stinging Fly, Mechanics' Institute Review, and the British Fantasy Society Journal. Some of her stories have won prizes, including the Costa Short Story Award. Her most recent is a collaborative story appearing in Duets (Scratch Books, 2024).
She also writes and presents for the podcast As the Season Turns, which was shortlisted for the British Podcast Awards in 2023.
Zoe is co-founder of London Lit Lab with Lily Dunn, where she teaches creative writing, and the co-editor with Lily of A Wild and Precious Life (Unbound 2021), an anthology of writers in recovery.
About Book Aid International
By 2030, over a third of the world’s young people will be in Africa. Millions of them will have no books at all. That’s an estimated 733 million children and young people who could become future doctors, teachers, business leaders, writers and more.
But, for millions of children and young people in Africa there is a real risk they will not realise their potential and be able to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty, because they lack access to books and quality education. Together, we can get them the books they need.
Through Generation Reader we will work with our partners to scale up our vital work, creating access to books in even more schools, more public and community libraries and more universities across sub-Saharan Africa. We must act now to have an impact on the next generation of young people in Africa.
Proceeds from your tickets sales will go towards Book Aid International’s Generation Reader campaign. You can find out more, and donate further, here.
The workshop fee of £30 (incl. VAT) is payable in full online. Please note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on events@writersandartists.co.uk so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
This is a live online event which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided by the W&A Team a week before the event start-date. Please note, all event timings are in UK time.
To view our event refund and cancellation policy, please click here.
Accessible to All
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It’s of real importance to Writers & Artists that our events and courses remain accessible to all.
- Payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on events@writersandartists.co.uk so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
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At the speaker's discretion, event materials will be made available to attendees after the masterclass.
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A link to a recording of the masterclass will be circulated after the event. This will be made available to event attendees only, and for a time-limited period.
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If you'd like to receive a transcript of the session, please do let us know and we can circulate following the session.
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This event will include written text and visuals. Please contact us in advance so that we can make arrangements to be sure all documents appear in a format that works for you.
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If you’d like to attend but have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, then please email AccessWA@bloomsbury.com
