A Head Full of Words: A Creative Writing Workshop for the Neurodivergent
Keighley Library – Monday 9th March 6.00-8.00pm
Are you neurodivergent and interested in creative writing? Are there worlds and words inside your head that need to find their way to the page? Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete newcomer, this playful, low-pressure workshop is designed for you.
Led by short story author David Hartley (PhD Creative Writing, University of Manchester), this 2-hour workshop will give you the time and headspace to write flash fictions and/or poetry inspired by neurodivergent ways of thinking and being. You’ll encounter weird and wonderful prompts to spark your imagination, and you’ll explore the experimental edges of the written word to help you express your unique divergence.
This will be a neurodiversity affirming space where difference is empowered and the only expectation is to be as imaginative as possible. No-one will be put under any pressure to share their work, and no-one’s writing will be judged or critiqued. Stimming is welcome, and you do not have to have an official diagnosis to attend. If you’d like to bring a supporting person (such as a parent, sibling, friend or carer) they would be more than welcome as long as everyone is neurodiversity-positive. Let’s all get wonderfully weird together!
David Hartley is a writer based in New Mills, Derbyshire. His PhD focused on explorations of autism in science fiction and fantasy in both literature and film. He was cohost on the Autism Through Cinema podcast and has conducted many creative writing workshops for Writing East Midlands on their autism focused ‘Beyond the Spectrum’ programme. He is the author of Fauna (Fly on the Wall Press, 2021), a collection of weird stories about animals. He lives with one human, two rabbits, and five guinea pigs, and has lately taken up birdwatching. His current favourite bird is the goldfinch. He can be found on Instagram at @DHartleyWriter
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