Workshops
The writing workshop can be a daunting place: sharing ideas, trying out techniques, meeting new people. But without writing workshops, I don’t think I’d still be writing today. I always come away with plenty of inspiration and energy to unleash on my next writing project.
Alongside the regular workshops I run for Mossley Writers (see below for more), I love holding writing workshops for other writers, in other, varied settings. I’ve designed and facilitated writing workshops for a whole host of organisations, including The Portico Library, Saddleworth Literary Festival, Sheffield Hallam University, Curious Minds, Tameside Libraries, and The Tameside Health and Wellbeing College. I’ve worked with new and experienced writers, adults and young people, and on all kinds of topics and genres: from historical fiction, to lockdown, to short story writing to Christmas!
The sessions have been pretty well perfect for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed the stimulation and challenge. The balance of looking at other published work and having a go at an exercise worked very well, and hearing from the other participants was really great fun. Iain, participant
Sophie’s creative writing sessions are always fun, friendly and very well structured. Participants always gain in confidence with their writing and take away lots of ideas and inspiration after attending one of her sessions. Stephanie Hogan, Neighbourhood Librarian, Tameside Libraries
Mossley Writers
Sophie founded and continues to lead Mossley Writers. This friendly, inclusive group meets on the third Tuesday of the month, at The Vale, Mossley's beautiful arts space, 7.30-9.30pm. We welcome all kinds of writers, at all stages of their career. A typical Mossley Writers get-together includes critiquing members’ work, writing together using fun and thought-provoking writing exercises, and – of course – tea and biscuits. There is a small monthly fee to cover the hire of the space at The Vale.
In 2022, Mossley Writers worked with Mossley Town Council on Write About Town, a series of readings, posters and workshops celebrating the town's 50th anniversary of being twinned with French town, Hem.
In 2021, Sophie won an Arts Council England grant to run The Tameside WordShop, a year-long programme of free writing workshops for Tameside writers. You can watch the film about the initiative here.
In 2019, Mossley Writers completed our first group project: A Worthy Mossley Man, an anthology and exhibition of our writing about John Knight, Mossley resident and prominent figure in the 1819 peaceful demonstration that became known as the Peterloo Massacre. You can read some of our work on this dedicated website.