The Northern Short Story Festival is proud to announce its Autumn programme. With guided walks, workshops, Hallowe’en themed fancy dress, political writing and FRIGHTFEST minifestival to scare you silly, there’s plenty going on this October at the Northern Short Story Festival.
Saturday October 19th: Guided walk & Creative Writing workshop, Middleton Park with Richard Smyth (FREE)
We are over the moon to be announcing our first ever Writer-in-Residency programme. With help from Leeds Parks Service and Friends of Middleton Park, we will be placing award-winning nature writer and journalist Richard Smyth in what will be the first of many hyperlocal writing residency programmes, aimed at helping the local communities of Leeds create writing based on their local area. Richard will be in Middleton Park, home of the Middleton Park railway, where he will engage with the heritage and history of one of Leeds’ most well-loved local parks. On Saturday October 19th Richard will lead a guided walk and a FREE creative writing workshop in Middleton Park visitors’ centre cafe. More:
This Autumn we introduce FRIGHTFEST, a one-day mini festival of horror writing in The Leeds Library, one of Leeds’ oldest and most haunted libraries, on Saturday October 26th.
Saturday Oct 26th, 2.00-3.00: Write a Horror Story in an hour [SOLD OUT] with Strix Fiction editor SJ Bradley. Ghosts, witches, skeletons, and things that go ‘bump’ in the night. Create your own complete story using prompts with award-winning author SJ Bradley. We apologise, this event is now SOLD OUT.
Saturday Oct 26th, 3.30-5.00: Horror Out Loud with Alison Littlewood & Lucie McKnight Hardy
Northern Short Story Festival presents an afternoon of chilling horror with a folk-horror flavour. Join acclaimed authors Alison Littlewood (Best of British Horror & Shirley Jackson Award winner), and Dead Ink author Lucie McKnight Hardy (Best of British Short Stories), for an afternoon of horror stories that will stun, scare, and startle!
Limited Open Mic slots available for your own stories. To book one of these from Tuesday 1st October, email northernshortstoryfestival@gmail.com. All stories must be under 5 minutes long. Halloween fancy dress encouraged, with prizes! Tickets here.
Wednesday 30th October, 7pm: RESIST with Gaia Holmes, SJ Bradley + Kimberly Campanello, Hyde Park Book Club, £3
This companion to their acclaimed Protest anthology, which pairs authors with historians and activists to retell key moments of British protest, has never seemed more urgent and timely than today. Featuring poet Gaia Holmes (Valley Press, Comma Press) and SJ Bradley. Hyde Park Book Club, £3. Tickets here.
