Next Meeting: Thurs 14 July 2022

We'll be cracking our pencil cases open once again on Thurs 22 July, 6.00 to 7.30pm at Dalston CLR James Library.  As yet, the theme for this session remains tantalisingly undecided. But we'll keep you posted. If anyone has any thoughts on a topic they'd like to cover, post 'em in the comments!

Hackney City of Stories Home Celebration Event: Thurs 30 June 2022 at Stoke Newington Library

Come along to this special free event celebrating the launch of the City of Stories Home Anthology featuring talented new writers from across London, alongside published authors.

Take part in a relaxed creative writing workshop - aimed at those who would like to give writing a go or those who are already writers, hear local authors read their stories and pick up your own free copy of the Anthology. You can sign up to attend the creative writing workshop, the reading or both!

We're delighted that author Lorraine Brown (The Paris Connection, Sorry I Missed You) will once again be running the session at Stoke Newington Library.

Check out the details and register for your place via Evenbrite here. 

Author Lorraine Brown will be running a special workshop at Stoke Newington Library on 30 June 

Next Meeting: Thurs 9 June 2022

Next meeting of Dalston Writing Group will be Thurs 9 June 2022, 6.00 to 7.30pm at Dalston CLR James Library. 

Our theme for this session will be clothes, style, fashion, threads, clobber, duds, garms, and, well, you get the picture. 

By way of inspiration, here are eight short stories about clothes.

Here, courtesy of Vogue, is some flash fiction on fashion.

And here are the prompts we used at this session:

A piece of clothing that reveals (intentionally or not) something about its wearer's background, class, status etc.

The dawning realisation that your character has totally misunderstood what’s happening, and that their outfit is deeply inappropriate for this event.

Something your character keeps, even though they know they will never wear it again.

Something worn by a passing stranger plunges your character back into their past.

Something your character wears (or carries), from which they draw strength. It might not be visible, like a discreet tattoo.

Scene(s) from the long and varied life of a jacket, currently hanging on the rail in a Dalston charity shop. Bonus points if you can make the jacket itself the narrator.

Your character is making a bold statement by refusing to abide by sartorial convention at a funeral or a wedding. How? Why? Try telling this story either from the wearer’s perspective, or from the point of view of others present.

What a uniform means to your character. What if it's the first time they've put it on? Or the last?

Your character is forming a detailed opinion of someone they’ve only just met, based solely on that person’s appearance. Describe every aspect of the person being observed, from head to toe. What does your main character think? What can you reveal about their own prejudices and assumptions?

Write an account of a fancy dress party featuring any (or all) of the following: Henry 8th, Elvis, The Queen, Madonna. Superman is hosting.