On Saturday 4th May, the H G Wells Short Story Competition have organised a writing workshop in Folkestone for aspiring writers of all ages led by Gillian Laker.

This workshop will unlock the eerie and the strange in our local environment, the hidden drama of rural names and common expressions. Participants will be provided with tips on how to connect with deep history and re-enchant their surroundings. There will be time to learn, write and share during the workshop. Supporting material, together with details of on-line links, will be provided for post-workshop adventures.

Please bring your pen and paper / tablet / laptop for your own work.

Tickets are free for those 21 and under, and £5 plus Eventbrite fees for those older than 21.

About Gillian Laker

Gillian is a poet and fiction writer. Her work has been published in various anthologies and poetry magazines, on the Guardian website, and in the ezine Datableed. She is a former Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year and runner-up for the flash fiction category of The Brighton Prize. Her latest poetry collection, Curious Voices, was published by Cinnamon Press and nominated for the Michael Marks Award for illustrated poetry.

Gillian is an active member of a number of local writing groups, an experienced judge of writing competitions, and has run poetry and fiction workshops for The Canterbury Festival.

She has a long-term fascination with fairytale and the haunted landscape. Dark Barbies, a poetry sequence inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen, was installed in the Filosoffen Art gallery in Odense, Denmark. She is currently researching Germanic forests, fairytale and trauma, in preparation for her first novel.

This workshop will be held at The Grand, The Leas, Folkestone and booking in advance is required, and you can do so online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fairytale-folklore-and-folk-horror-accessing-the-uncanny-in-the-rural-landscape-short-story-writing-tickets-58665068800