Read from Virginia Woolf as we look out over Waterloo Bridge. At St Mary Le Strand, learn the political truths and untruths of the area and reimagine the language at Dr Johnson’s house...
Designed and delivered by an award-winning novelist with a PhD in Creative Writing, these tours use London's rich literary history as a prompt for a series of writing exercises, designed to suit all levels of expertise, from novice to novelist. The workshop combines literary history and anecdotes of the city with readings from major English writers, but it is not a passive experience: you will respond to the environment in creative ways, in an atmosphere of kindness and inclusivity. These intimate and unique workshop seek to inspire and invigorate.
Virginia Woolf’s complex blending of past and present prompts a biographical sketch inspired by the view from Waterloo Bridge. Elliot’s reflections on time and history are echoed in the timeline on the walls at Aldwych, and accompany our tour of the church at St Mary Le Strand. We practice an ekphrasis – a writing exercise inspired by the church’s grand interior.
The statue of Gladstone leads us to consider the way politics, truth and history change with our perspective, and we write a list of facts, blending our personal history with the environment we are a part of. At Doctor Johnson’s house, we read from his delightful dictionary and consider the way these structures – religion, politics, art, language – make us who we are.
