Creative Writing

Enjoy creative writing by people from working class communities who have participated in one of our free Creative Writing projects.

The Dragon's Almanac

first published July 2024

Following on from our first collaboratively written children's book Hop Aboard! which was created by people living in BS13 who attended one of our creative writing courses, our second children's book, was written collaboratively with young children living locally to Hartcliffe City Farm.

We took inspiration from the fantastic dragon sculpture who proudly guards the entrance to Hartcliffe City Farm, which was created by the Bristol-based Women Teaching Fabrication.

The book is intended to be something families can dip in and out of, prompting many simple activities that will connect children with different cultures, the land and even the night sky.

If you have a copy of the book, you can also download an accompanying colouring in and activity booklet as a place to capture children's responses to the book.

The Dragon's Almanac has been illustrated by Liv Rose Whitfield, who also illustrated Hop Aboard!

This project was funded by Arts Council England.

Buy a copy of The Dragon's Almanac

Download the printable activity booklet (6+)

Download the printable activity booklet (early years)

Extraordinary Streets: Withywood
a free sound walk showcasing the creative writing skills of BS13 people

Let the memories, dreams and imaginations of BS13 residents transform an apparently ordinary short pavement walk into something extraordinary.

Extraordinary Sounds: Withywood is a free sound walk available at any time, and is a self-led experience.

Route starts at Campus Pool Skatepark, Whitchurch Lane, BS13 7RW

The creative writing produced took inspiration from local features on a short, mile-long pavement walk in Withywood between Campus Pool Skatepark (BS13 7RW) and Withywood Park (BS13 8PL).

The sound walk is voiced by the writers themselves: Diana, Helen, Jacob, Jan and Sophie.

It is hosted on a free sound walk app called Echoes, which requires no roaming data provided you have already downloaded the app and this sound walk before setting out.

This walk is geo-located meaning you need to be in specific places in Withywood to hear the sound. It covers fairly easy terrain suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. There is free street parking in the area, and toilets are available when Campus Pool Skatepark is open. Campus Pool Skatepark also has a carpark which is free if you support them by using their cafe and validating your car on their system in the building.

Funded by Arts Council England.

Sound design by Gill Simmons.

Download Extraordinary Streets: Withywood on the Echoes app

Download a map of the walk

We have also published an A4 book containing all four of our sound walks around Bristol, featuring maps, route guidance and technical support. This is available from our online shop here.

Purchase Sound Walks in Bristol: a book

Explore our other sound walks

Writing Hidden Histories
Visiting writer: Jane Duffus

The group all expressed an interest in meeting Jane Duffus, author of "The Women Who Built Bristol".
We were fortunate to welcome Jane to the group in March 2022.
Jane shared her many research techniques which enabled her to uncover the hidden histories in her work.

For a while we're literally flicking through Jane's books, a group member says "STOP!" and we take inspiration from the hidden history we've landed on. One week we landed on the entry for Sarah Siddons, famous actor (1755-1831) who is said to haunt both the Bristol Old Vic and Bath Theatre Royal.

Writing song lyrics
Visiting writer: Jack Drewry

We explored lyrics to favourite songs, investigated why we liked them, then wrote our own.

Our artistic director Gill Simmons set lyrics by one of the participants, Cola Conneely, to music.
The song is called "Professor Charlie Stephens" and is about a fantastic Bristolian daredevil.

The making of the song

Historic Fiction
Visiting writer: James MacVeigh

Writing Dialogue
Visiting writer: Mike Akers

We looked at dialogue in plays and fiction, noticing different styles, before writing our own.

We took inspiration from the photography of Bristol-based photographer Shelby Alexander.Images below are shared with kind permission from the photographer.

Shelby Alexander's website
Instagram: @shelby_cameralicious

PomPom Christmas 2019

Image: Shelby Alexander
Text: Aimee Hesterr

Two Elvises for the price of One

Image: Shelby Alexander
Text: Aimee Hester

The Ladies of Elvises, Porthcawl 2019

Image: Shelby Alexander
Text: Jacob Bouyer and Aimee Hester

Ladies of the Elvies

Image: Shelby Alexander
Text: Aimee Hester

Writing for Young Children
Visiting writer: Stevie-Jane Wade

Members of the Creative Writing group collaborated to create a new children's story which was shared with local BS13 children through local children's centre staff.

We commissioned an illustrator, Liv Rose Whitfield to create images for our story.

Here's an animated version of Hop Aboard!

Illustrated by Liv Rose Whitfield.
Find her on instagram.

Sound design & music by Gill Simmons.

Download the story

Download a dyslexia-friendly version

Hop Aboard colouring in and doodle sheets

Buy a paperback copy of Hop Aboard!

Creative Journalling
Visiting writer: Barbara Bloomfield

Thrillers
Visiting writer: Gabriel Dylan (author of YA thriller Whiteout)

We took inspiration from the BBC audio drama The Piper, a thriller version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and co-created our own audio trailer. Deadline, a thriller-style reworking of Cinderella.

This trailer was written and performed by Jacob Bouyer, Katie Chalk, Aimee Hester and Paul Lawless.

Sound design and editing is by Gill Simmons.