Writer & Creative Writing Workshops
Sara Sherwood
Writer
Creative Writing Workshops
Audience Development and Research
Hello, I'm Sara. I'm a vegetarian/vegan cusper, reader, writer and pop fan.
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I'm a writer and run creative writing workshops, courses and retreats for Write Like A Grrrl (and other brilliant places).
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If you want to get in touch, you can do so here.
Writing
are you watching?, The Square Ball, 2023 (you can purchase here)
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How To Find Yourself, Test Signal, 2021 (you can purchase the book here) - also featured in Best British Short Stories 2022.
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Seating Arrangements, Let Me Know When You're Home: Stories of Female Friendship, 2020 (you can purchase the book here)
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work in progress, Dear Damsels Annual 2019 (originally published online September 2018)
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Likes, Highly Commended Short Story, Bridport Prize 2018 (later published as The Weekend Read on For Books' Sake - you can purchase the Bridport Prize 2018 anthology here)
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me and mia, the tiny narrative, September 2018 (Meg Cabot said it made her cry and I lost my shit)
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Creative Writing Workshops
I love creating supportive, caring and nurturing environments for writers of all abilities, backgrounds and ambitions to thrive.
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It brings me such joy to be part of so many writing journeys - from those looking to develop a regular writing practice for themselves, to those on a journey to publication.
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I have previously run creative writing workshops and courses for Write Like A Grrrl, Compass Live Art, The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, Creative Scene, Outlookers, Bradford Producing Hub, Leeds Lit Fest and others.
Writing Retreat: Grrrls in the North
I run Write Like A Grrrl's writing retreat in the north of England, which is held three times a year.
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Held at the beautiful Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, I host twenty writers as they write, daydream, read and create, and meet with each writer for a one-to-one editorial session.
Best Friends Forever? Writing Friendship
I run a new four-week course on writing friendship for Write Like A Grrrl.
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The course supported writers identify the different types of friendships and how to represent these on the page, building the unique world of their fictional friends, diving deep into their characters to find where the conflict might lay – as well as discussing the most interesting friendships in fiction.
Audience Development and Research
I have worked in the arts sector for over a decade in marketing and communications roles.
Bringing together my background as an arts professional and writer, I have led research projects to support grassroots arts organisations learn more about the communities they serve.
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Having grown up in a deprived area of West Yorkshire, I am deeply passionate about everyone having access to brilliant arts and cultural experiences on their doorstep.
Putting Down Roots
Spring 2023
Emerging from community research and consultation, I worked with ceramicist Natasha Jackson to create a series of free Sunday morning workshops for families in the Shirley estate in Gomersal, West Yorkshire.
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We ran eight fully-booked workshops on family stories and celebrating joyful moments.
Hidden Gems
Summer 2022
I was the lead artist on Creative Scene's community mapping project, Hidden Gems.
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Over six weeks I visited community centres and council estates, rode buses and drank endless cups of tea in supermarket cafes, and met some extraordinary activists, artists and changemakers.
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I recorded all my findings in a bespoke map of these Hidden Gems, complete with creative writing, photography and interviews, and programming proposals for the producing team.
Is COVID amplifying arts exclusion?
October 2020
The digital responses to the COVID crisis produced an array of inspiring arts and cultural practice – but very little discussion about the readiness, relevance or accessibility of digital content for audiences who may experience digital exclusion.
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I asked artists, community members and audience members how they felt about the acceleration of digital content from cultural organisations during lockdown -- and shared that research with the arts sector at Creative Scene's series of webinars on digital defiicit and cultural democracy.
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