Workshops

London Literary Salon Courses

I facilitate creative writing for wellbeing workshops and shared reading at the London Literary Salon. You can find and book a place on any of my future workshops by clicking the button below.

“Spending time with Alison sparked both creativity and clarity – two things that I often find blocked in my writing. Kicking off with the guided mark making, really translated to beautiful words on my pages as we moved into writing – a great experience overall.” — LM

Course description

My writing workshops with London Literary Salon sit at the intersection of reading, writing, and reflecting. Studies are organised around a theme, like Writing Through the Seasons or Trees and Us, or a form, like Ars Poetica or Unsent Letters, always with carefully chosen literature at the centre. We use a poem, excerpt, or short story as an accessible, resonant spark, and we write, share, and reflect from there. The writing is timed, intuitive, private, dynamic, and collects and builds on itself in sometimes myterious and tranformative ways across our time together.

“It’s been an enjoyable, stimulating and productive two sessions that have left me feeling hopeful and unstuck. Much more happened than I ever could have anticipated. I am grateful.” — PC

The Reader Organisation Workshops

I also volunteer as a group leader for The Reader Organisation. Here we practice active, shared reading, in real time. We get up close and personal with the words, focusing on the pulse points of the story. Members take turns reading and sharing their own resonances and experiences. There aren’t any wrong answers or silly reactions in this space. We read across genres and forms: from short stories like Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner to novels like The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley and Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. We always finish with a poem – this week it’s Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind – and it’s never a dull discussion!

Other Workshops

I regularly create and deliver bespoke workshops across academic, community, and retreat settings and offer one-to-one facilitation as well.