To all the wonderful folk of Burnley… get your pens sharp and your imagination even sharper with a fiendish & fabulous folklore-focused creative writing workshop with the Burnley Pride of Place Project. Join ‘weird fiction’ writer Dr David Hartley for an imaginative tour around the local legends of Burnley before putting pen to paper to start writing your own terrific tales. We’ll find mischievous spirits and restless ghosts, we’ll summon deadly beasts and the devil himself, and we’ll ask ourselves some big questions; what folktales do we tell ourselves in the modern day? How can stories help us understand ourselves better? And how on earth do we put the boggart back into his hole…?!
No experience necessary! All abilities welcome from seasoned authors to first-time scribblers. Folklore is for everyone, and everyone has a tale to tell. And if you already know a local legend or two, bring them along to share with the group! The fire is lit, the night is drawing in, it’s time to spin a yarn or two…
Suitable for ages 15+
This event is part of the Burnley Pride of Place Project that is being held in the Project Hub in Charter Walk Shopping Centre – look for us in the corner unit under the main Market Hall stairs.
More about David Hartley
Dr David Hartley writes strange stories about strange things. His collection Fauna was published by Fly on the Wall Press and longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize in 2022. He holds a PhD in Creative Writing with The University of Manchester, and currently runs creative writing workshops with Writing East Midlands for their ‘Beyond the Spectrum’ programme for autistic writers. In 2024, he was writer-in-residence in Tartu, Estonia as part of the UNESCO Capital of Culture celebrations where he wrote about forests, folktales, and body art.
Instagram: @DHartleyWriter
