Lore of the Wild Writing Retreat

Join @bernadetterussell and @sophiejanesnaps from @loreofthewild in the heart of the woods for a series of outdoor creative writing workshops that will bring you closer to the wild within and without.

Start your new year with hope and inspiration.

This series of four workshops starting 11th January.  Continues 18th 25th January and finishes on 01 February 2025 for adults will offer prompts and inspiration and gift you time to explore different perspectives and styles of writing whilst immersing yourself in the ancient woodland around you. They are open to anyone whether you are a professional writer already, have no experience at all, or if you are merely curious- everyone is welcome

Each session will take place outside and under cover in The Clearing, Lesnes Abbey Woods new outdoor learning space, around a roaring fire!

Lesnes Abbey Woods is an area of ancient woodland on the edge of London. Easily accessible by Thameslink and Elizabeth Line trains, this unique green oasis offers dramatic views across London, and dense wooded areas to get lost in. Walk though the ruined abbey and dig in the prehistoric fossil pit; those who came before are never far away and from Buzzards to woodpeckers, foxes to hedgehogs, the woods are alive with wild neighbours to bring you closer to the wildness inside you.

Your wild guides

Bernadette Russell is a performance storyteller who works in the oral tradition. She is the author of six non-fiction books, the latest “Conversation on Kindness” to be released March 2025 published by Elliott and Thompson.  She has also written many plays, most recently for immersive theatre company Teatro Vivo. For them she created COMMON, a play with songs and poems about the enclosures acts of the 1600s featuring an army of ghost trees, an animal choir and many local historical characters. She is currently one of the storytellers at Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, and one of the the creative writing tutor at Treadwell’s Books. Previously she has told stories at many venues including Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre and National Theatre, as well as in the woods, parks and wild places of London and Hampshire.

www.bernadetterussell.com  | @bernadetterussell