For our Rochdale Writes online writing group on Tuesday 25th August the theme will be ‘Birds’.
Birds have always held a special fascination for us humans, the fact that they can fly has always intrigued and now that we know that they are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs adds even more interest.
There will be inspiration from nature and mythology with poetry and images plus plenty of chance to discuss and write, and to share your work.
The group is proving to benefit people who for whatever reason are not able to attend the physical venues for in-person groups. Although based in Rochdale (UK) the group has attracted participants from further afield and all aged 18+ are welcome to join us. You do not need to be a seasoned writer and everyone from complete beginners to professional writers is welcome.
The session is free and you can join using the link below to enter the waiting room from where the facilitator can admit you to the meeting. There is no need to have your camera or microphone switched on and there is a chat window available.
The group has few rules which are basically – please do not be offensive or racist or other such behaviour – otherwise please enjoy the chance to write and share with other writers.
For our Rochdale Writes online writing group on Tuesday 25th August the theme will be ‘Trees’.
There will be inspiration from poetry and images and plenty of chance top discuss and write, and to share your work for those who would like to.
The group is proving to benefit people who for whatever reason are not able to attend the physical venues for in-person groups. Although based in Rochdale (UK) the group has attracted participants from further afield and all aged 18+ are welcome to join us. You do not need to be a seasoned writer and everyone from complete beginners to professional writers is welcome.
The session is free and you can join using the link below to enter the waiting room from where the facilitator can admit you to the meeting. There is no need to have your camera or microphone switched on and there is a chat window available.
The group has few rules which are basically – please do not be offensive or racist or other such behaviour – otherwise please enjoy the chance to write and share with other writers.
On Tuesday evening Rochdale Writes CIC will be hosting another edition of our online writing group. So far the group have been inspired by nature, colour, art, water and the sun and it has been lovely to see and hear the ideas and pieces of writing that have been created and shared.
This week’s session will follow a similar format with images and words for inspiration, discussion and plenty of opportunity to write and share.
I’ve been asked if we could talk about adjectives and description in creative writing so we will have a brief look at those while not delving too deeply into technicalities.
The link for the session is below (We will use this same link for meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month until the end of the year).
The next meeting of our group will be this coming Tuesday – 14th July, 6.30pm – 8.00pm (British Summer Time). There will be some inspiration, writing prompts and the chance to share what is created. The session is free of charge, and we especially welcome those who are unable to attend physical venues.
Please feel free to use the link from 6.15 onwards, to make sure you are able to get online. I’ll start the session at 6.30.
The sessions are quite informal but please nothing offensive, racist etc, and only those aged 18+ please. You may choose whether to have camera or microphone enabled.
The Ukrainian Club, 15 Mere Street, Rochdale 6.30pm to 9.00pm
Apologies for a 2nd post in a couple of days – but this promises to be a great event with some very highly regarded short story writers. There are still plenty of spaces available so can either book online with the following link, or encourage someone to come along with you on the night. Opportunities to see short stories performed by their authors are quite rare so why not come along on Thursday?
One of the writers Benjamin Judge was a member of Rochdale’s Weaving Words writing group ‘many’ years ago and we remember his skill in telling tales.
Roch-tales is a set of six brand new short story commissions on the theme of Rochdale by authors Rosie Garland, Reshma Ruia, Abi Hynes, Nicholas Royle, Benjamin Judge, and David Gaffney, and a brand-new sound installation by Rochdale artist Maryanne Royle, a resident of Ebor Mill artists in Littleborough.
Your compere on the night is poet Sarah-Clare Conlon
Schedule
6.30 – enjoy Maryanne Royle’s sound installation in the bar
7. 00 – live readings
7.30 Break
7.45 – live readings
8.15 break
8.30 – open mike – please sign up on the night
9.00 – ends
Roch-Tales is a co-supported by Arts Council England and Rochdale Libraries
The artists
Reshma Ruia is the author of two novels, Something Black in the Lentil Soup, and Still Lives, winner of the 2023 Diverse Book Readers’ Choice Award and a short story collection, Mrs Pinto Drives to Happiness, shortlisted for the 2022 Eastern Eye Award.
Rosie Garland writes poetry, fiction, song lyrics & is lead singer of post-punk band The March Violets. Her work has featured in the Guardian, Mslexia, Bronte Parsonage Museum and commissions include Tate Modern and Whitworth Art Gallery. Her latest collection, This is How I Fight, was the Observer Poetry Book of the Month.
Abi Hynes’ first collection of short stories, Monstrous Longing, was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize 2024.
David Gaffney is the author of three novels, most recently Out of the Dark, plus a number of short story collections, as well as several graphic novels with Dan Berry, most recently Rivers. His collection of short stories, Concrete Fields, was longlisted for the Edge Hill prize.
Nicholas Royle is the author of five short story collections and seven novels. He founded Nightjar Press, which publishes original short stories as limited-edition chapbooks.
Benjamin Judge is a writer of short fiction and non-fiction who lives in Rochdale. He is a graduate of the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester. Drinking Coffee With my Father in the Most Expensive Cafe in Manchester won the Real Story Prize.
Maryanne Royle is an artist from Rochdale whose practice spans visual art, performance, and music. Maryanne’s work explores history and heritage using sound and performance to create site-specific experiences. She has worked with Leeds 2023, Pioneers Museum, PRS Foundation, and The Whitaker Museum.
1 – Poetry Café, Tues 7th July – 6.00 to 8.00pm – Coffee on the Corner, Littleborough
Poetry café is an open mic style poetry event held on the first Tuesday of the month (please note there will be no session in August). All are welcome either to read some of their poetry, or favourite pieces, or to come along to listen. There is always a great variety of styles and subjects and it is invariably an enjoyable evening. No need to book, simple come along for 6.00pm and should you wish to read please let Seamus or Liz know and we’ll add you to our list for the evening.
The venue is Coffee on the Corner, a lovely independent café who will be serving a variety of hot and cold drinks including coffees, tea, infusions and wine, along with their excellent home made cake. The Poetry Café is free of charge but please support our venue by purchasing your refreshments during the evening.
2 – Riverside Writers, Thurs 9th July – 10.00 am – 12.00 noon, Rochdale Central Library, Number One Riverside, Rochdale
Riverside Writers weekly writing creative session this week features a workshop led by Cate Wallwork. Cate will be bringing along an object to inspire conversation and ideas with plenty of chance to create new writing.
Riverside Writers weekly sessions are free of charge, no need to book, just come along and join us, all aged 18+ welcome. Voluntary donations of £2 are welcome from those able and wishing to donate towards the cost of running the group.
3 – Roch-tales, Thursday 9th July – 6.30 – 9.00pm – Ukrainian Club
Roch-tales, a project organised by writer David Gaffney, involved a series of writer-led short story workshops around the borough. The final event of the project takes place at The Ukrainian Club in Rochdale on Thursday evening. The event is free of charge but places should be booked using the link below.
Roch-tales is a set of six brand new short story commissions on the theme of Rochdale by authors Rosie Garland, Reshma Ruia, Abi Hynes, Nicholas Royle, Benjamin Judge, and David Gaffney, and a brand-new sound installation by Rochdale artist Maryanne Royle, a resident of Ebor Mill artists in Littleborough.
The evening will also include a 30 minute open mic session.
Your compere on the night is poet Sarah-Clare Conlon
Seamus Kelly will lead the 5th session of Rochdale Writes online writing group. This group is open to anyone aged 18+ and is ideal for those who are unable to attend physical venues or attend sessions in office hours and also for those who do not have access to local writing groups. Topics from our previous sessions include journeys, favourite places, inspirational paintings, water and the Sun.
The topic and link for the next session will be posted online next weekend. The session is free of charge and only rules are – no offensive language or behaviour (which includes racism and other forms of prejudice).
The next meeting of our group will be this coming Tuesday – 23rd June, 6.30pm – 8.00pm. There will be some inspiration, writing prompts and the chance to share what is created. The session is free of charge, and we especially welcome those who are unable to attend physical venues.
Please feel free to use the link from 6.15 onwards, to make sure you are able to get online. I’ll start the session at 6.30.
The sessions are quite informal but please nothing offensive, racist etc, and only those aged 18+ please. You may choose whether to have camera or microphone enabled.
The next meeting of our group will be this coming Tuesday – 9th June, 6.30pm – 8.00pm. There will be some inspiration, writing prompts and the chance to share what is created. The session is free of charge, and we especially welcome those who are unable to attend physical venues.
Please feel free to use the link from 6.15 onwards, to make sure you are able to get online. I’ll start the session at 6.30.
The sessions are quite informal but please nothing offensive, racist etc, and only those aged 18+ please. You may choose whether to have camera or microphone enabled.
Online Creative Writing Group – Tuesday 26th May, 6.30pm to 8.00pm
After a successful first session two weeks ago the second meeting of the online writing group will take place on Zoom. The session is hosted by Seamus Kelly for Rochdale Writes and will include prompts and writing exercises with plenty of chance to write and share. The session is free of charge and anyone aged 18+ is welcome to join us. We are particularly keen to provide opportunities for those unable to access physical venues or attend writing groups during office hours.
You can join this session by clicking the link below. The meeting will start at 6.30pm but the link will enable you to join a few minutes earlier.
Initial Session Tuesday 12th May, 2026, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Rochdale Writes is launching an online only creative writing group. The group is particularly aimed to provide access to a creative writing group for those who are not able to access the locations of existing groups in the Borough and others who might not be able to attend groups during regular office hours.
Initially the sessions will be run by Rochdale poet and writer, Seamus Kelly.
The sessions will run from 6.30pm to 8.00pm twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings. Each session will include creative writing prompts or workshops with exercises. The sessions will be stand-alone so it is not necessary to attend every session and it is perfectly acceptable to attend occasionally.
Others are welcome to join the group but preference will be given to those mentioned above and people living or working in and around the borough of Rochdale.
Sessions will be run on Zoom and can be accessed through a computer, tablet or phone using your browser.
To access the sessions you will need a code or invitation which you can request by email from info@rochddalewrites.co.uk
