Creative Writing Masterclass - Conjuring Magic

In this workshop you will have the chance to explore magic and witchcraft in your writing. There will be readings from published authors and Sally will talk about her novel Hagtale which tells the story of the Shakespeare play Macbeth from the perspective of a witch.The session will include writing cues, readings and discussions about what fascinates us about magic and the impossible in fiction. How can we tap into the wilder reaches of our imagination when we are adults? What is it about the fabulous and the fantastical that draw us in? Why are we interested in horoscopes, tarot readings, and invented worlds? We’ll talk about portals to magic worlds, stories that are set entirely in invented places and ways that magic can be woven into the everyday.

Sally O’Reilly grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and now lives with her family in Sheffield. En route, she’s spent time in Brixton, Brighton and Barcelona. Her short stories have been published in the UK, Australia and South Africa, and she has been shortlisted for the Cosmopolitan short story prize and the Ian St James award. She has an MA and PhD in Creative Writing from Brunel University, and has worked as a senior lecturer for the University of Portsmouth and The Open University. Her journalism has been published in the Guardian, Sunday Times and New Scientist. Sally is an Honorary Associate of The Open University and Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Aston University. Hagtale, her latest novel, is a dark fairy story inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Scribe UK, November 2025)

The session will be held at the Jubilee Library in Brighton and will run from 11:15-16:45 with half an hour for lunch. The venue is fully accessible, near the train station and bus routes and with plenty of options for lunch (including bringing your own). If you have any specific needs to enable you to access the workshop, please do Contact Cathy Hayward - [email protected]

The workshop is part of a series of one-day masterclasses held in the Easter and summer holidays. They are open to existing students on the Creative Writing Programme and other writers looking to improve specific areas of their writing craft.

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