Writers have been drawn to The Open Arms since its founding. They gather to discuss what they're working on, compare techniques and help one another through blockages and dry patches. Sometimes they sit alone at the bar and eavesdrop, tuning in to the voices that fill the bar, and on occasion lifting choice lines and even whole anecdotes.

This particular booth has been set aside as a resource for writers, with exercises, prompts and examples for general or specialist use.

Exercise: Rewild your Writing

This video explains how to make sentences that might not come naturally to the human.

Writers' Snug Event Archive
8pm Thursday 29 October 2020

Book launch: Sean Ashton, Sampler

Sean Ashton read from his book Sampler, a selection of entries from an encyclopaedia written entirely by poets. Assembled into categories such as Fruit & Vegetables, Birdsong and Musical Instruments, the material offers insights into a range of natural and cultural phenomena: the precise timbre of a lapwing’s call, the heroic modesty of the double bass, the correct way to eat a peach. It is also raises some pertinent questions. What is it that makes hairdressers so special? Why is neon the noblest of gases? Could rugby be improved with the addition of a harpsichord?

Sampler is published by Valley Press.
Launch event: photo by Jet; editing by Anat Ben David.