Raw Writing

Raw Reading Club (Zoom) - Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop
2026-04-01 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | ZOOM
Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop.
Florence Green decides to open a bookshop in a small town. What could be more charming? But not everyone wants a bookshop or approves of the books she wants to sell. A timeless gem describing what happens when someone shakes up a community set in its ways. A comic and moving novel which reaches deep into human behaviour with Fitzgerald’s brilliantly economic style.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Zoom 19.00-21.00 £50

Raw Reading Club (Exeter Phoenix) - Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop
2026-04-01 14:00 - 16:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Penelope Fitzgerald, The Bookshop. Florence Green decides to open a bookshop in a small town. What could be more charming? But not everyone wants a bookshop or approves of the books she wants to sell. A timeless gem describing what happens when someone shakes up a community set in its ways. A comic and moving novel which reaches deep into human behaviour with Fitzgerald’s brilliantly economic style.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Exeter Phoenix 14.00 -16.00 £50

March Masterclass - Fiona Williams
2026-03-29 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Compelling Characters
Sign up here for membership.
Sunday 29th March 19.00-20.30
Join Fiona Williams, the author of The House of Broken Bricks, for a workshop on WRITING 3-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS. She will invite you to connect with your characters at a greater depth and look at the ways in which they can be shaped into real, relatable, complex and multifaceted people. You will explore how to bring your characters’ personalities and emotional range to life on the page, regardless of genre and writing style. All writers welcome.

Shakespeare Workshop
2026-03-28 14:00 - 15:30 | ZOOM
Ah, William Shakespeare, the bard of Avon, great Renaissance playwright, read and revered across the world. But let’s admit he can be quite challenging, too – all that sixteenth and seventeenth-century English, all those kings and dukes and princes – not to mention witches, ghosts and fairies. So what’s the best way to get into all that gorgeous poetry and strange stories, flying past us on stage or screen?
Introduction to Shakespeare is a ninety-minute workshop course designed to help you approach Shakespeare with confidence. Maybe you’re planning on watching a streamed production, maybe you’ve seen Hamnet and would like to know how much of that was real. Whatever your reason for joining, there will be something for you. We’ll look at the great poet’s life and times, explore how a Renaissance theatre worked (what’s all that about boys playing women?), how characters are created, what kinds of things we should look out for in the different kinds of play – tragedies, comedies and histories, and how the plays have survived to our own time. But above all we will look through bite-sized examples at the verse itself, and bring it alive through speaking it, feeling it, living it. All participants will be invited to take part in reading and discussion. As we’ll see, beneath the often elaboratelanguage there are often quite simple ideas going on. We’ll learn to X-ray in on those and hopefully you’ll leave convinced that, yes, Shakespeare really is that great, and entertaining too! When you sign up, you’ll receive a selection of extracts to read ahead, and after the workshop, you’ll be sent a copy of the points we covered and suggestions for further reading, viewing and listening. No previous experience necessary, costumes optional!

Silent Writing Club
2026-03-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Make time to work on your novel, memoir, short story, play or poetry in this warm and supportive space. Afterwards, there’s the opportunity to have a coffee or cold drink in our Café Bar and speak about your work in progress. No need to book – just turn up.

Raw Writing Meetup - Exeter
2026-03-27 17:00 - 19:00 | The City Gate, 1 Iron Bridge, North St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RB, United Kingdom
Come and meet a warm, creative group of people who love reading and writing at our monthly RAW Writing Meetup in Exeter.
We’ll be meeting at The City Gate, 1 Iron Bridge, North St, Exeter EX4 3RB on Friday 27th March 2026 from 5-7pm. Find us in the Snug!
This is a relaxed, welcoming space for writers, readers, storytellers, and anyone interested in writing as a form of exploration, reflection, and creative connection. Whether you’re working on a novel, scribbling in a notebook, or just curious about writing, you’ll feel right at home.
This is a social event where you can meet other readers and writers and chat about what you like to write, what you are writing or – let’s be honest – perhaps what you are notwriting! There is no need to bring a notepad or laptop – if you’re looking for a structured writing session please have a look at the courses on our website.
This event will be hosted by Carla Jenkins, founder of Raw Writing and author of the 2024 novel, Fifty Minutes.
Everyone is welcome — whether you’re completely new to writing or have years of experience. Drop in anytime – stay for as long as you like. It’s very informal and open.
Questions?
Email: carla@rawwriting.co.uk
Call or text: 07474 116771
Visit: rawwriting.tempurl.host
We can’t wait to meet you — bring your voice, your curiosity, and your love of writing 🙂

Silent Writing Club
2026-03-27 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-03-13 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-02-24 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-02-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
You’ve heard of ‘The Silent Book Club’ where people read together in silence…
Exeter Phoenix, in collaboration with Carla Jenkins of Raw Writing, is delighted to announce the return of ‘The Silent Writing Club,’ a place where you can write in silence with others. Make time to work on your novel, memoir, short story, play or poetry in this warm and supportive space. Afterwards, there’s the opportunity to have a coffee or cold drink in our Café Bar and speak about your work in progress.
No need to book – just turn up!

The Contemporary Short Story Competition Ready Course with Carla Jenkins
2026-03-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
13th, 20th, 27th March (no sessions 3rd and 10th April ) 17th, 24th April 1st, 8th, 15th May
Fridays 14.00-15.30
Entering writing competitions is great fun and brilliant for building up your writer’s CV if you get placed. Join this eight-week course where, at the end of it, you’ll have a 2000 word short story that you can be proud of, and is competition ready.
We’ll be closely analysing stories by Zadie Smith, Kevin Barry, Yiyun Li and Clare Keegan (among other twenty-first-century greats) and also exploring how using real-life material can enrich our writing.
The course will include two workshopping sessions where you’ll be given feedback from Carla Jenkins and the rest of the attendees, and you will also give feedback on their short stories. Guidance and support will be given on how to do this.
You’ll be expected to do a lot of reading and writing in between sessions, and a full course outline and reading list will be sent once you’ve signed up. Places are limited to eight so everyone (and their stories) are given a lot of attention.
Free entry into the Raw Writing Short Story Writing Competition (worth £15). The deadline will be in June, the word count will be 2000, and the prize will be a mentoring package (six sessions) with a published writer, a place on a six-month Raw Writing course, and publication in the Raw Writing Anthology.

Live Writing Club - March - Claire Daverley
2026-03-11 19:30 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Writing Relationships
Sign up here for membership.
Wednesday 11th March 19.30-20.30
Join Claire Daverley, the author of Talking at Night and People in Love, for a workshop on WRITING RELATIONSHIPS. She’ll delve into the three main areas she thinks are vital when writing intimacy, including Character, Dialogue and the Rules for Romance. With two writing exercises incorporated into class, it promises to be a revealing and constructive hour on how to create believable chemistry between people on the page. All writers welcome, whether you’re already penning a love story, thinking about one, or don’t write romance but simply want a few tips on how to bring your characters to life.

Poetry Now! with Malcolm Hebron (Tuesdays 10.30-12)
2026-03-10 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
In this eight-week course between March > May, we’ll explore the contemporary poetry scene in the UK, Ireland and America.
The diversity of voices at work today is exciting, at times overwhelming. We’ll sample writing from the T S Eliot and Forward Prizes, scan the poetry magazines and podcasts and sharpen our reading and writing skills as we tune into new voices, styles and forms.
Does modern poetry deserve its reputation for difficulty? Who is telling us stories in verse that we need to listen to?
Authors are yet to be decided but possible names include; Anne Carson, Vidyan Ravinthiran, Ada Limón, Karen Solie, Isabelle Baafi, Jorie Graham, Catherine-Esther Cowie, Jason Allen-Paisant.
Suitable for beginners. Newcomers to Raw Writing courses very welcome!
Tuesdays 10.30-12.00;
March* -10th, 17th, 24th
April* – 14th, 21st 28th
May* – 5th, 12th
*(no sessions 31st March, and 7th April).

Poetry Now! With Malcolm Hebron
2026-03-09 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Mondays -14:00 – 15:30
Monday 9th, 16th, 23rd March (no sessions 30th March and 6th April)
13th, 20th 28th April, 4th and 11th May
In this eight-week course, we’ll explore the contemporary poetry scene in the UK, Ireland and America. The diversity of voices at work today is exciting, at times overwhelming. We’ll sample writing from the T S Eliot and Forward Prizes, scan the poetry magazines and podcasts and sharpen our reading and writing skills as we tune into new voices, styles and forms. Does modern poetry deserve its reputation for difficulty? Who is telling us stories in verse that we need to listen to? Authors are yet to be decided but possible names include Anne Carson, Vidyan Ravinthiran, Ada Limón, Karen Solie, Isabelle Baafi, Jorie Graham, Catherine-Esther Cowie, Jason Allen-Paisant. Suitable for beginners. Newcomers to Raw Writing courses very welcome!

Raw Reading Club (Zoom) - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
2026-03-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness. ‘The horror, the horror…’ Conrad was one of the great novelists of the earlier twentieth century, and this short masterpiece is an examination of colonialism told in his typical rich, mesmerising style.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Zoom 19.00-21.00 £50

Raw Reading Club (Exeter Phoenix) - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
2026-03-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness. ‘The horror, the horror…’ Conrad was one of the great novelists of the earlier twentieth century, and this short masterpiece is an examination of colonialism told in his typical rich, mesmerising style.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Exeter Phoenix 14.00 -16.00 £50

Raw Writing Meetup - Exeter
2026-02-27 17:00 - 19:00 | The City Gate, 1 Iron Bridge, North St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3RB, United Kingdom
Come and meet a warm, creative group of people who love reading and writing at our monthly RAW Writing Meetup in Exeter.
We’ll be meeting at The City Gate, 1 Iron Bridge, North St, Exeter EX4 3RB on Friday 27th February 2026 from 5-7pm.
This is a relaxed, welcoming space for writers, readers, storytellers, and anyone interested in writing as a form of exploration, reflection, and creative connection. Whether you’re working on a novel, scribbling in a notebook, or just curious about writing, you’ll feel right at home.
This is a social event where you can meet other readers and writers and chat about what you like to write, what you are writing or – let’s be honest – perhaps what you are notwriting! There is no need to bring a notepad or laptop – if you’re looking for a structured writing session please have a look at the courses on our website.
This event will be hosted by Carla Jenkins, founder of Raw Writing and author of the 2024 novel, Fifty Minutes.
Everyone is welcome — whether you’re completely new to writing or have years of experience. Drop in anytime – stay for as long as you like. It’s very informal and open.
Questions?
Email: carla@rawwriting.co.uk
Call or text: 07474 116771
Visit: rawwriting.tempurl.host
We can’t wait to meet you — bring your voice, your curiosity, and your love of writing 🙂

February Masterclass - Trevor Byrne
2026-02-22 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
People in Places
Sign up here for membership.
Sunday 22nd February 19.00-20.30

Live Writing Club - February - Andy Brown
2026-02-11 19:30 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Writing about Love
Sign up here for membership.
Wednesday 11th February 19.30-20.30

Silent Book Club Special - Valentine's
2026-02-11 18:00 - 21:00 | The Devon and Exeter Institution, 7 Cathedral Close, Exeter, EX1 1EZ, United Kingdom
An after-hours reading experience in one of Exeter’s most beautiful libraries
This Silent Book Club Special invites you to explore love, longing, heartbreak—and everything in between—through the quiet pleasure of reading together.
Join us for an atmospheric, after-hours evening in the historic Devon and Exeter Institution, tucked away on Cathedral Close in Exeter. With its Georgian character, towering shelves and softly lit rooms, it’s a space that feels naturally cosy and slightly magical—the sort of place where settling in with a book just feels right.
Membership to the Devon and Exeter Institution is not required to attend this event.
Silent Book Club Special – Valentine’s Edition

6:00pm — Doors open
Arrive, grab a snack and a (non-alcoholic) drink, and find a spot in one of the beautiful reading rooms.
6:30pm–7:30pm — Silent reading hour
Bring a book you love (or have been meaning to start) and enjoy an uninterrupted hour of quiet reading, surrounded by fellow book lovers.
After 7:30pm — Optional creative writing + free time
Take part in an optional creative writing activity with Carla Jenkins (Raw Writing), inspired by the lost art of letter writing. Free-to-use typewriters and historic love letters from the University of Exeter’s archive will also be scattered throughout the library.

From here, the evening is yours: continue reading, enjoy themed snacks and drinks, explore the building, or strike up conversations with other guests. The event ends at 9:00pm.
What’s included

Themed snacks and drinks
Creative writing session
Access to the Devon and Exeter Institution after hours
A small goody bag to take home, including a Penguin book and special edition Silent Book Club pin

Book here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/silent-book-club-special-valentines-tickets-1975324331249

Raw Reading Club (Zoom) - Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
2026-02-04 19:00 - 21:00 | ZOOM
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis. ‘After a night of troubling dreams, Gregor Samsa awoke to find himself transformed into a giant beetle’. With one of the most famous first sentences in literature, Kafka’s eerie masterpiece grabs you and doesn’t let go. But what is this story getting at? Is it an allegory, a fable, or simply a nightmare? Plenty to discuss here about stories and where they take us.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Online via Zoom @ 19.00-21.00. £50

Raw Reading Club (Exeter Phoenix) - Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
2026-02-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis. ‘After a night of troubling dreams, Gregor Samsa awoke to find himself transformed into a giant beetle’. With one of the most famous first sentences in literature, Kafka’s eerie masterpiece grabs you and doesn’t let go. But what is this story getting at? Is it an allegory, a fable, or simply a nightmare? Plenty to discuss here about stories and where they take us.
Raw Reading is a new study group. Each month, we will read a short classic work of about 100 pages. You’ll be given suggestions for what to look out for, and questions to prompt your own responses in good time for the monthly meetings. These will be seminars in which we share our thoughts and consider key aspects of literature: themes, style, narrative techniques, interpretation and more. There will be suggestions on further reading to follow up on the set texts.
Through the course, you will exercise your powers of close reading and meet some seriously brilliant writing from different times and cultures. The classics are for everyone. Join us to take your enjoyment of literature to new levels!
Exeter Phoenix 14.00 -16.00 £50

Raw Writing Meetup - Exeter
2026-01-30 17:00 - 19:00 | Cosy Club, 1 Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1SG, United Kingdom
Come and meet a warm, creative group of people who love reading and writing at our monthly RAW Writing Meetup in Exeter.
We’ll be meeting at Cosy Club, 1 Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1SG on Friday 30th January 2026 from 5-7pm.
This is a relaxed, welcoming space for writers, readers, storytellers, and anyone interested in writing as a form of exploration, reflection, and creative connection. Whether you’re working on a novel, scribbling in a notebook, or just curious about writing, you’ll feel right at home.
This is a social event where you can meet other readers and writers and chat about what you like to write, what you are writing or – let’s be honest – perhaps what you are not writing! There is no need to bring a notepad or laptop. If you’re looking for a structured writing session please have a look at the courses on our website.
This event will be hosted by Carla Jenkins, founder of Raw Writing and author of the 2024 novel, Fifty Minutes.
Everyone is welcome — whether you’re completely new to writing or have years of experience. Drop in anytime – stay for as long as you like. It’s very informal and open.
Questions?
Email: carla@rawwriting.co.uk
Call or text: 07474 116771
Visit: rawwriting.tempurl.host
We can’t wait to meet you — bring your voice, your curiosity, and your love of writing 🙂

January Masterclass - Rashed Aqrabawi
2026-01-25 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Writing from Life
Sign up here for membership.
Sunday 25th January 19.00-20.30

Winter Poetry for All
2026-01-24 14:00 - 15:30 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
Come and join us for an afternoon of poetry on the season of winter. From medieval lyrics to Shakespeare to contemporary writers, we’ll bring some warmth into January with beautiful words. We’ll go skating with Wordsworth, look at winter trees with Sylvia Plath and ponder with Wallace Stevens ‘the nothing that is not there and the nothing that is’… and much more!
These poems will be read and introduced by Dr Malcolm Hebron. This is a chance to relax, reflect, and renew the spirit.
Everyone is welcome.
If you’d like to be emailed in advance with the poems that will be read during the afternoon, please let us know by emailing carla@rawwriting.co.uk If you’d prefer to collect the poems on arrival (paper copies) this can also be arranged.
Recommended ticket cost £10 or pay what you can afford.
Saturday 24th January 2026
14.00-15.30

After studying English at Oxford, Malcolm Hebron taught for many years at Winchester College. Over that time, he published books on medieval and renaissance writing, literature and linguistics and wrote a guide on how to read poetry. Malcolm is a Fellow of the English Association, and as an editor of a journal, he has worked with critics and poets, helping them prepare work for publication.

Writing Poetry: Reinvigorate your Practice
2026-01-15 17:30 - 19:00 | ZOOM
A series of generative workshops that are geared towards writers looking either to start writing poetry or reinvigorate their practice. The sessions will include writing exercises, readings, and critique.
Thursday 15th, 22nd, 29th Jan and 6th Feb 17:30 – 19:00.

Live Writing Club - January - Winnie M Li
2026-01-14 19:30 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Patterns and Motifs in Stories
Sign up here for membership.
Wednesday 14th January 19.30-20.30

Introduction to Horror Fiction
2026-01-14 17:30 - 19:00 | ZOOM
What makes us shiver? What makes our skin crawl? What, more to the point, makes the reader shiver? It’s not just about ghosts, demonic possession, serial killers, pleasure-seeking immortals with pins stuck in their heads, weird little unblinking kids with posh accents, and unknowable amoral beings from the voids between the stars (though those things are part of horror, to be sure). Horror is everywhere. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not. Sometimes the monsters are, well, monsters. And sometimes the ‘monsters’ are a cruel father, a cruel system, a cruel situation.
Why are two stories, both set pretty much in a single room (Stephen King’s ‘1408’, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, published in 1892) so unsettling, so freaky? Why do they linger?
With a focus on short stories, this four-week course will look at just what horror fiction is, and how to write the best horror fiction we can.
Wednesdays
17.30-19.00 14th,21st,28th Jan, 4th Feb

Introduction to Playwriting
2026-01-14 14:00 - 16:00
This exciting six-week course gives writers the opportunity to learn different approaches to playwriting whilst preparing their own short play, which will be performed by actors at the Exeter Barnfield Theatre on the evening of the final week (details to be confirmed).
Session Dates
Wednesdays, 2pm – 4pm
Wed 14 Jan
Wed 21 Jan
Wed 28 Jan
Wed 04 Feb
Wed 11 Feb
TBC

Introduction to Comedy Writing
2026-01-14 10:30 - 12:00 | Exeter Phoenix, Gandy St, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3LS, United Kingdom
10.30-12 Wednesday 14th, 21st, 28th January and 4th Feb
Comedy is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s toolkit, but have you ever stopped to think about what it actually is that makes something funny? How do you know if your writing is going to make people laugh? Where’s the line between comic and tragic characters, and, most importantly, can comedy even be taught? (Let’s hope so.)
While good comedy can feel effortless, there’s plenty of hard work going on behind the scenes to make it look that way. This course will give you an introduction to some of the basic techniques of comedy writing, from creating relatable yet flawed characters to getting to grips with punchlines and…
…wait for it…
…timing.
(I’ll get my coat.)
Jo Middleton is the author of three comedy novels, having been first approached by Penguin in 2019 on the back of her comedy lifestyle and parenting blog. She hosted the comedy podcast It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere with friend and fellow comic writer Gill Sims and was the host of Gill’s two-month theatre tour – Tits, Gits and Little Sh*ts – in 2022
