Exploding Wine Bottles: Short Story Writing Masterclass with Zoe Gilbert (In person)
We’ve partnered with Word Factory, the national short story organisation, to bring you a series of inspiring writing masterclasses from the atmospheric spaces of The London Library, which, this season, focuses on radical writing.
Angela Carter’s retellings of folk tales shock us into new ways of seeing both the traditional tales and our own societies. She was a writer with an agenda, using storytelling to make her political points, since for Carter ‘narrative is an argument stated in fictional terms.’ We may not see ourselves as overtly political writers, but we each have a sense of what matters: where meaning lies in the world, and which messages we want to be heard. In this masterclass, led by acclaimed author Zoe Gilbert, we’ll take energy and inspiration from Angela Carter’s work as well as from the folk-tale material she used at The London Library. We’ll explore how we can argue for what we believe in through storytelling, drawing on folk tales as sources of deep meaning, enchantment, and the intensity of real lives transposed by story. As Carter said: 'I am all for putting new wine in old bottles, especially if the pressure of the new wine makes the old bottles explode.'
Come along and write with a bang!
The workshop will run from 10am to 1pm at the Library and all participants will receive a complimentary London Library day ticket (worth £20) so that you can continue writing or using the Library until it closes at 5.30pm. A guided tour of the Library will be on offer after the workshop for anyone who wants to explore. Tea and coffee will be provided throughout the workshop.
Zoe Gilbert’s first novel, Folk was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and adapted for BBC Radio. Her second novel, Mischief Acts, was published in March 2022. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and journals in the UK and internationally, and won prizes including the Costa Short Story Award. She is the co-editor with Lily Dunn of the recovery anthology, A Wild and Precious Life and is co-director of London Lit Lab, where she teaches and mentors writers. She also teaches courses for other organisations, such as Arvon Foundation and Writers & Artists, and is a Visiting Senior Fellow in creative writing at the University of Suffolk.
Word Factory creates literary excellence and long-term relationships supporting the next generation of short story writers.
We have some bursary funds available to enable those on low or no income to attend. This will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis and according to need. If you would like to apply for a partially or fully subsidised place, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 22nd October, letting us know why you’d like to attend, details of your financial situation (income, responsibilities and dependents, benefits, any other relevant information) and the amount of subsidy you’d need to attend.
NB Attendees will be able to access The London Library from 9.45am ahead of the event starting at 10am. Please see our Event Access and COVID Guidelines before you arrive.
London Library events are subject to Terms and Conditions.
