Colin Brush - Trainer at Penguin Books - Pitching Fiction Writer Boot Camp Sunday 14th September 10 - 12.  (12 places available - this course requires participants to bring along a lap top or iPad which can be connected by wifi). Telling Better Stories: How to pitch your novel A publishing copywriter's workshop to help you write compellingly about your novel or short story collection. Whether you're looking for help with your shout-line, elevator pitch, or want to know how to structure or add excitement to your blurb, Colin Brush, copywriter and blurb-writing trainer at Penguin Books for the last 25 years and writer of over 5,000 book blurbs, will provide examples, tips, tricks, ideas and exercises to help make the process of pitching your book as much fun as writing the story itself. Includes: Find your book's backbone. Uncover your story's tensions and hooks. Understand how different story types and blurb openings change your story pitch. Discover how to get some distance from your story. £5 morning ticket includes any coffee tea, hot chocolate or any soft drink

Acting Up! (Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) To perform ‘One in the eye’ outside Barnaby’s Lounge Sunday 14th September 12 -12.30 "Acting Up" is a small theatrical drama group who stage light-hearted narrative rhyming poetry in pantomime style with a local focus.  Previous performances include "From Bixlei to Bexhill"; and "The Beast of Bexhill". Writer and local poet Claire Baldry is currently writing a 1066 themed piece especially for The Hastings Fringe entitled "One in the Eye". Audience participation in the form of booing and hissing will be encouraged.

Sunday 14th September 7 - 9 pm (As Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) The Hastings Literary Lounge invite you to join them in their home at Barnaby’s bar for an evening of strange stories, thought- provoking poetry and maybe even a song or two. Please join us for a veritable smorgasbord of literary delights! FREE EVENT. Please take a moment to register for a free ticket so that we know you're coming.

Monday 15th September 7 - 9 (as part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe). Storytelling Session Hosted by Much Loved Author VG Lee The Bexhill Quills are a group of writers based in Bexhill on Sea. Some are published, some aspire to be published, and some write purely as a hobby. However, they all enjoy writing and support each other to create a wide variety of poetry and prose. The Bexhill Quills meet regularly for workshops and twice yearly for their very popular Writers Café. They will be reading some of their short stories to amuse and entertain.           Glyn Carter will read stories from old Albion: tales of gods, kings and giants. These are the ancient but forgotten origin myths of Albion and Britain, which are surprisingly relevant in today's world. Glyn is a local writer whose fantasy novel Gog-Magog waspublished last year. Writing as Geoff Carthy, he has also published a historical novel A Traitor's Son,  with another two coming in September 2025, all set in the tumultuous half-century leading up to 1066. Glyn's play Carabiners won The Stables New Writing Competition this year, for production in 2026. Anna Corbett will read from her novel ‘I […]

Writer’s Cafe - Tuesday 16th and Thursday 18th September 3 - 5pm (As Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) Come and write with us! A co-working club and writing snug every Tue & Thu, 3-5 pm, at Barnaby's Bar. Two hours quiet working - set your intention - make progress on your projects then join us for a drink downstairs. It's free, but please register as space is limited.  https://lu.ma/WritersCafe

Poetry for the People - Unleash the joy of poetry Tuesday 16th September 7 - 9 (As Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) A vibrant collective of poets with a mission to demystify poetry through the telling of relatable poems that resonate with everyday experiences. Their warm welcoming approach turns skeptics into enthusiasts, proving poetry can be for everyone. Members will be reading a range of accessible poetry written as part of the group. Group member, Miriam Logan, will present her latest work Elixir. Miriam Logan comes to the arts from a background in the healing profession, where for many years she worked as a Mediator while also writing a book entitled The Art of Easing Conflict. After receiving an MA in Aesthetics she began to see that a quest for fairness, which is central to mediation, might even be a quest for a natural sort of beauty. Since then she has written and painted constantly. Elixir, which she will launch on September 16th at Barnaby's  is her third book in which she combines images and words, all of them grappling with the idea of valuing difference and seeing it as central to creative outcomes. Della Reynolds, founding member of […]

Journaling for Writers Workshop 12 places available. £5 morning ticket includes any coffee tea, hot chocolate or any soft drink Journaling isn’t just for wellbeing. It can help you get unstuck, poke into your work in progress and revitalise your mindset about your writing project. This workshop offers timed journaling exercises to have you thinking afresh about your work. Suitable for anyone in the thick of a writing project!

Susie Warren Collage and writing workshop Wednesday 17th September 3 - 5 pm (upstairs) As Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe We will make expressive collages using found images and words. Developing these through freewriting will lead us to making edited poems or prose.  The workshop is suitable for all levels of ability and experience, aged 16 plus. £5 ticket includes any coffee tea, hot chocolate or any soft drink

Wine, books, a lovely social club. Contact on Facebook or just turn up. The organiser Stella Cutler is super welcoming.  

Writer’s Cafe - Thursday 18th September 3 - 5pm (As Part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) Come and write with us! A co-working club and writing snug every Tue & Thu, 3-5 pm, at Barnaby's Bar. Two hours quiet working - set your intention - make progress on your projects then join us for a drink downstairs. It's free, but please register as space is limited.  https://lu.ma/WritersCafe

Hyphae Collective warmly invite poets, musicians and singers to experiment and collaborate with our house band - let's see what magic we can weave together. Bring your instruments and your words; whether they be your own, someone else's or, even better, improvised! The jam is on the third Thursday of each month at 7pm, at Barnaby's Jazz Bar in Hastings. It's free and unticketed (though tips are welcomed). The building is wheelchair accessible, but the toilets are not. This is a queer and trans friendly event - everyone is welcome. Poster hand drawn by @Sekinue Next date : Thursday 16 October

Pearl Olsen - Sustainability and Self-care for Writers. Friday 19th September 11 - 1 (part of Hastings Book Festival Fringe) As writers, we act as conduits of creative energy. How do we ensure that the source remains plentiful and the channel free of obstruction? We are fine-tune instruments that have to be looked after — but who is the curator? You! How can we ensure the flow of ideas, concepts, scenarios, emotions, memories — the myriad topics we cover in our writing? This workshop will look at practical techniques for energising our craft whilst protecting our precious selves. This workshop is for all writers whether of prose or poetry; fiction or non-fiction; published or earlier in that journey. And people who are considering trying the art, but have reservations about what it might entail. It will be a space for personal reflection, meeting in commonality and hopefully, support — an allocated time all writers need. It will be led by Pearl Olsen, author and poet. Pearl has experience in counselling and has one novel published and two more under construction; plus various collections of poetry, not yet published. Maximum number 20 participants. £5 morning ticket includes any coffee tea, hot […]