Brightlingsea WinterFest is being launched with a splash at the town’s Lido where Writer-in-Residence Ruth Loten will be holding a creative writing workshop.
The event, taking place on Wednesday March 2 at 7pm, is the first in a packed programme for this year’s WinterFest, Brightlingsea’s annual festival of music and arts.
“I am delighted that the writing workshop will be bringing together two great Brightlingsea institutions, the Lido and WinterFest,” said Ruth, 42, a former teacher.
She was appointed as the first ever writer-in-residence at Brightlingsea Lido in November last year. The free workshop Ruth is staging at the Lido Cafe for WinterFest will help create material for an anthology being produced to celebrate the Lido’s 90th anniversary this year.
“The workshop will cover the basics of creative writing and will be ideal for people who would like to contribute to the anthology, but don’t know how to start. We will be using the Lido as the inspiration to get ideas down on paper and the writing could be of any genre,” said Ruth, who lives in Brightlingsea with her husband James, a deputy headteacher and sons Henry,16 and six-year-old Arthur.
Ruth, who has an MA in creative writing, is one of the founders and editors of the digital literary and visual arts magazine, Markarelle. She recently published her first novel for adults, called Unforgettable.
The creative writing workshop at The Lido will be followed by a whole host of varied events for WinterFest, including an afternoon with poet and musician Martin Newell, a comedy night with Wivenhoe Funny Farm, a Rum and Reggae night and several live music sessions.
For more details about WinterFest and this year’s programme of events visit www.brightlingseawinterfest.co.uk. For more information about Ruth’s work e mail [email protected] and see her website www.reloten.com
• To see WinterFest and other town events, visit the Brightlingsea Calendar.
