A small, intensive mentoring group (maximum 4) for writers ready to shape existing material and ideas into a coherent life writing project.
This programme of six fortnightly sessions is designed for those who have begun to gather fragments — sketches, essays, notes, memories — and are now looking for structure, direction, and sustained, thoughtful feedback.
Working in a very small group (maximum 4 writers), you’ll receive detailed tutor feedback alongside the momentum and perspective that comes from sharing work in a committed, supportive environment. The emphasis is on developing a strong opening and a clear sense of your project’s form, while deepening your understanding of voice, structure, and narrative movement.
This is a focused, workshop-led space that sits between a traditional course and one-to-one mentoring.
What You’ll Gain
A strong opening section of your manuscript
A clearer sense of structure and direction
A portfolio of developed or revised work
Sustained, in-depth feedback on your writing
Greater confidence in voice, form, and approach
How it Works
6 fortnightly Zoom sessions (2 hours)
Maximum 4 participants
Fortnightly submission of up to 1,500–2,000 words
Brief written tutor feedback in advance of each session
In-depth workshop discussion of your work
Short craft discussions and close reading
A one-hour one-to-one mentoring session at the end
The workshop will meet on Zoom for accessibility, and to bring together writers across different locations.
Who It’s For
This mentoring group is best suited to writers who:
already have some material
are working towards a memoir, essay collection, or hybrid project
are ready to focus on structure, shape, and development
are looking for sustained, high-level feedback in a small group setting
Fortnightly Focus
Defining your project: from fragments to focus
Voice, distance, and the writing self
Structure and form
Pattern, image, and resonance
Truth, ethics, and emotional clarity
Openings, endings, and next steps
‘I returned home each week eager to rewrite, or write more. It was a very motivating course.’
-Carole May, participant in Writing Our Lives (life writing)
Course Details
Dates: Fridays · May 8th – July 17th · 10:00 – 12:00 (Zoom)
Fee: £445
Reduced rate for low-waged/precarious writers: £395 (two spaces available)
Group Size: Maximum 4 writers
If you cannot attend a session, you’ll be given access to materials and a recording.
A free taster workshop, Beyond Chronology: Finding the Right Form for Your Life Writing, will run on Wednesday 29th April.
Book your place
This course is offered in partnership with Dialect, a collective supporting writers in rural and edgeland places.
You can book your place via the Dialect website (booking link below).
Once payment is received, you’ll receive a confirmation email with Zoom details, reading list, and pre‑course materials.
Cancellation Policy
Full refund available up to 14 days before the course starts. After that, refunds can only be offered if your space is filled from the waiting list.
About the tutor
Kate Potts is the author of three poetry collections. Her latest, Pretenders (Bloodaxe, 2025), is a hybrid, multi‑voice exploration of imposter feelings and identity. Feral (Bloodaxe, 2018) was a Poetry Book Society recommendation and a Telegraph poetry book of the month.
She has a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing and a PGCE in post‑16 education, and has taught at City, Royal Holloway, Oxford, and Middlesex Universities, as well as for The Poetry School, Arvon, and other creative‑writing and community organisations. Her work has been supported by Arts Council England and shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award and The Moth International Poetry Prize.
Alongside her teaching, she runs Poetical Workshop, an online poetry community, and writes Speak Up! — a Substack newsletter about creative practice, failing better, and taking up space.