Novel Writing with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School
2026-07-27 14:45 - 2026-07-30 16:45 (Europe/Dublin) | Market Place Theatre, Armagh, Market Street, Armagh, Armagh, BT61 7BW, United Kingdom
Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th & Thursday 30th July 2026 | 2.45pm – 4.45pm | £80 for three-day workshop course
Spaces are limited – advance booking is essential.
These practical and participative workshops will focus on: structuring a novel; writing openings with impact; creating credible characters; building convincing settings and selecting point of view. We will also explore opportunities for further development and submission of work. Suitable for writers who are beginning or developing a novel. Works-in-progress are welcomed.
Bernie McGill is the author of two novels, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House and two short story collections. She is the 2023 winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For. Her first short story collection Sleepwalkers was republished by No Alibis Press in 2025. Her novels have been published in the UK, the US and in translation in Italy and the Netherlands.

Workshop course is delivered over three days.
Each workshop lasts two hours and all workshops are delivered at the same time.
Participants should attend all three sessions.
Tutors are experienced creative writing facilitators and published authors.
All levels are welcome.

Book via The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre Armagh.
The full programme of events for the John Hewitt International Summer School (taking place 27th – 31st July 2026) is available on the John Hewitt Society’s website.
Bursary applications are open until Friday 22nd May at 5pm.
A full sponsored bursary award includes:
– B&B for five nights in a single room, within walking distance of The Market Place Theatre.
– Free tickets to all programmed events each day, unless otherwise specified.
– A free creative writing workshop of your choice, which includes 6 hours of tuition over 3 days.
– An invitation to all festival receptions.
– Morning break refreshments Tuesday – Friday.
For eligibility and application form go to the John Hewitt Society.

Fall, leaves, fall: a day of writing at the close of summer with Bernie McGill at Ballyeamon Barn, Cushendall
2026-09-26 10:00 - 16:00 | Ballyeamon Barn, 127 Ballyeamon Road, Cushendall, Ballymena, Antrim, BT44 0QP, United Kingdom
Saturday 26th September 2026
10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Near the time of the Autumn Equinox, as the days begin again to noticeably shorten, this writing day will be an opportunity to reflect, take stock, and write whatever is in your head that wants to be written. We will spend the day in the mellow setting of Ballyeamon Barn and in a community of fellow writers. We will read short extracts from published writers to generate ideas, and offer prompts and suggestions for stimulation. All levels of experience are welcome, from published writers to first-timers, poets, fiction and memoir writers alike. Come with writing materials and an open mind, prepared to write.
Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided.
Facilitator Bernie McGill is the author of novels The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet. She is the winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Prize for her short story collection This Train is For. She is a Writing for Life Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund and an Honorary member of the Linen Hall Library in which building her writing archive is held. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. She works as a Writing Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre. Her first short story collection, Sleepwalkers was re-published in 2025 by No Alibis Press.
‘Fall, leaves, fall’ is the title of a poem by Emily Brontë
