Writing Otherwise
Writing Otherwise with Hannah Lowe
A Year of Creative Transformation
March 2026 – March 2027
About the Programme
Through 12 months of immersive online learning, Writing Otherwise will explore the following issues and questions:
- Writing about real life: Who can say what? Whose story is it?
- Memory, family stories and archives: What is present, absent, unknowable?
- Sustaining creativity in turbulent times: How can creative work anchor us?
- Form and content: How might we work across genres – of memoir, essay and poetry to create new, meaningful work?
This course is not only a writing skills program but a mentoring space where you can expand your creative practice, explore the ethics of storytelling and reflect on your own voice and place in the world. Writing Otherwise offers thoughtful guidance, a supportive community, and space for writing, reflection and exploration.
My Approach
My writing and personal life have always been deeply intertwined. In my early twenties, my father died and my mother suffered a life-altering illness. Out of this grief, I began to write. From the start, writing was not only compelling but transformative — long before ideas of therapy and writing were widely discussed.
I began publishing in my late twenties: my first poetry collection Chick (2013), followed by my memoir Long Time, No See (2015). In 2022, my third collection The Kids won the Costa Book of the Year, and in 2023 I received the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award for my forthcoming memoir The Woman in the Chinese Collar.
I am continually drawn to the stories of the marginalised and overlooked. My work explores how we are shaped by social, political and cultural forces; it interrogates questions of choice and determination; and it pushes at the boundaries of how to work with archives and absence as creative tools. I strive always to make art that is compelling, rigorous and transformative.
Over two decades of writing, I’ve learned that craft is only one part of becoming a writer. To create meaningfully, we must build a creative life. My own practice rests on three pillars:
- Reading deeply across genres, and learning to read as a writer
- Creative community, where ideas are tested, work is shared, and feedback is both generous and rigorous
- Mentorship, which has transformed my own writing and sustained me through the challenges of the creative process
These three pillars are at the heart of Writing Otherwise. In this course I will share not only the skills I’ve developed, but also the practices that have shaped and supported me as a writer. My aim is to offer thoughtful guidance, accountability, and a supportive space where you can expand your own creative life.
‘As a mentor, Hannah is a hugely inspiring influence and deeply knowledgeable. She is wonderful in offering editorial advice and creative direction, and to help me appreciate the best way to achieve form or narrative. I have learnt so much from Hannah and have gained a lot more confidence in my work and voice through the process.’
– Jennifer Wong, author of Letters Home (Nine Arches)
Course Structure
Two live sessions/month (Wednesdays, 7–9pm UK | 2–4pm EST | 11am–1pm PST)
Two 1:1 mentoring sessions during the year (extra sessions available)
Weekly writing prompts (on character, dialogue, metaphor, syntax, etc.)
Slack group for peer feedback, resources and ongoing discussion
Final project: portfolio or longer work with reflection on your creative journey
Dates
Live sessions: Two Wednesday evenings each month, 7:00–9:00pm (UK time)
March 2026 — 11th and 25th
April 2026 — 8th and 22nd
May 2026 — 6th and 27th (adjusted date for first session)
June 2026 — 10th and 24th
July 2026 — 8th and 22nd
August 2026 — 12th and 26th
September 2026 — 9th and 23rd
October 2026 — 14th and 28th
November 2026 — 11th and 25th
December 2026 — 2nd and 16th (final sessions before winter break)
January 2027 — 13th and 27th
February 2027 — 10th and 24th (closing sessions and reflections)
Monthly Themes
- Orientation: Why Write Now?
- Memory and Invention
- Family Stories, Difficult Histories
- Archives and Absence
- Identity and Voice
- Place, Land, Environment
- Bodies, Care, Survival
- Responsibility and Representation
- Craft and Experimentation
- Writing in Turbulent Times
- Audience and Intimacy
- Continuation, Celebration
Who is this course for?
Writing Otherwise is designed for anyone who is ready to deepen their creative practice and explore the art of storytelling. This course is ideal for:
- Writers at any stage
- Artists and creators – those wishing to incorporate writing into broader creative work, or look at intersections between writing and other disciplines
- Explorers of new forms – those interested in experimentation across form and genre
- Anyone involved in creative research and personal/public archives and/or in exploring themes of history, family, memory and identity
- People seeking community as a nest for creative development.
What kind of experience do I need to join?
This course is open to writers at all levels – from beginners to more experienced writers.
Do I need to be working on a specific project to join the course?
No! While the course is structured to help you develop your writing, you don’t need to have a specific project in mind. The year long process will help you clarify your voice and take your creative practice to the next level.
‘Hannah Lowe is a generous and wide reader of poems. She asks good questions, and probes and challenges you to find the music and the forms that create the dualities in your own poems, taking them to the next level. Invest in your writing and get a quality mentor like Hannah.’
– Raymond Antrobus, author of The Perseverance (Penned in the Margins) Signs and Music (Picador)
Why Choose Writing Otherwise?
Many writers working from lived experience struggle to shape their stories. They worry about permission, ethics, or exposing others. They feel isolated or unsure how to sustain their creative work over time. Writing Otherwise offers a space to explore these complexities with care. It brings together creative practice, reflection and conversation, helping writers to deepen their work and sustain a meaningful creative life.
Why it’s different
Most writing courses focus specifically on fiction, poetry or memoir, emphasising the technicalities of craft. Writing Otherwise is different: it destabilises the strict boundaries between genres and forms, and provide an umbrella space for life writing in its many forms – memoir, poetry, autofiction, essay, lyric or hybrid text. It also recognises that all writing from lived experience has a therapeutic dimension, yet moves beyond journalling or self-expression. The course treats writing as a way of thinking, feeling and transforming: an artistic practice that can hold complexity, beauty and truth.
How it works
Over twelve months, you’ll be guided through a series of themed sessions that bring together reading, discussion and writing practice. Each month focuses on a different aspect of life writing.
There are two live sessions each month. Between sessions, you’ll receive written invitations – creative tasks and reflections designed to deepen both your project and your craft. Some prompts will focus on larger questions of structure and storytelling, while others will be deliberately targeted on technique: openings and endings, the rhythm of sentences, creating vivid scenes and dialogue, finding the right metaphor.
These are not formal assignments, but opportunities to write, play, and receive thoughtful feedback from me and your peers.
You’ll also have two one-to-one mentoring sessions during the year, a chance to discuss your work in progress, shape your manuscript, or think through creative blocks. A shared online space (Slack) will hold readings, resources and ongoing conversation, providing community and accountability throughout the year.
The course offers a rhythm of structure and spaciousness: enough scaffolding to sustain your writing practice; enough freedom to discover where your work wants to go.
What you’ll gain
By the end of the year, you will have:
A clearer and more confident sense of your creative voice and direction
A sustained writing practice, anchored in accountability and care
A community of peers – a genuine creative cohort that often continues beyond the course
A new approach to your project, whether memoir, poetry, essay or hybrid text
The possibility of completing a full text or collection, or developing substantial new material
A deeper understanding of how to write ethically and imaginatively from life
Renewed energy, focus, and belief in your creative life
Why me?
I’ve spent my career exploring how we write from life – through my own award-winning books and through teaching and mentoring hundreds of writers. My work moves between poetry, memoir, and scholarship, and Writing Otherwise grows directly from that experience. I believe in writing as a practice of attention and transformation, and I’ve built this course to help others write bravely, deeply and otherwise.
Spaces limited to 10 students.
Register now to secure your place.