Lists: A Creative Life-Writing Workshop

Countless writers and artists – Susan Sontag, Umberto Eco, Louise Bourgeois – have kept lists; for inspiration, to confer value, as creative provocation. In this workshop exploring lists and life-writing, we will hear from two writers who have recently published acclaimed memoirs based on lists: Lulah Ellender (Elisabeth’s Lists, Granta 2018); and Clare Best (The Missing List, Linen Press 2018). The day will begin with a presentation from the Mass Observation Project from the University of Sussex, who will bring along material from their archive to inspire your creative writing. After lunch Clare and Lulah will speak about their work, and then lead you through a series of exercises designed to open up the creative potential of lists and list-making.