Hello readers and writers and everyone out there in the world, August is almost at its end - just nine days to go. For those of you who missed the news, every writing workshop booked with me in August receives a free copy of one of my books (The Peculiars, The Fall or Living While… Continue reading Five opportunities to write with me in September
A new short story by me published in Omenana
It's easy to sit behind your desk as a writer and write and submit, write and submit, with very little to show for it. Over the past two years I've been regularly submitting short fiction to literary journals and websites around the world, and keeping track of it all through a very trend excel spreadsheet… Continue reading A new short story by me published in Omenana
Online writing creative writing workshop happening this Friday
This Friday, 15 August, I'll be hosting a creative writing workshop on Zoom. The workshop takes place between 9 and 1pm, SAST. The focus of this month's workshop is place. Where our stories take place matters, for the reader who seeks novelty or familiarity, and for the characters themselves. In this workshop we’ll play with:… Continue reading Online writing creative writing workshop happening this Friday
Six opportunities to write with me in August
Hello writers! Come along and write with me in August. Sign up now via email - jenthorpewrites@gmail.com I'm running two online and two in-person workshops. Creative writing workshops In this workshop we’ll play with: Micro and macro worldbuilding — great for those of you who are writing fantasy, speculative fiction, magical realism, or anything slightly… Continue reading Six opportunities to write with me in August
Creative Writing Workshops for Every Level in 2025
As inspired by another Substack post I read this morning, I’ll quickly reintroduce myself for those of you who are new. I’m Jen Thorpe, a writer and researcher from Cape Town, South Africa. I’ve published two novels, a full length non-fiction book, edited three collections of feminist essays, and published three children’s books. I’m also… Continue reading Creative Writing Workshops for Every Level in 2025
We cannot say we did not know
I was born in Apartheid South Africa, and I have grown up in post-Apartheid South Africa. When I was nine years old we had our first democratic elections, and when I was eleven the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began its work of trying to get to the heart of the injustice that the majority of… Continue reading We cannot say we did not know