September always feels like the beginning of something to me. I think it’s because in the UK the school year starts in September. This is deeply ingrained in me as the beginning of things. September is the month for getting new stationery and making plans. Also, as the start of autumn, it will hopefully be cooler. I am ready for some cooler weather and some fun online activities. There’s lots on. It’s shaping up to be a good month.
From the remote body:
Wednesdays from the 16th September 14.00 - 16.00 GMT, The writing workshop
This autumn, The Remote Writing Workshop group will be a cohort of 9 writers meeting every other week to workshop up to 3 pieces of writing, giving each other feedback and receiving written and verbal feedback from facilitator Char Heather.
Wednesdays 23rd September - 2nd December 14.00 - 16.00 GMT, Writing sessions
The Writing Sessions are a two hour space (with breaks!) in which facilitator Char Heather will provide an optional writing prompt for the first half hour of the session, followed by an opportunity to chat. In the second hour of the session we will use the space to work quietly together on our own projects.
Elsewhere:
Tuesday 1st September 19.00 - 21.30 GMT, The British Folklore of Stone Circles, £15
Stone circles are among the most iconic, and mysterious, monuments in the British landscape: weathered witnesses to ancient times.
Join folklorist, historian and storyteller Jon Norman Mason to explore the tales, dreams, wild guesses and old beliefs that have gathered around the stones over the centuries - from lost kings to petrified sinners, mischievous fairies to ancient giants.
Wednesday 2nd September 19.00 - 21.00, An Evening of Fairy Tales & Folklore with Dr Sharon Blackie, £13.50
In this talk, Dr Sharon Blackie reminds us that fairy tales were made for times of uncertainty, change and upheaval. Drawing from her new book, Ripening, she reflects on how fairy tales mirror the realities of ordinary lives, illuminating who we are and who we could be. They offer powerful images and help us see the new possibilities that appear when the systems around us begin to break.
Friday 4th September 18.30 - 19.30, The Tea Cup Poisoner, free
This talk explores how a 14 year of schoolboy was convicted of poisoning friends and family and how he became the youngest inmate in Broadmoor since 1885.
Sundays from 6th September - 27th September 10am - noon PST, Playwriting - for clowns and non-clowns, $299
This is an LA clown school that offers some of it’s courses online. It’s a little pricey but they have some fun looking offerings. Over four Sundays, explore the fundamentals of theatrical storytelling: how stage dialogue works differently from film, how to build characters with genuine conflict, what makes a scene compelling, and how to structure a story for the stage. Each session includes creative exercises and timed writing prompts designed to get you writing without overthinking. Through group reads, scene analysis, and supportive feedback, you’ll gain confidence in the craft and walk away with the skills to start your own playwriting journey.
Sunday 6th September onwards, A Queer Craft Collective with just femme + dandy, free
Join as we craft queer futures, finish all those half done projects, and maybe even find some collective liberation along the way. Open to all levels, all crafts, or just to hang out, come as you are, and stay as long as your heart needs.
Tuesday 8th September 19.00 GMT, B.K. Borison in conversation with Ali Hazelwood, £5
This is a pre-publication event where author B.K. Borison will talk with Ali Hazelwood about her new book Grim tidings.
B.K. Borison returns with a magical follow-up to Good Spirits; when a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a sceptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.
Wednesday 9th September - March 2027 - From Foraged to Finished — An Online Course in Natural Ink-Making, Printmaking and the Bookarts, £20
This online series follows one practice through a full season — from foraging and making your own colour, through to printing, collaging and binding it into a finished record. Seven sessions, live once a month from September to March.
I’ve signed up to this one as it’s a great deal.
Saturday 12th September, 18.00 - 20. 00 GMT, Composting Basics, free
Learn to make your own backyard compost- a living soil amendment rich in nutrients and micro-organisms.
Monday 14th September 18.30 - 20.30, Curlews and Grouse Moors, free
Professor Ian Newton explores the importance of managed grouse moors for struggling curlew populations. This free webinar is aimed at anyone with an interest in working towards a sustainable future for farmers and wildlife. We welcome farmers, students, naturalists, conservation professionals, ecologists, land managers, and anyone else who is keen to understand how to farm with nature in mind.
Monday 14th September 18.30 - 20.30 GMT, Imagining Animals | Royal Drawing School x Tower of London, £23
Draw a larger-than-life animal puppet in this special two-hour live online drawing class, presented in partnership with the Tower of London.
This online drawing class brings together animal puppets and costumed creatures from the Tower’s Imagining Animals performances.
Led by artists Mervyn Millar and Suzy Willson, ‘Imagining Animals’ draws inspiration from animals across the world, including those that once lived at the Tower as part of the Royal Menagerie for 600 years.
Wednesday 16th September 19.00 - 20.30 GMT, The prehistorical burial monuments of the peak district, £8.88
This talk explores the Neolithic and Bronze Age burial monuments of the Derbyshire Peak District. Join archaeologist Dr Matt Beresford as we explore the Neolithic chambered tombs and Bronze Age barrows of the Peak District.
Friday 18th September 14.00 GMT, Captivating Cartography at The National Archives, free
Discover unexpected stories and secrets revealed by ten maps from the collection.
The National Archives contains an extraordinary treasure trove of over six million maps, charts and plans. Stretching back to medieval times and covering most of the world, these cartographic holdings tell the story of Britain and its former empire.
Thursday 24th September 13.00 - 14.00 GMT, Discoveries After Dark: How Insects Connect Us to Nature, free
Dr Christopher Barnes shares new research showing the benefit of engaging with the natural world after dark. This talk presents a series of innovative studies that examine how nighttime nature experiences – focusing on moths, crane flies, and other invertebrates – may enhance connection to nature and the night sky, promote conservation-oriented behaviour, and support well-being.
Friday 25th September 14.00 GMT, Tyranny and Oppression in the English and Welsh Workhouse, 1780-1930, free
Discover how the central and local state tried to control the lives of the poorest citizens of England and Wales.
Focusing on the period from the 1780s through to the outbreak of the First World War, Paul Carter from The National Archives and Steve King from Nottingham Trent University will discuss how these everyday measures led to the creation of a framework of oppression in disciplining the poor.
Wednesday 30th September 19.00 - 20.00 GMT, Exploring the Bayeux Tapestry, £5
To coincide with the opening of the British Museum’s exhibition of what it described as “one of the wonders of the medieval world”, this talk by Leonie Hicks, Professor of Medieval Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University, explores who commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry plus the reasons why and who did the work.
Char recommends:
The resting up collective substack.
Jenny recommends:
Meander, spiral, explode by Jane Alison - I’m sure Char has recommended this before but I just finished reading it and it’s brilliant.
The webseries “Touch” - queer Australian series available on Youtube.
The Katering show - Australian youtube show that I was reminded of as I typed the above rec. Written and performed by the same comedians who wrote “Deadloch.” This is actually fairly old - published 11 years ago.
Oh wow, the ink making course looks amazing.
Thank you, a fascinating list as always
England 😁. Schools go back in August in Scotland 😊