events
17 May, 7.30pm, Carlton Club, Chorlton: Reading at a Word of Mouth event as part of Chorlton Arts Festival, alongside Robin Ince, Zena Barrie and more… details and booking here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/word-of-mouth-the-carlton-club-tickets-1980469331082
23 May, 11.30am, Bolton Library Delighted to be talking about writing and ‘The Writer as Outsider’ with writers Pauline Rowe and Marnie Riches at this free event at the library. Details and free tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-writer-as-an-outsider-tickets-1987690335300?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
workshops
Lovely feedback from Michelle M on my March 2026 Zoom writing workshop: “Phenomenal, Tania. The time flew by, and none of it felt like work. I have a few promising ideas.” That’s exactly what I’m hoping for!
“Last night was JOYOUS! Thank you! …A shot in the arm in an overly-earnest world (which, as we know, is STIFLING for creativity!) Your workshops are like rocket fuel.” Writing Muscle Workshop Participant, Sept 2025
All my workshops always offer free, concessionary and pay-what-you-can places, you’re very welcome to have your camera off – and if you can’t join live on the night, all ticketholders receive a link to the recording shortly afterwards. Scroll down for access to recordings of past Zoom workshops.
Next Workshops:
May 18th 5.30-7pm UK Zoom workshop for Mslexia Salon: ‘When Physics and Fairy Tales Collide’
Physics is filled with galaxies of inspiration for writers of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and hybrids, from delicious terms like ‘charmed quark’ and the ‘luminiferous aether’ to mysterious and magical concepts such as ‘dark’ energy’ and ‘quantum gravity’. Writers have been using fairy tales as inspiration for centuries, borrowing characters, structures and general fairytaleishness. What might result from the collision of these two universes? In this workshop with Tania Hershman, we’ll experiment, creating physics fairy tales, naming our own subatomic particles, and inviting Snow White, Goldilocks and all the bears into the lab! (If anything science-y makes you nervous, don’t worry, this is all about imagination – you won’t be tested!) Visit the event page in the Salon to register. https://mslexia.co.uk/salon/
To be the first to hear about new workshops, sign up for my Substack newsletter: https://taniahershman.substack.com/
Unbox Your Words Zoom course: 2 workshops in June, 2 in September
LAST FEW PLACES LEFT: I’m about to run my very first Unbox Your Words Zoom course! The course theme will be “unboxing your words”, and we will explore different word-shapes and configurations, trying out some swerving, shapeshifting, transformation and hybrid writing to help you write what you want in the way you want to write it. More intimate than my usual workshops, the group will be a maximum of ten people, to open up space for discussion and sharing and, I hope, the creation of a community of writers who can keep giving each other permission once the formal course has finished!
There will be four Zoom workshops – two in June and two in September, with an assignment over the summer – and each participant, if they’d like it, can have a one-on-one Zoom “permission conversation” with me about their work afterwards. Because the focus is on sharing and discussion as well as creating new writing, unlike my regular Zoom workshops they won’t be recorded. I have never done anything quite like this before, so I will be “unboxing” too, finding new ways for us to take our words in different directions, listening to what the group’s needs are and shapeshifting my approaches as we go along. I really hope to see some of you there!cMore details about workshop dates and booking: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/taniahershman/2153586.
Tues July 7th, 7-9pm UK ZOOM: Arvon Masterclass “From Academic to General Readership”
Academics encounter fascinating stories in their research and archival work, but don’t often have the storytelling and writing tools to share these stories in creative and playful ways. Whether you’re an academic making the leap to writing for a general audience, or you’re simply looking to use the tools of creative writing to bring life to your research, come along to this interactive online writing Masterclass with genre-bending writer and hugely experienced writing tutor Tania Hershman. You’ll find tips, techniques, as well as permission and inspiration to experiment and create new work in fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and hybrid writing. Details and booking here: https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/courses-retreats/masterclass-the-journey-from-academic-to-general-readership-2/
Recordings of Past Zoom Workshops
To watch recordings of my previous Unbox Your Words Zoom workshops – ‘When Physics Meets Fairy Tales’, November’s ‘1-Hour Writing Muscle Workout’, January’s ‘Permission’ Workshop, February’s ‘Fairy Tale and Crime Mashup’ and the February 1-Hour Writing Muscle Workout, and March’s ‘Unwritten Women – Filling History’s Gaps’ – slip whatever amount feels right to you into my Tip Jar below, let me know in the PayPal message or by email to taniah@gmail.com which one (or more than one) you’d like to watch, and I will send you links and passcodes!
Testimonials:
From Zoom workshop March 2025:
Workshop participant: “You were amazing. Everyone was buzzing afterwards and there was a sense of permission to play that was talked about all day”
Sue: It’s been a great workshop – I write historical fiction so this has been a real eye opener for me – thank you Tania
Bridget: Thank you so much. Got me writing again! Such fun.
Sarah: Such a liberating freeing experience, thank you
Karen: This was definitely fun and instructive – thanks so much, Tania!
Monica: Thank you for the workshop!! Got to read so many interesting pieces
Pauline: Fabulous, Tania – love your sessions. So refreshing to try new approaches/ideas. Thank you!
Georgina N, participant in a Zoom flash fiction masterclass, Nov 2021: “Thank you Tania. It was like letting loose a swarm of humming bees to make honey. Clever facilitation.”
“Two hours of flash heaven this morning with Tania Hershman on her #flashfiction workshop. Excellent #writing exercises (I have 3 new micros at least!) & thoughtful, intelligent tips. ‘Liberation through constraint’ is my new mantra.” Tracy F, 2020
“Didn’t think I had it in me, but here I am at 8am EST, with four new flash story drafts written in the past two hours, thanks to Tania Hershman & her fab writing exercises… Thank you, Tania I’ve been writing, but not freely. This forced me to let go, something I have a very hard time doing with my writing. So grateful to Tania.” Janice L, 2020
“Brilliant flash fiction workshop with @taniahershman this morning. Came away with 4 drafts and now I need a nap! Also lovely to hear Tania echo my own sentiments of the line between poetry and flash being so thin” Sarah S, 2020
“I haven’t written anything new in months and this was exactly the kickstart I needed!!!” Marina S, 2020