The South London Writing School, launched in December 2025, presents a series of creative writing courses and Masterclass Sundays housed in our very own events space here at Bookseller Crow bookshop. Founded by the author and performer Karen McLeod, the School offers a programme  of in-person creative writing courses at the bookstore in Crystal Palace, tutored by published writers, performers and industry professionals.

This comes as a response to the need for in-person creative writing courses, south of the river, and an antidote to our data-driven digital age. Through writing, experimentation and the love of books, the South London Writing School will nurture creativity while emphasising the power that comes from belonging to a writing community.

Launching on 27th January 2026 with a six-week Fiction Writing course led by McLeod (fully booked), a series of monthly Masterclass Sundays follow, introducing industry professionals leading workshops themed around their area of expertise.

Masterclass Sundays 

1st February – TV Writing with Daisy Coulam

The first ever Masterclass Sunday will be with top TV writer Daisy Coulam on Sunday 1st February, 9am-11am at Bookseller Crow Bookshop. Join us for an inside look at the highs (and occasional lows) of writing for TV drama. Sharing tips and tricks from Daisy’s career we’ll look at:

• How to craft and pitch original ideas
• Structure scripts
• Create memorable characters
• Write zingy dialogue
• Q&A

Whether you’re a beginner or have a work-in-progress that needs some TLC, this session will offer guidance, inspiration and probably a few sweary anecdotes.  There’ll be a writing exercise to waken up those fingers and brains, so bring your pens and paper/ a notebook. More details here.

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1st March – Memoir Writing with Karen McLeod

Join Karen McLeod for an inspiring, interactive and fun workshop that dives into the art of writing about your life. Karen will discuss approaches to memoir writing while discussing the issues (and the many liberations) that can come from writing about the past.
Through writing exercises you will explore how to uncover material, dig into the important stories of your life, then hone in on an idea for a story. Whether you’re already working on a memoir project, or wish to begin writing about your life, by the end of the session whatever your experience, you will leave with new material and be equipped with tools to continue. Bring a notebook and pen, plus an open mind and heart.

You will be introduced to:

• What is memoir?
• Writing exercises to access buried memories
• How to focus in on a particular subject/time/person/place
• And a chance to ask questions

More details here.

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29th March – Writing Funny Fiction with Kate Davies

Learn how to write fiction that makes people laugh in this workshop with Kate Davies, whose first novel, In at the Deep End, was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction.

We’ll look at:

•  The purpose of humour in fiction
• The technical aspects of writing jokes
• Examine extracts from comic novels to analyse how different writers use comedy in their work
• And have a go at developing comic prose, so bring your notebook and pen

More details here book.

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3rd May – Spring Poetry Masterclass with Sophia Blackwell

Join us for a look at poems of renewal, rebirth and resistance and the chance to write your own. You don’t need to have crafted a poem or sonnet before, but Sophia will be passing on her favourite poetic lessons from both page and stage, including:

• Poetic form: when to use it and when to lose it
• How to self-edit your poetry
• A brief history of sonnets and short poems, from Thomas Wyatt to Terrance Hayes
• Spring songs: writing for renewal and reconnection to the outside world
• Q & A

Whether you’re a budding or experienced poet, this workshop will offer writing and editing exercises to warm you up for the year ahead. Bring pens and paper to get the words flowing!

Sophia Blackwell is a poet and author who teaches poetry and performance in person and online with Bloomsbury’s Writers & Artists team and at Falmouth University. Her own poetry has been published by Bloodaxe, Burning Eye (who publish her two full collections) Nine Arches and the Emma Press.  She is the author of The Poetry Writer’s Handbook from Bloomsbury Press. Book HERE

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EIGHT WEEK Creative Writing Course: Fiction from life with Karen McLeod

Tuesday 28th April – 16th June, 7.30 – 9.30pm (eight evenings)

This eight week creative writing course is led by award-winning author and performer Karen McLeod. Weekly sessions provide the structure to help you start writing and find what it is you want to write. Karen introduces the importance of craft, while equally encouraging experimentation to discover your writing voice and see the world as a major source of inspiration. More details here.

The course is held within the events space of The Bookseller Crow bookshop in south east London and takes place on Tuesday evenings over 8 consecutive weeks from 28th April – 16th June 2026, 7.30 pm – 9.30pm. The content has been developed for beginners, as well as creatives who have lost their mojo, or writers in need of motivation and confidence. Places are offered on a first come, first served basis with a maximum of thirteen students in each class. The total cost is £299 and is suitable for over 18s. Book HERE

COURSE STRUCTURE:
Each week your writing tutor will introduce a specific aspect of creative writing alongside writing exercises each week during the workshop. As well as this, there will be weekly explorative ‘creative assignments’ to be completed outside of class. Writers should put aside a minimum of three hours per week to complete these. During the 8 weeks the following areas of creative writing will be introduced:

• Using our stories, place and time to inspire fiction
• Points of view – who is telling your story
• Building characters/method writing
• Story structure/shape
• Dialogue
• The importance of strong openings
• A brief guide to editing
• Final week – a reading and feedback party

In honour of Jonathan Main, our bookseller at Bookseller Crow who sadly died in September, we are offering one free scholarship place for someone who would be unable to attend due to financial constraints. This is aimed at the unemployed, the unwaged carers or those on a low income. To apply for this scholarship please do not book below and instead send your details, including a short description of your circumstances, including where you live, with 8 Week Creative Writing SCHOLARSHIP in the email title to: scribblingcrow[at]hotmail.com The deadline for this scholarship application is Monday 31st March 2026 6pm. Applications sent after this deadline cannot be considered.

To ask a question about the writing course email the team at: scribblingcrow@hotmail.com 

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Participant feedback

“The main thing I wanted to say was ‘thank you’. When I took your course, I had a real case of lost mojo. I found you properly inspiring and your approach to life writing really helped me reconnect with myself. The book I’m working on had its genesis in your class so you had a very real impact.”

“I got exactly what I wanted and needed on your course! I was looking for ways to access writing that felt all locked up inside of me and I didn’t want to ‘learn to write like everyone else’… Thank you for an absolutely fantastic course.”

“I loved the course – it knocked me off my normal pattern of thinking and got me to try new things! Also I got some really useful feedback.”

SOUTH LONDON WRITING SCHOOL FOUNDER and Creative Writing tutor Karen McLeod
Karen McLeod is a prize-winning author In Search Of The Missing Eyelash and performer of comic poet Barbara Brownskirt. She holds an MA in Creative Life Writing from Goldsmiths University and is Bookseller Crow’s writer-in-residence and literary events co-ordinator. Her memoir on flying as cabin crew, Lifting Off, was published in 2024. For twelve years Karen worked for British Airways as cabin crew and it was this experience which sent her into freefall, and years later became the subject and ‘container’ for Lifting Off.

For the last thirteen years she has run creative writing courses within the bookshop. These workshops have proved hugely popular and are often fully booked. The formats works both creatively and for the community, linking together creatives from Crystal Palace, South-East London and beyond. Karen also teaches for the National Writing Centre, Norwich and the Arvon Foundation.

Those attending have gone on to write successful TV dramas, radio plays, poetry, novels and performance. In 2019 Kate Davies had her debut novel published, In At The Deep End by Borough Press and in 2020 it won the Polari prize. Fiona Keating’s novel Smoke and Silk will be published by Headline Books in 2025. Many writers attending the classes form strong friendships and continue to meet up in their own writing groups.

See Karen’s website www.karenmcleod.co.uk