BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Bridge Farm Bristol - ECPv6.17.5.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://bridgefarmbristol.co.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Bridge Farm Bristol
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/London
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20250330T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20251026T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20260329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20261025T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20270328T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20271031T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261129T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261129T180000
DTSTAMP:20260902T155456Z
CREATED:20260805T144911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T155456Z
UID:18305-1795942800-1795975200@bridgefarmbristol.co.uk
SUMMARY:Another World Is Possible: using fiction to write our way into a better future
DESCRIPTION:Another World Is Possible: using fiction to write our way into a better future \n \nFiction. Stories. Imaginings. Daydreaming. None of these ever changed the world – or did they? \nThis programme is underpinned by a radical proposition. Stories can change the world. For those of us interested in making the world a better place\, investing time into creating new stories is a worthy form of changemaking. \nIn writing fiction\, in inventing new worlds\, in bringing characters to life\, in creating compelling stories\, activists and changemakers can do something that it is often challenging. We can take others into the world we want to live in\, the one that usually exists only in our imaginations. We can\, literally and metaphorically\, create a better world.  We can show people – and show ourselves – that another world is possible.The worlds we create might be futuristic\, post-apocalyptic\, utopian\, adjacent\, parallel universes\, sliding-doors\, fairytales\, whatever works best for our creativity. \nThe programme starts with one question: what is the story that you need to hear right now? \nBy dropping into this question in our minds\, dreaming into it with our hearts\, and wandering within our imaginations\, we can find our own entry point. It might be an idea\, a single image\, a question or a feeling. A glimpse. A window. A sentence. The start of a story. \nThis story\, once we have breathed life into it and played with characters\, contexts and plots\, can be one of the things that keeps ours spirit alive and supports us with other forms of activism and changemaking. \nOur stories might turn into campfire tales\, short stories\, podcasts\, blueprints for activism\, graphic novels\, or even full-length books. But more than that\, the worlds that we have created in these stories won’t disappear. We will find out if we can bring them closer to our current realities. If we can imagine them\, we might just make them happen. \nThis programme is adventurous\, playful\, and ambitious. We will imagine\, talk\, create\, and write. Our stories will be our own\, but they will be fed and nourished by the conversations through which they emerged. Writing does not have to be a solitary endeavour. By writing alongside each other\, supporting each other\, and building a strong collaborative culture\, all our stories will be richer. Bring it on. Who wants to play? Let’s write. \n\nDates\, format and content\nThis programme takes place over five months and includes face-to-face and online elements. Everything is designed to enable you to navigate your way through the programme in a consent-based and self-directed way. This means that you choose what you want to take part in and how you want to participate. There is no pressure to join in with anything that doesn’t feel like a good use of your time. \nFace-to-face Writing Retreats (Bristol) \nWeekend 1- Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 November 2026 (10am-5pm on both days) \n\nOpening circle and making agreements\nWhy use fiction for changemaking?\nWhat is the world we want to live in?\nWhat is the story you need to hear right now?\nWorld Building\nFinding characters\nWhat-If questions\nThe story arc / plot\nDedicated writing time\nDeveloping writing practices\nSetting intentions\nClosing circle\n\nWeekend 2- Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 March 2027 (10am-5pm on both days) \n\nOpening circle and making agreements\nCan stories change the world?\nDedicated writing time\nStorytelling spaces\nUsing feedback for refining stories\nMaking it real – how fiction can help our changemaking\nThe next chapter – what is the next step for our stories?\nClosing circle\n\nZoom Writing Rooms: \nWriting Room 1 – Wed 6 January 2027 (7-9pm) \nOpening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle \nWriting Room 2 – Tues 2 February 2027 (7-9pm) \nOpening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle \nWriting Room 3 – Thurs 4 March 2027 (7-9pm) \nOpening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle \nOne-to-one Writing Mentoring: \nTwo one-hour sessions – time\, content and structure is negotiable \n\nLocation for Face-to-Face Writing Retreats\nTop Barn\, Bridge Farm\, Glenfrome Road\, BRISTOL\, BS16 1BQ (non-residential). \n\nWho is it aimed at?\nDo you like stories? Great. Do you want to live in a world which is a bit different from the one we live in right now? Brilliant. That’s enough. \nYou don’t have to be a storyteller. You don’t need to be a writer. All you need is a belief that another world is possible\, and a curiosity to explore what this might look like if you let your imagination run wild. \n\nWho is facilitating the programme?\nMax Hope (they/them) is a facilitator\, educator\, researcher\, activist\, and writer. Max’s own identity as an activist and changemaker is rooted in their commitment to social and environmental justice. They have spent many years as a grassroots activist\, primarily focusing on challenging queer and gender-based inequalities and providing innovative alternative spaces for marginalized young people and adults. They are angry about poverty\, about sexual violence\, about the abuse of power\, about patriarchy\, and about the state of the wild world. Max is a keen writer and has authored or co-authored two books\, twenty academic articles and book chapters\, as well as pamphlets\, booklets\, and blog posts. They are currently immersed in a fiction project which involved world building\, creating characters\, and dealing with ‘what if?’ scenarios and they are loving it. They have also run writing retreats and supported dozens of students in their writing of essays\, dissertations\, and PhD theses. For more info on Max\, including a full list of publications\, go to https://maxhope.co.uk/ \n\nHow much does it cost and how do I book a place?\nPlaces are £495 (standard rate) / £550 (supporter rate) \nPlease email hello@maxhope.co.uk to book a place\, and you will be sent a Booking Form and payment details. \nIf you do not have the financial freedom to manage the cost\, please get in touch\, as there are options for paying in instalments\, and also some options for a ‘pay what you can’ cost (supported by those who have paid the ‘supporter rate’). \n\n\n“The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent\, not universal\, not necessary.” (Ursula Le Guin)
URL:https://bridgefarmbristol.co.uk/whats-on/writing-retreat-for-activitsts/
LOCATION:Top Barn
CATEGORIES:Public
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR