The Oxford Writers Workshop

A seven-day writing development workshop at Keble College, University of Oxford

Summer 2027 dates announced soon

Learn the art of writing in the city of dreaming spires

World-class mentorship

In the exclusive and historic environment of Keble College at the University of Oxford, you will study the art and craft of writing with our top-class team of authors, editors, and educators. Craft seminars each morning give you the tools to tell your story. One-on-one sessions in the afternoon cultivate your personal development as a writer.

An inspirational environment

The city of Oxford has more published authors per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Come and enrich your writing through an inspiring program of curated cultural excursions, including tours of Oxford's iconic libraries, museums, and archives. Learn and grow in the surroundings that inspired authors from Shelley to C.S. Lewis, Tolkien to Philip Pullman.

Ongoing writing support

Our pre-workshop advisory meeting matches you with a personalised mentor from our team of experts who will help you get the most out of your week at Oxford. After the programme, follow-up sessions at three and six months give you the guidance and accountability you need to complete your project.

Inclusions at a glance

Exclusive accommodation in historic Keble College at the University of Oxford

Intensive seminars on the craft of writing taught by authors, book coaches, and creative writing professors

One-on-one mentorship sessions giving tailored advice on your manuscript and publishing goals

Check-in sessions before and after the workshop to ensure ongoing progress

Breakfast & lunch in the Keble College hall; dinner in the luxurious Senior Common Room for university lecturers & fellows

Specially curated programme of events and cultural excursions throughout the city and university of Oxford

Guest lectures and talks from authors and industry professionals

Nightly drinks, readings, and fellowship in the Keble College Writers Room

Who is the Oxford Writers Workshop for?

The Oxford Writers Workshop welcomes writers at every stage of their journey, from those with a half-formed idea to those holding a finished manuscript. Whatever your experience or ambition, Oxford's extraordinary literary atmosphere provides the perfect setting to deepen your craft.

For authors who haven’t started writing

You have a story inside you — this workshop will help you find it. Through guided exercises, inspiring locations, and supportive group sessions, you'll discover your voice, unlock your ideas, and leave Oxford with the confidence and tools to begin.

For authors who have started writing

You've taken the first brave step — now build on it. This workshop offers the structured guidance, peer feedback, and creative immersion you need to develop your emerging work and establish the writing habits that will carry you forward.

For authors with a completed manuscript

You've written the book — now make it the best it can be. Through focused critique sessions and one-to-one guidance, you'll gain the editorial perspective needed to refine your manuscript and navigate the path toward publication with clarity and confidence.

For authors of fiction and non-fiction

Whether you're crafting a novel, a memoir, or narrative journalism, the workshop addresses the craft principles that underpin all great writing — structure, voice, character, and truth — with tailored mentorship for both fiction and non-fiction writers.

For guests and curious adventurers

Not a writer yourself but travelling with one? Just want to explore the history of one of the world’s great centers for learning and literature? Contact us for guest or non-workshop attendance rates. While the rest are in class, Oxford offers amazing museums, architecture, gardens, and more. Our guided cultural experiences and dining will make for an incredible stay. And who knows – maybe you’ll be inspired to put pen to paper after all!

Masterclasses

NAILING THE OPENING

Hook your reader from the first line. Explore techniques for crafting unforgettable beginnings that demand to be read.

CREATING CHARACTERS

Bring people to life on the page. Develop complex, convincing characters whose inner lives drive your narrative forward.

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Develop a distinctive authorial voice that resonates across every page.

MASTERING GENRE

Work with and against genre conventions. Learn how to transform the familiar into the new.

BUILDING THE WORLD

Learn to construct vivid, believable spaces and environments. Master the art of immersive setting that feels fully alive.

REACHING PUBLISHERS

Discover how to sell as well as tell your story. Everything you need to know from insider experts.

SHAPING A STORY

Explore structure, pacing, and the choices that give your story momentum and meaning.

DEVELOPING DIALOGUE

Write conversations that crackle with tension. Learn how characters reveal themselves through what they say and don't.

Please note: the above masterclasses are a sample. They may be subject to change depending on mentor expertise.

Sample itinerary

1pm ~ Arrival
Check in to historic Keble College, Oxford
3pm ~ Literary Tour of Oxford 
Explore Oxford's legendary streets, colleges, and literary landmarks together.
5pm ~ Welcome Drinks 
Meet your fellow writers over drinks and warm conversation.
6pm ~ Dinner in Senior Common Room
Enjoy dinner in Keble's elegant professors’ dining room with your writing cohort.
7pm ~ Guest Author Lecture 
Be inspired by an acclaimed author sharing their journey.
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
8:30am ~ Masterclass: Opening Pages
Begin your writing journey: learn to hook the reader from your very first line.
10:30am ~ Masterclass: Finding Your Voice
Learn how to identify, shape, and vary your authorial voice
12 pm ~ Lunch
Lunch served in Keble College dining hall
1pm ~ One-on-One Mentoring
Dedicated personal guidance on your manuscript
3pm ~ Private Tour of Bodleian Library
Step inside one of the world's great literary treasures
5pm ~ Writers’ Salon
Share work, exchange ideas, and spark creative conversation over a well-earned glass of wine.
6pm ~ Dinner in Senior Common Room
Enjoy dinner in Keble's elegant professors’ dining room with your writing cohort
7pm ~ Shakespeare in the Oxford Castle
Experience live theatre in a breathtaking historic setting.
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
8:30am ~ Masterclass: Building a World
Learn to create vivid, believable worlds that draw your reader in
10:30am ~ Masterclass: Shaping a Story
Master the art of structure, pace, and narrative arc
12 pm ~ Lunch
Lunch served in Keble College dining hall
1pm ~ One-on-One Mentoring
Dedicated personal guidance on your manuscript
3pm ~ Punting on the River Cherwell
Drift through Oxford's dreaming spires on the river that inspired C.S. Lewis’s Alice in Wonderland
5pm ~ Writers’ Salon
Share work, exchange ideas, and spark creative conversation over a well-earned glass of wine
6pm ~ Dinner in Senior Common Room
Enjoy dinner in Keble's elegant professors' dining room with your writing cohort
7pm ~ Literary Pub Tour
Uncover Oxford's rich literary history one historic pub at a time, from the meeting place of the Inklings to the tavern that Shakespeare stopped in on his journey from Stratford to London
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
8:30am ~ Masterclass: Creating a Character
Discover how to bring unforgettable characters to life on the page
10:30am ~ Masterclass: Mastering Genre
Explore the conventions, freedoms, and possibilities of your genre
12 pm ~ Lunch
Lunch served in Keble College dining hall
1pm ~ One-on-One Mentoring
Dedicated personal guidance on your manuscript
3pm ~ Food & Wine Masterclass
A delicious afternoon in the kitchens and wine cellars of Keble College, exploring Oxford’s history of feasting and fare
5pm ~ Writers’ Salon
Share work, exchange ideas, and spark creative conversation over a well-earned glass of wine
6pm ~ Dinner in Senior Common Room
Enjoy dinner in Keble's elegant professors' dining room with your writing cohort
10pm ~ Haunted Oxford Ghost Tour
Discover Oxford's rich cinematic history and the filmmakers who have brought the dreaming spires to life
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
8:30am ~ Masterclass: Styling Sentences
Learn to craft sentences with precision, rhythm, and elegance
10:30am ~ Masterclass: Drafting Dialogue
Write dialogue that crackles with tension, truth, and character
12 pm ~ Lunch
Lunch served in Keble College dining hall
1pm ~ One-on-One Mentoring
Dedicated personal guidance on your manuscript
3:30pm ~ Afternoon Tea at the Ashmolean Museum Afternoon
Tea followed by a tour of the Ashmolean's collections
6pm ~ Dinner in Senior Common Room
Enjoy dinner in Keble's elegant professors' dining room with your writing cohort
7pm ~ Guest Lecture: An Oxford Writer’s Life
Explore the remarkable writers, works, and ideas that Oxford has given the world
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
8:30am ~ Masterclass: Reaching Publishers
Understand what publishers and agents are looking for – and how to hook them
10:30am ~ Masterclass: Crafting Endings
Leave your reader satisfied, moved, and hungry for more
12 pm ~ Lunch
Lunch served in Keble College dining hall
1pm ~ One-on-One Mentoring
Dedicated personal guidance on your manuscript
3pm ~ Publishing Networking Event
Meet agents, editors, and publishers shaping the literary world today
5pm ~ Closing Drinks, Banquet & Showcase
Celebrate your week with drinks, a special dinner, and a showcase of the writing created during your time in Oxford
7:30am ~ Breakfast
Hot breakfast in Keble College dining hall
9:00am ~ Wrap-Up Mentor Sessions
Final one-to-one sessions to consolidate your progress and plan the road ahead
12 pm ~ Departure
Check out of Keble College and depart Oxford inspired, energised, and ready to write

Faculty

Faculty may vary each year, depending on availability.

Guest speakers

The 2026 Oxford Writers Workshop featured the following guest speakers.

Michael McKinley

BookGo CEO

Michael McKinley is a graduate of St John’s College, Oxford, and the author of more than a dozen books, films, and TV series, including Willie: The Game Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, The Penalty Killing, was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award for best debut crime novel, and, with Nancy Merritt Bell, the Vatican crime thriller The Glamour of Evil. Michael is the CEO and founder of BookGo.

Nancy Merritt Bell

Editor-in-chief

Nancy Merritt Bell is an award-winning writer and development editor. She has edited more than 20 books for Penguin, Saint Martin’s Press, Ferrar, Straus & Giroux and others, from children’s books to murder mysteries. She has also developed over 20 TV series as Story Editor for the CBC, BBC, and Disney, including the Emmy-winning series The Odyssey and Anne of Everything. Nancy leads masterclasses in story structure, editing, and development.

Dr Tomas Elliott

Director of Academic Programs

Tomas Elliott graduated with a bachelors in English and French Literature from Trinity College, Oxford, and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. He is now Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Northeastern University, where he teaches courses in contemporary literature, film, and writing, and he leads the university’s graduate course in publishing your writing. He is the Director of Academic Programs and Partnerships for BookGo.

Cory Austin Knudson

Program Administrator

Cory Austin Knudson is a writer, translator, and publishing professional based in Philadelphia, PA. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. Cory previously co-ordinated the world-famous Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz prior to joining BookGo and the Oxford Writers Workshop.

Dr Richard Major

Richard is a novelist and a journalist with more than a dozen books in print. He was born in the South Seas, and has degrees in history, literature and theology, as well as a PhD from Magdalen College, Oxford, with a thesis on Reformation literary theory. He has taught at universities in England, Italy, America, Australia, India, Slovenia and, most recently, Hungary. He will publish The First Guidebook to International Universities with BookGo in September 2026.

Lucy Ayrton

Lucy Ayrton is a novelist and lecturer in creative writing at the University of Oxford. Her first novel, One More Chance (Dialogue, 2018), looked at the world of women and babies in prisons, while her second, Things We Lose in Waves (Renegade, 2023), was set in a small Northern town during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Andrew Rosenheim

Andrew Rosenheim was born in Chicago and came to England as a Rhodes Scholar. He has lived near Oxford ever since, and is the author of a memoir and ten novels, including the Nessheim trilogy (Fear Itself, The Informant, and The Accidental Agent) and most recently, The Interpreter’s Secret.

Dr Adam Smith

Adam Smith is the Edward Orsborn Professor of United States Politics & Political History and a Professorial Fellow at University College, Oxford, as well as the Director of the Rothermere American Institute. His specialism is the political history of the United States in the nineteenth century and in 2025 he published his latest book, Gettysburg.

Nick Hutchison

Nick Hutchison is a theatre director, lecturer, educator and actor. He is on the Higher Education faculty at Shakespeare’s Globe, an Associate Tutor at RADA and Drama Fellow and Course Leader at LAMDA. He is currently developing a film script of Twelfth Night with the director Mike Hoffman and writing a book about Shakespeare.

Jemima Hunt

Jemima Hunt heads up The Writers’ Practice as a literary agent and an editor. A former journalist based in New York and Brazil, Jemima represents an eclectic mix of writers and specialises in international stories, fiction and memoir. She’s held two Creative Writing Fellowships at the University of Oxford and works closely with private clients as a book coach.

Scholarships

At BookGo, we believe that talent should never be limited by circumstance. That’s why we are incredibly excited to be able to offer a small number of scholarships to support writers who might otherwise be unable to join us for the Oxford Writers Workshop.

Emerging Author Full Scholarship

One fully-funded scholarship to cover the cost of the entire program is available for a writer who is working on either their first full-length book of any kind or their first memoir.

Emerging Author Partial Scholarship

All applicants for the BookGo Emerging Author Full Scholarship will also be automatically considered for a limited number of partial scholarships covering 10% of the costs of the program.

Educational Scholarship

A 25% scholarship will be awarded to one writer currently employed in education as a teacher, administrator, tutor, or in any other educational role.

Institutional Funding Match

BookGo will match up to $2,000 in external funds raised by any attendee, provided those funds are both: (a) awarded by an institution of higher education or other official funding source, and (b) awarded for the express purpose of attending the Oxford Writers Workshop.

Apply now