THIS web page is a kind of limited archive of the collaborations I've had with other organisations. It also exists to "spread the word" about Anne Aylor's Creative Writing Courses to both new and old students about some of the venues I’ve been associated with, or recommended by.

I usually create, teach and promote my own courses, but Alternatives, St James's Church, Piccadilly, approached me in 2006 to lead one of their workshops which took place last November @ the Dragon Hall in London. Even though it was my first course with them, the weekend sold out. The picture on the left is a photo of Alternatives Autumn 2006 issue of which included “Release the Writer in You”. Due to this workshop’s popularity, I was asked asked to lead it again in November 2007. This also sold out. Due to this course's high demand, in the autumn of 2008 there will be two courses offered, one in October and one in November. It's best to book early to be sure of having a place.

The picture on the right is the cover of the 2007 Brighton Fringe Festival where I taught my “Heart Writing” course in May. This one-day event was hosted by the Brighton Buddhist Centre and was inspired by a quote of Williams Wordsworth which said, “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” I thought that might be something that people would like to try in this age of alienation, helping people get in touch with the deepest, most precious part of themselves.

On the left is the April 11-17 2007 cover of Time Out. One of their journalists chose this “So You Want to Write a Novel” course as one of their “Best by Day” picks of the week. When Time Out recommended it, it was a 6-week course. The January 2008 workshop has now been expanded to ten weeks. Because this course filled up very quickly, I will be offering the 6-week intensive version in October to meet demand. After either course, you can progress to "Workshop Your Fiction" which offers help developing your manuscript. This is what Nicholas Mackey had to say about it: “I have learnt an incredible amount and so much more than during the lonely struggle I have had with writing my book these past five years. It's like I've been labouring away on a solitary, almost pointless quest with no end in sight. And then suddenly, I've stepped blinking into a brightly-lit room filled with a welcoming group of people who are so enthusiastic about writing. It's been great and we have you to thank for making it happen."

I was asked to be one of the shortlist judges for the Wimbledon Book Fest. A writing challenge was set by Sandi Toksvig and people were asked to submit a 1000-word story. Submissions were anonymous and filtered through several committees before they reached myself and the other judge, Jeanne Laffan. I was delighted to discover that two of my students, Naznene Sparrow and Malavika Nataraj, won Second and Third Place. The three winners and 7 runners-up were recorded on a CD. An awards ceremony was followed by a discussion with Mary Mount, Editorial Director of Viking Penguin, Peter Straus, literary agent at Rogers, Coleridge & White and author, Michelle Paver. There was also a simultaneous prisoners' competition using Sandi's sentence. The winner was J A Beck. In his letter to Sandi he said, "Many thanks to all involved -- it really made my day, my month, my year -- my pen is itching to scribble some more! It is a great confidence boost to know other people like my writing, much of what I’ve done no one has ever seen."

I was asked to appear on BBC Radio London in January 2008. If you'd like to hear the 8-minute live clip, click here. I'm talking on the "Saturday Breakfast" show about creative writing, the market for fiction and how important it is to write if you want to be a writer.

I'm always trying to improve my skills so I welcomed the opportunity to attend a conference celebrating the spirit of '68 which offered a writers' workshop run by Zöe Fairbairns. I was pleased that the short story I wrote in the workshop I was chosen for posting on the "1968 and all that" website. To see it, click here.