What Happens at a Writing Workshop

Explore your creativity and grow your professional skills in the welcoming writing workshops, professional development seminars, and open-mic events at the West Cork Literary Festival this summer. Soak in the inspiration that abounds on our stretch of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way as you learn from writers and industry professionals from across the world. Choose from a programme that offers writers of all ages opportunities to experiment and hone their craft.

The West Cork Literary Festival is a festival for writers as much as readers. Alongside the readings and events that fill the main programme, a rich programme of writing workshops creates space for you to hone your craft.

And a commitment to writer development runs through the week, which will give you the chance to grow as a writer, professionally as well as creatively.

What is a writing workshop?

A writing workshop is a structured, small-group session led by a practising, published writer, focused on a specific form. Novel writing, poetry, travel writing, and other forms are often the focus of our festival workshops. We make space to develop the talents of young writers too. Unlike a one-off talk or reading, a workshop is participatory: you bring your own writing, work on it during the sessions, and receive feedback from both the tutor and the rest of the group.

How the workshops are structured

At the West Cork Literary Festival, workshops run over three full days within the wider eight-day programme. Generally they run from 9:30am to 2pm. Over the course of the workshop, you’ll have the chance to properly develop a piece of work. The format creates space for you to learn from the techniques and experience of your tutor. And there is enough time to build a real writing community  with the tutor and the small group around you. Our workshop groups stay small, so every aspiring writer gets meaningful time and attention.

The time commitment involved each day allows you to focus on your writing, and then either relax, write more, or gain inspiration by attending other events in the Literary Festival programme.

Where the workshops take place

Most workshops are based around Bantry – a walkable harbour town on Ireland’s southwest coastline. One workshop even takes place on Whiddy Island, a ten-minute ferry ride from the town’s picturesque harbour. Very often our tutors will make use of our coastal setting to inform their workshops, and our writers find this spectacular part of the world a great source of inspiration.

Who the workshops are for

Workshops suit writers at different stages. Each workshop tutor will make their expectations clear in the workshop description, so you can pick the workshop that suits you best.  Some are aimed at people developing an existing project, while others are more open to writers just starting out. You don’t need to have been published, but you do need to be ready to share work and take feedback, since that exchange of ideas is at the core of how our literary workshops run.

Professional development and open-mic events

The creative workshops are only part of the picture when it comes to understanding how the West Cork Literary Festival supports aspiring writers. The festival’s professional development strand gives you the chance to learn directly from people working in the book industry. Publishers, agents and others are generous in sharing insights with festival-goers, helping you to understand the practical realities of getting published in Ireland.

Open-mic events round out the West Cork Literary Festival programme, giving writers at any stage the chance to read their work aloud to a supportive audience.

This year’s events

Workshop topics, tutors and booking details change each year. For full details on the 2026 programme, including which workshops are running and how to book, visit the Literary Festival Workshops page.