Philip Marsden will be conducting a masterclass in the travel book, which he believes can combine all the best elements of literature. The journey-tale lies at the heart of many of the great stories – myths, novels and memoirs. Whatever your particular interests, a journey has an enormous capacity to reveal and entertain, and travel writing requires all the skills of any writing project – from research to plot and structure, from descriptive writing to character.

Philip Marsden is the award-winning author of a number of works of travel, history and fiction, including The Bronski House, The Crossing Place: A Journey among the Armenians and Rising Ground. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and his work has been translated into 15 languages. He lives in Cornwall with his wife, children and a number of boats. When not writing, he spends much of his time tending to a woodland he has planted for biodiversity.

PLEASE NOTE: We are aiming for this course to take place at Exeter Custom House, Coronavirus restrictions allowing. We will be following Government guidance to ensure the experience is Covid-19 secure. Social distancing measures will be in place, including a two-metre distancing rule, provision of hand sanitiser and a clearly marked one-way system. Exeter Custom House requires that face coverings are worn when inside the building.

If it is not possible to go ahead in person due to ongoing restrictions, we will be ready to offer this course online on Zoom.

Concessionary places are available for this course. There are also a limited number of bursary places available. You can read more about Quay Words’ bursary policy and how to apply for one of these places, here.

Tickets £35/£25