This one-off workshop organised by Writing West Midlands is an opportunity to explore how working with museums and archives can stimulate your writing.

The location is The Pen Museum, site of a former Victorian pen factory and a treasure trove of literature and artefacts relating to the steel pen industry.

During the 19th century, it is said that 75 per cent of everything written in the world was with a ‘Birmingham’ pen. At one time, there were around 100 factories in the Jewellery Quarter area. The development of the steel pen reduced the cost of writing and enabled the spread of literacy throughout the world.

In this World War 1 centenary year, the workshop will draw on materials in the museum relating to the war, and in particular the impact it had on women’s lives.

The workshop will be led by Fiona Joseph. Fiona is a teacher, publisher and writer. She has written a biography of Beatrice Cadbury, the radical daughter of the famous chocolate manufacturer, and is currently working on a novel based on Cadbury women employees in WW1.

Cost: £23 -£28

To book your place, please contact our box office, The Box, on 0121 245 4455 or you can book online, http://www.birmingham-box.co.uk/event/writing-workshop-working-with-museums-and-archives/