‘Quite simply, I know that without The Stinging Fly I would never have had a single thing published. I attended the six month workshop in 2015–2016 and it was a transformative experience. That sounds a little excessive, but it was. It changed quite profoundly the way I think about what I read, and it made me an infinitely better writer.’—Wendy Erskine
Our workshop programme includes our annual summer school, our six-month fiction workshops, and our new four-month poetry workshop.
The principal aim of the programme is to allow writers to develop their writing practice through engagement with similarly motivated individuals. We bring groups of writers together – in-person and online – so they can learn to engage more deeply with their own work and the work of others.
We aim to offer all our workshops at an affordable rate. Concession rates are offered to writers who are unwaged or on low income. We also make at least one free place available on every workshop.
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2025–26 Fiction Writing Workshops
Full details of our 6-month fiction workshop programme for 2025–26 will be announced here soon.
This year, we will be offering three workshops: one in-person at the Irish Writers Centre, a second online via Zoom and a third workshop that will include in-person and online sessions. The workshop sessions for each group will take place from early October 2025 until early April 2026.
We will be open for applications from Tuesday July 1st until Tuesday July 22nd at 5pm.
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Residential Workshop for Fiction Writers with Literature Wales
In partnership with Literature Wales, this will be our first residential fiction-writing workshop.
Held at Tŷ Newydd, the National Writing Centre of Wales, this intensive fiction workshop will provide participants with an immersive workshop experience in the beautiful surroundings of North-West Wales. The workshop will take place from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August 2025.
Applications for the workshop are now closed.
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2025 Summer School
Our summer school includes in-person and online workshops in fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and entry-level fiction.
Our in-person summer school will run from Monday 30th June to Friday 4th July at the Irish Writers Centre. The online summer school will run from Monday 7th July to Friday 11th July with all sessions held on Zoom.
Places for our 2025 summer school have now been allocated.
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The Ten by Ten Workshop
The Ten by Ten Workshop is a new in-person, intermediate-level workshop for fiction writers organised jointly by The Stinging Fly and The Irish Writers Centre.
The workshop will run in the Irish Writers Centre across ten Saturday mornings from mid-March until the end of May 2025. The workshop will be led by Nicole Flattery and Cathy Sweeney.
The submission window for applications to the Ten by Ten Workshop is now closed.
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2025 Poetry Workshop
Our new poetry workshop aims to give poets an opportunity to engage more deeply with their work while allowing them to focus on developing their craft over an extended period of time. The workshop is intended for poets looking to take their work more seriously and to develop their craft while working with a group of like-minded individuals.
The workshop will run from the end of January until May 2025 and will be led by The Stinging Fly’s poetry editor Annemarie Ní Churreáin.
Applications for the 2025 Poetry Workshop are now closed.
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‘The Stinging Fly’s 6-month fiction workshop is a game changer; challenging, exhilarating, and unforgettable, it completely alters the way you read and write fiction… At the end of the course I had completed a short story collection I was proud of that went on to be critically acclaimed. If I could Groundhog Day this course, I’d do it again and again for every book. Magic.’ —June Caldwell
‘I attended the Stinging Fly summer school in 2018, and I thought I knew what to expect because I’d attended a few writing workshops before this, but the Stinging Fly school was different—the discussions were more rigorous, more challenging, more frank and generous in spirit; it was joyful. The class completely changed the way I think about the fiction I read. It pushed me to investigate what I’m interested in, in my own writing, with more commitment and care.’ —Chetna Maroo
‘It is a rare privilege to be in the company of people who understand the insecurities and anxieties that arise when you are struggling to create fiction out of all the embarrassing stuff that’s inside your head. The Stinging Fly continues to create a space where writers can learn to support and champion each other’s aspirational worlds.’ —Louise Nealon
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