As part of HOLD FAST’s programming at Copeland Gallery one of the contributing artists, author/poet/performer Karen McLeod will be running a free hour-long workshop and discussion in the gallery on writing autobiographically for the page, stage and artmaking.

Karen McLeod is a writer, performer and creative writing tutor. Her debut novel In Search of the Missing Eyelash was published by Jonathan Cape, won the Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Best First Novel Award. Since then she has been widely published in milieus of fiction and non-fiction.
​
​Employed as Writer-in-Residence at the Bookseller Crow on the Hill she is also the shop’s Literary Events Co-ordinator. Over the last ten years, she has developed a series of popular creative writing workshops which she runs at the bookshop and also tours nationwide. Lately she has been a visiting lecturer in creative writing at UCAS (University for the Creative Arts) and at Shakespeare’s archive trust.

In May 2023 Karen will be part of the Queer Life, Queer Love The Second Anthology by Julia Bell and Matt Bates.

Karen writes and performs comedy as the character Barbara Brownskirt and is supported by Arts Council England. She regularly tours UK festivals, art, cabaret and theatre venues with LGBTQ+ Literary salon POLARI, the performance art co-operative DUCKIE as well as partnering with organisations such as Homotopia, Liverpool, London & Manchester Pride.

HOLD FAST runs at Copeland Gallery from Wednesday 29th March until Monday 3rd April.