Knowsley Libraries are inviting residents to discover their creative voice with the launch of Write in the Heart of Knowsley, a new free creative writing programme for adults made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Project Grants via Arts Council England.
The six‑month programme, which forms part of the Knowsley Libraries Literature Festival, will be led by three highly regarded creative practitioners with strong connections to Merseyside.
Zoë Richards
Zoë Richards is a published author, journalist and creative writing coach, represented by The Liverpool Literary Agency. She is the author of two feel‑good novels, including Garden of Her Heart and Tell It To The Bees, the latter being a Good Housekeeping Good Books Reader Favourite.
Alongside her fiction, Zoë has written for national magazines and is an experienced speaker and workshop leader. She is also the host of the popular Write, Damn It! podcast, with over 130 episodes supporting writers at all stages of their journey. Drawing on decades of experience in mindset coaching and writing, Zoë helps writers overcome creative blocks, build confidence and get their work onto the page.
JP Maxwell
JP Maxwell is a Liverpool‑based writer, filmmaker and lecturer in Creative Writing at Liverpool John Moores University. His work blends historical fiction with a cinematic storytelling style, bringing overlooked histories to life through strong character‑driven narratives.
His novels explore themes of identity, displacement and power, often rooted in Liverpool’s 19th‑century social history and its global connections. With a background in filmmaking, JP brings a strong visual and narrative focus to his workshops, helping writers develop compelling stories grounded in place and research.
Joseph Roberts
Joseph Roberts is an award‑winning Liverpool poet, composer and writer, known for his powerful performances and community‑focused work. He has built an international audience through poetry videos featured by organisations including TNT Sports, Amazon Prime and the Premier League.
A poet for the people, Joseph’s work centres on lived experience, community cohesion and the power of storytelling. He regularly delivers workshops, talks and performances, inspiring people of all ages to express themselves creatively and find confidence through words.
Over the six‑month programme, participants will have opportunities to experiment with different forms of writing, share ideas in a supportive environment and develop their skills at their own pace. The project will culminate later in the year, with a celebratory event in the autumn, giving participants the opportunity to share their writing. Each workshop is a standalone event so participants can attend as many as they like
The workshops dates and themes are:
Tuesday 19 May – Creating a believable backdrop
Book here: Write in the Heart of Knowsley Tickets, Tuesday, May 19 • 2 PM – 4 PM | Eventbrite
Tuesday 9 June – Getting started with writing
Tuesday 30 June – World building
Tuesday 21 July – Turning characters into believable people
Tuesday 18 August – Writing believable dialogue
Tuesday 8 September – From sentence to a story
Tuesday 29 September – How to polish your words
All of the workshops take place from 2pm – 4pm at Huyton Library.
In addition to the prose writing sessions, there are also two poetry writing masterclasses with Joseph Roberts, also at Huyton Library,
Tuesday 26 May 2pm-4pm
Book here: Poetry workshop with Joseph Roberts Tickets, Tuesday, May 26 • 2 PM – 4 PM | Eventbrite
Tuesday 11 August 2pm-4pm.
Write in the Heart of Knowsley is designed to be open, inclusive and accessible for adults of all abilities — whether participants are new to writing or looking to develop existing skills. The workshops will encourage creativity, confidence and self‑expression and give writers the opportunity to try writing in different styles and across a variety of genres.
Alongside the creative writing programme, a two‑week literature festival will take place in June and July, featuring high‑profile author events, school outreach activity and borough‑wide celebrations of reading.
