Bournemouth Writing Festival to offer first ‘naked’ writing workshop.

This year’s award-winning Bournemouth Writing Festival (April 25th-27th) will be more inclusive than ever, with a nude writing session held in partnership with British Naturism (BN).

Taking place just before the start of the festival (on April 23) at Springbourne Library, the private, ticket-only event will be led by Poet Jon Seagrave and will invite participants to follow the likes of Victor Hugo and Agatha Christie in shedding their inhibitions, distractions - and clothes - in search of literary inspiration.

Festival Director Dominic Wong said: “Whilst this session will be a ‘first’ for the festival, naked writing certainly isn’t new in literary circles. Agatha Christie was said to be a huge fan, whilst Ernest Hemingway not only stripped, but also stood up naked to write. 

“Indeed, when faced with writer’s block the great Victor Hugo was said to have ordered his manservant to take all his clothes and leave him with only a pen and paper, so he would have nothing left to do except sit and write. Who knows, maybe this year’s festival will inspire the author of the next Les Misérables!” 

The Bournemouth Writing Festival is now in its third year and is a diverse celebration of creativity designed to inspire writers from any background and at any stage of their creative journey. The event offers over 100, free and ticketed writing events and activities - including expert talks, workshops, panels, networking, and walks – at venues across Bournemouth Town Centre.

Dominic Wong added: “The inclusive nature of the festival means we are used to providing private spaces to meet the sensitivities of its participants. This year we are providing free writing sessions led by writing professionals for people experiencing homelessness, adults with additional needs, children in care, and international students whose first language is not English, each with their own unique needs.

“The writing workshop will feature a mix of naturists and non-naturists who will all be nude. But this will be delivered and managed with the utmost discretion and respect thanks to our partnership with British Naturism, which has embraced the idea, advised us on protocols, and is marketing it to their diverse and multi-talented membership as we speak.”

Poet Jon Seagrave, who will be leading the workshop, agreed: “Delivering a workshop unclothed will also be a first for me, but sharing my love of writing and encouraging a new group of people to explore their writing is always a fantastic experience and one I am looking forward to very much. Another plus point of course, is that I won’t need to worry about what to wear!”

Andrew Welch, spokesman for British Naturism (bn.org.uk) said:

“Social nudity is on the rise in the UK with more and more people eager to ditch their clothes along with the stresses of daily life and experience the freedom it brings. The number of nude events now available is wide-ranging, from hotel weekends to naked dining, and boat trips to museum visits, with hundreds of opportunities around the country.

“We’re delighted, therefore, to be involved in this new activity, giving people the choice to follow in the footsteps of such famous authors and find their creativity in a perhaps unexpected way. We would encourage everyone to come and give it a go.”

Since its inception in 2023 the Bournemouth Writing Festival has flourished and now offers multiple free and ticketed events and activities throughout the year, including a Writing Sanctuary (27-29 June 2025) and Romance Writing Festival (17-18 October 2025).  

The Bournemouth Writing Festival is welcoming anyone to come and try writing in the nude on Wednesday 23rd April from 6pm to 7pm. All participants must bring their own towel to sit on. This is a private, closed session (meaning no one can come and ‘watch’). Tickets must be purchased in advance and are £10 via the Bournemouth Writing Festival website.

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British Naturism is the UK organisation for Naturists and Naturist places and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024. It organises a variety of events for Naturists and the Naturist-curious and campaigns to bring more understanding about this perfectly lawful, healthy way of being.

For more information on Bournemouth Writing Festival and its programme of events please visit the festival page at: www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk