Sat 17 Oct 2026 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Conway Hall, WC1R 4RL
A celebration of words, writing and the creative process through talking, listening and making together. How can exploring the way others create deepen our own work?
Award-winning writers’ organisation 26 returns to Bloomsbury Festival for an afternoon of conversation and creativity, exploring the processes behind memorable writing. Part inspiration, part celebration, Wordstock brings together writers, artists and lovers of language to ask where ideas come from, how they take shape, and what we can learn from the ways others create.
Designed to broaden horizons and bring together like-minded lovers of language, the afternoon offers space to listen, talk, experiment, drink tea and create together.
Bring a notepad, and a pen or pencil of your choice…
Our 2026 line-up is here!
Joining us this October are writers, poets, designer-illustrators and theatre-makers, with a mix of conversation, creative exercises and collaborative sessions throughout the afternoon.
From the 26 community, Jill Hopper and Rebecca Dowman will take us behind the scenes of Rebecca’s poetry pamphlet Preloved, exploring how the poems took shape and found their way onto the page. Designer, illustrator and writer Lydia Thornley will lead a collaborative session exploring how drawing can help us look and listen differently – and unlock new possibilities in our writing.
We’ll also hear from two recent 26 projects, First Impressions and 26 UCL 200, with spotlight sessions sharing some of the ideas, collaborations and creative processes behind the work.
And our special guests for Wordstock 2026 are father and daughter Dominic and Siofra Dromgoole. Dominic is a writer, theatre director and former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, whose new book A Century of Proscenium Playwrights has just been published. His daughter Siofra is an award-winning playwright, whose debut novel will be published in the new year. Together, they will explore their shared influences, their very different approaches to creating work, and what two generations of writers can learn from one another.
Come ready to listen, talk, experiment and create – and perhaps leave with a few new ways of approaching your own work. Tickets available via Bloomsbury Festival.
26 @ The Bloomsbury Festival – Festival Diary
A Feeling for Poetry
Thu 8 Oct 2026 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Goodenough College (London House), WC1N 2AB
26’s sister organisation, Dark Angels, celebrate their third anthology, Family Matters, exploring the complex relationships between parents, children and families. Poets including Rishi Dastidar and Galen O’Hanlon will read from the collection and reflect on the emotional power and purpose of poetry and human creativity in an increasingly technological world. Book now.
26 Wordstock 2026
Sat 17 Oct 2026 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Conway Hall, WC1R 4RL
Award-winning writers’ organisation 26 celebrates the power of words with an afternoon of conversation, creativity and shared writing. Through interviews, workshops and collaborative sessions, this year’s Wordstock explores how memorable writing is created – and how understanding the writing process can deepen our own work. Come ready to listen, write, share ideas and meet fellow lovers of language.
Featuring 26ers Rebecca Dowman, Jill Hopper, and Lydia Thornley, as well as the First Impressions and 26 UCL 200 projects, and an exciting father-daughter guest duo. Book now.
From Our Friends / Other Recommendations:
PATIENT: SOLDIER
Sun 11 Oct 2026 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
City Lit, WC2B 4BA
Following critically acclaimed, sell-out runs in London’s West End and Ireland, darkly comic one-person play PATIENT:SOLDIER returns to Bloomsbury Festival. Set in an overwhelmed hospital during the pandemic, this raw, funny and heartfelt production explores the chaos, courage and compassion of those fighting to hold the line – and the laughter and love that endure in the darkest moments.
PATIENT: SOLDIER is written by Barra Fitzgibbon, a close friend of 26 and initiator of 26’s podcast, Why Words Matter. Barra spoke to Alastair Creamer about the play and the process behind it on the podcast back in September. Book now or listen to the podcast.
Poetry: a Matter of Life and Death
Fri 16 Oct 2026 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Conway Hall, WC1R 4RL
Join Evie Prichard, co-author of the forthcoming The Poetry Pharmacy Book of Grief and Recovery, in conversation with poet Kit Griffiths, exploring poetry’s power to heal, transform and give voice to our experiences. From the poetry of the everyday to love, loss and the human condition, discover how the right poem can meet us wherever we are. The conversation will be followed by a short reading.
A perfect teaser prior to Wordstock on Saturday afternoon for anyone looking for an excuse to travel to London for the weekend… Book now.