Clover Stroud Masterclass — Silk Road Slippers

Clover Stroud

25 February – 1 March 2024

Life Writing Masterclass

“On May 9, bestselling British memoirist Clover Stroud publishes her fourth book…For an intimate peek into her creative mind, sign up for the writing masterclass she is teaching in Marrakech in February” - Financial Times

Clover Stroud is the author of three acclaimed Sunday Times bestselling memoirs: The Wild Other, My Wild and Sleepless Nights and The Red of My Blood. She writes lifestyle features for the The Times, the Telegraph, the Mail and the Guardian. She also writes for numerous magazines such as the Spectator, Red and Elle.

Clover hosts the enormously popular Tiny Acts of Bravery, an “inspiring podcast about the small moments of courage in everyday life” (Daily Mail), which among many stars has featured Annie Macmanus, Helena Bonham Carter, and Rob Delaney.

If you have ever wanted to write about your life, dreamed of having your memoir published, have an idea for a memoir and need help with structure, theme or writing style, Clover will help you find your way. She teaches how to liberate your writing – and yourself! – from that sense of shame and self-doubt that holds so many people back.

In a completely immersive writing experience, Clover helps find the emotional resonance running through your writing.

Upcoming Masterclasses

Schedule

Sunday

Welcome!
Participants arrive in Marrakech.
After settling in, meet Clover, the Silk Road Slippers Team and fellow participants for the first of many conversations about the art of writing. Embark on lifelong creative connections with fellow writers at a friendly and relaxed dinner amid the honeyed Moorish arches of our magical venue.
Famed for its paradisiacal gardens tended to by a passionate ethnobotanist, the name Jnane Tamsna means Big Garden and dinner is prepared using the freshest ingredients largely sourced on their 22 hectares of landscaped grounds.
Monday

FIND YOUR STORY with Clover. Explore and share ideas behind the power of memoir, and how we can use it both to transform our own lives, and to connect to others.
Guided writing exercises on expressing your own story.
STORY AND STRUCTURE with the Silk Road Slippers team. Why are we so compelled by narrative? Building a strong foundation for your story. How to create and structure a compelling narrative.

CREATIVE PRACTICE: Use this time for writing practice, nurture your imagination on the grounds of Jnane Tamsna, or take a trip to the city.
Tuesday

LETTING GO OF SHAME AND BLAME with Clover. A revealing and transformational class on how to liberate yourself from shame while also learning how to use self evaluation in your own memoir writing.

DRAFTING & REDRAFTING with the Silk Road Slippers team. Conquer the fear of the blank page. Learn to revise and refine as you redraft. As Ernest Hemingway said, ‘writing is rewriting.’
CREATIVE PRACTICE - Use this time for writing practice, nurture your imagination on the grounds of Jnane Tamsna, or take a short trip to the city.
Celebratory Dinner with Clover Stroud - A reading by Clover will be followed by an elegant candlelit dinner at Jnane Tamsna with the whole team.
Wednesday

FIND YOUR VOICE with Clover. An immersive masterclass in finding the creative and emotional core of your writing, and then using that to identify hidden themes that are really driving your writing and creativity, while using them to build structure into your writing.
WRITING WITH SIX SENSES with the Silk Road Slippers Team. We take you to lunch in an enchanting rooftop venue and on an insider’s tour of the Medina in Marrakech, to stimulate all your senses – with a focus on capturing a sense of place in your work.
Marrakech’s medina, founded 1070-72, is one of the most wondrous places on earth. A major cultural centre, it is filled with stunning monuments including the Koutoubia Mosque with its matchless minaret, mosaics, ornate courtyards and secret gardens. Covered spice, textile and leather souks line the maze of cobblestone lanes leading to the fabled Jemaa el-Fnaa square teeming with snake charmers, dancers and street food vendors.
Thursday

Guided walk at Jnane Tamsna: a tour through the beautiful organic gardens with ethnobotanist Gary Martin.
THE TRANSFORMATIONAL MAGIC OF METAPHOR AND POETRY with Clover. A guided class on how to use poetry as creative inspiration and elevation in your own writing. Exercises in using metaphor both in your writing, and to supercharge the creative life you want to lead.
PERSONAL FEEDBACK SESSIONS: Each participant will have a one-on-one session with a member of the Silk Road Slippers team. This is a unique opportunity to discuss your personal progress and future aspirations, to get tailored advice on how to achieve them and on how to find an agent and publisher.
FINAL SESSION with the Silk Road Slippers team
Farewell Dinner at Jnane Tamsna with Clover and the Silk Road Slippers team
Friday

Participants depart for the next step on their writing journey!