As soon as we realised we could, human beings have been using writing to understand themselves and their experience. Often it is the abstract experience that we feel most strongly to be unique – memory, emotion – but some of our most intense and singular experiences are those of our senses; how we interact with the world around us.

This workshop, led by food and music critic Mariam Abdel-Razek, will explore the idea of writing as our ‘sixth sense’. How do we describe sensations which are impossible to replicate? How can we develop the skill and facility to write about things that defy language? And why do we do it?

Using the subjects of food and music as a starting point, participants will focus on different types of sensory writing – the critical, the fictitious, the poetic – to try to understand writing as a way of elevating and expressing our relationship with the physical world. By the end of the workshop, they will have created their own piece of sensory writing, getting the opportunity to share it with the group.

Whether you’re a guest staying with us or a member of the public, please submit your email address and download our mobile app to RSVP. If you already have our app, you’ll be directed to this event to book your spot.