Workshops & Author Visits
Bringing stories to life in your classroom
Original Ink workshops inspire imagination, develop confidence, and spark a love of reading and writing. Led by award-winning author Dr Daniel Ingram-Brown (also writing as Briar Blackwell), sessions combine creativity, fun, and practical writing skills.
Workshops are designed primarily for KS2 (ages 7–11).
-
Immersive Storymaking Workshops focus on KS2.
-
Author Visits & Creative Writing Workshops also work well for KS3 (ages 11–14).
-
Daniel’s Meet the Author talk and bespoke workshops can be tailored for any age, including KS4, KS5, and university students.
→ Want to bring storymaking into your own lessons? Discover our Storymaking Lesson Plans and resources.
Strand One:
Author Visits & Creative Writing Workshops
Suitable for KS2 and KS3; author talk and bespoke sessions can be tailored for any age.
A lively, theatre-style session for whole year groups. Daniel introduces his books and characters, reads from his work, and answers questions about the life of a writer. Sessions can run as a 30–60 minute standalone talk or as a springboard into workshops.
Linked to Bea’s Witch, this workshop explores how writers find and shape ideas. Pupils use maps and everyday objects as prompts to create new settings and characters, then develop their stories through editing exercises. They learn that writing is both inspiration and craft.
Daniel also offers tailored sessions that introduce pupils to his writing process and guide them through practical exercises on character, setting, and narrative structure.
Alongside pupil workshops, Daniel offers training for teachers on using storymaking in the classroom. He works with schools across the UK and speaks at national and international conferences. Teachers can download free classroom resources, including Animal Alert — a three-session storymaking bundle that explores environmental storytelling, empathy, and action.
Strand Two:
Immersive Storymaking Workshops
Designed for KS2 (ages 7–11).
Inks Academy: Seven Schools, Seven Workshops
Exploring the doubts and fears that hold us back, pupils co-create stories about overcoming inner “ghosts” to discover courage and self-belief.
Pupils become monster hunters, only to discover that the monster they face is lonely and needs their help. Together they explore empathy, choices, and courage.
Through playful storytelling, pupils explore the masks we wear and the joy of being seen for who we really are.
Working with maps, pupils design an island, populate it with characters, and set out on perilous quests. But what happens when their island is threatened?
Pupils transform their classroom into multiple thresholds to other worlds, encountering characters and choices that lead to new realms of imagination.
(Coming soon)
What Teachers Say...
“The children loved their workshops and were eager to learn more about your books. Lots more copies were ordered on the day. One of the best author events we have had in school.”
St Bartholomew’s, Leeds
Booking Information
Workshops can be booked as half-day, full-day, or part of a longer residency. All visits can include book signings. Sessions are adapted to suit your school’s needs.
📧 Contact us to check availability and discuss options.