WE’RE ENJOYING summer here at the museum, and have been marking the school holidays with weekly craft workshops and free talks on various Bronte-related topics most days at 2pm.

We’re still coming back down to earth following our Emily celebrations, which spanned four days and featured seven events, 600 ticketholders, a walk, a film premiere, a couple of storms and a grand piano!

It was a great way to mark the 200th anniversary of Emily Bronte’s birth, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to all of you who came along to celebrate with us, and to all the staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make it happen.

We’re looking ahead now to our upcoming Bronte Festival of Women’s Writing, which will take place on 22 and 23. This is our eighth festival, and we’ve got four writing workshops and a poetry launch lined up for you!

All of the workshops will take place at Ponden Hall, near Stanbury, a beautiful and atmospheric building with its own wonderful Bronte links. We’re looking into the nuts and bolts of writing in various genres, and have lined up an amazing selection of expert workshop leaders to guide you through.

On the morning of the Saturday, Frances Brody will lead a workshop on “Turning to Crime” – exploring the different approaches to writing a crime novel and jam-packed with practical advice. Frances Brody is the award-winning author behind the popular Kate Shackleton murder mystery series, which is set in 1920s Yorkshire.

Later that same day, journalist and author Marisa Bate, columnist and opinion-writer for award-winning website for women, The Pool, will teach participants how to “Write Online”. If you’ve ever wondered how to find the right tone and style when producing online content – for a blog, a newsletter or any sort of online platform – this is the workshop for you!

You’ll learn the differences between writing online and print content and how to formulate an original opinion in a sea of loud and ranty views – this is the perfect workshop for anyone with aspirations to write online.

From 7.30pm on the Saturday, our writer-in-residence Patience Agbabi will read from the work she has created during her time at the museum. Patience is one of Britain’s most prominent spoken word poets and, having heard a small preview of her new work over Emily’s birthday weekend, I can confidently say that this is an event not to be missed!

The workshops continue on the Sunday as creative writing tutor and Sunday Times bestselling author Emma Darwin hosts two sessions, one on self-editing – “Make Your Story Shine” – and another on “Writing Historical Fiction”.

Emma will use her expert knowledge to guide participants through tackling that crucial second draft between 10am-12.30pm, and then, in the afternoon, aspiring historical writers will explore the business of finding, imagining and writing stories set in the past.

This year’s Bronte Festival of Women’s Writing is sure to be another jam-packed celebration showcasing and celebrating women’s writing, and if you’d like more information about any of the events mentioned above, or to book tickets, just visit bronte.org.uk/whats-on or call 01535 640192.