Scratch Night with Jessica Stanley

Step out of your comfort zone and into the cosy, supportive library to join us for a participatory event that will get you writing something fresh and sharing your work with others over the course of one evening.

Whether you’re an emerging storyteller, an old hand at writing or just looking to challenge yourself, this is your chance to create a brand new piece of work…all in just 90 minutes.   

How does it work? 

Our Scratch Night kicks off at 6pm, at which point participants will gather while your host reveals a surprise prompt to spark your imagination. From there, participants have 45 minutes to write a short piece of writing in any form, inspired by the provided theme.  

Once writing time is up, participants will gather and share their work before their peers. There’s no pressure to be polished, perfect or off-book – this is about creativity, not competition or memorisation.

You might write a short story, a poem, monologue, memoir piece, comedy set, or something entirely unexpected. Marvel at the range of creativity that comes from one simple prompt as participants bring their voices together to inspire one another.

The ideas that form over the evening may become the jumping off point for your next big project, something you’ve long been wanting to get off your chest, or something to cherish and tuck away for a rainy day. 

 All styles and experience levels are welcome. Each piece has a strict 3 minute time limit for the presentation portion of the evening.  

The Writers in Residence program is a pilot initiative for 2026, developed as a partnership between Kingston Arts, Kingston Libraries and Dingley Village Neighbourhood Centre, with the aim of growing and expanding the Artist in Residence opportunities available at Kingston.

Writers in Residence Program - Kingston Arts