Way with Words

Writer John Higgs invites you to step into his TARDIS on a journey to discover how ideas emerge and survive despite the odds, and why a wonderful wandering time traveller means so much to so many.

Postgraduate researcher Hannah Armstrong of the University of York examines a 19th-century form of literary tourism which saw readers of medieval sagas sail to Iceland to see where their Viking heroes lived and died.

Join us at a creative workshop and find out about Common Ground, a University of York-funded initiative providing music workshops for the refugee and asylum seeker community.

Join us for an interactive role-playing game session set in Renaissance York, featuring women printers operating in the city.

From the first printed ‘Strange Newes’ sheets of the 16th century to the sensationalism of today’s digital age, author Terry Kirby reveals the seedy history of tabloid journalism.

Our immersive workshop focuses on the materials of Austen and Turner’s creativity. Use watercolour paints, inks and textiles, and learn about their innovative techniques.

Discover how to communicate with clarity and confidence with BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos.

Discover the important role of women’s voices in two collections of Finnish folk poems and songs, the Kalevala and Kanteletar in the company of acapella choir Enkelit.

Our immersive workshop focuses on the materials of Austen and Turner’s creativity. Use watercolour paints, inks and textiles, and learn about their innovative techniques.

Enjoy a mesmerising programme of poetry and music inspired by our beautiful countryside presented by renowned children’s author Michael Morpurgo.

Take a journey into the soul of Northumbria with writer Jake Morris-Campbell as he seeks to understand the deep past and uncertain future of his homeland.

Find out about how contemporary artist Lela Harris and writer Rommi Smith create new work through creative practices in connection with Jane Austen and JMW Turner.

Take a journey through the backstreets of Asia at this in conversation event with writer Shamini Flint, best known for her Inspector Singh Investigates series.

Sociologist Mikael Klintman offers a toolkit for exposing and analysing the rhetoric that saturates our everyday lives in today's chaotic media landscape.

From Europe's earliest wallpaper to printing on ice, join Helen Smith, Director of Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, to learn about the history of printing in York.

Visit a letterpress display reimagining women’s knowledge about plants. Join in a botanical printing activity and discover a book of flowers written for a queen.

Learn about the latest trends in European literatures and languages, give voice to your crafty self and contribute to our multilingual wor(l)d-map with a word, a sketch or a drawing at our interactive event.

Visit a letterpress display reimagining women’s knowledge about plants. Join in a botanical printing activity and discover a book of flowers written for a queen.

Writer Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s relationship through the music it produced, offering insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection.

Learn about the latest trends in European literatures and languages, give voice to your crafty self and contribute to our multilingual wor(l)d-map with a word, a sketch or a drawing at our interactive event.

Join postgraduate researcher Lacey Allen of the University of York for an interactive workshop exploring the fairy tale structure and its components.

Celebrate the comedic genius of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son) at an event showcasing the archive acquired by the University of York in 2024.

Discover the power of creative writing to foster connection and community for those with lived experience of mental ill health at our interactive workshop.

Join our interactive workshop and learn to print and sing tonic solfa - a system of musical notation popular in 19th-century Britain and used by missionaries throughout the world.