As we approach the darkest time of year, join award-winning author Cathryn Kemp as she delves into gothic fiction and how it continues to resonate today.

We’ll explore themes of mystery, horror and the supernatural, as well as settings, characters, dread and building the gothic world in your writing. With writing exercises and prompts, you’ll craft the uncanny alongside discussion.

Bring a pen, notebook or laptop and put the gothic into your fiction.

When: 6-8pm on Wednesday 16th December 2026

Where: Kemptown Bookshop, Brighton

Cost: £45 (including VAT)

Cathryn Kemp's first novel, bestselling A Poisoner's Tale, won the HWA Debut Crown Award 2025 and has been published internationally in the US and globally. Her second novel, They Can't Burn Us All, is published with Penguin Random House in August 2026. Her personal memoir, Coming Clean (2012), won the Big Red Read Prize for Non-Fiction. Cathryn co-founded charity, The Painkiller Addiction Information Network (PAIN), which has successfully lobbied Government, including the House of Lords and the APPG for dependency on prescribed medicines. Cathryn is a Sunday Times and Amazon Number 1 (in four categories) bestselling ghostwriter, with a prolific career writing celebrity, inspirational, true crime, addiction and nostalgia titles. She has written across the full spectrum of the British and international press, and has appeared on television and radio, including ITV's This Morning, Lorraine and Panorama, BBC's Women's Hour and regional BBC radio stations across the UK.

We apologise for the inconvenience but our bookshop is currently not wheelchair accessible. The toilet is located on the ground floor. The event space is located at the top of a staircase (17 steps).

Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more details to plan your visit ahead. Email is: salomee@kemptownbookshop.co.uk

Contact the host of Writing the Gothic: a masterclass