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  • Four Lessons from Meet the Kids at Theatre Peckham

    On 23rd May 2025, I had the great pleasure of watching Meet the Kids at Theatre Peckham — a bold, moving and beautifully realised new play written, directed, and produced by Desiri Okobia, a former student from the MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths. It was one of those evenings that reminded me exactly why this work matters. The play tells a rich, emotionally layered story of young people navigating school, grief, identity, and loyalty in London. At its heart is Billie-Jo, a newcomer processing the loss of her father, who finds solace in writing — a reminder of how creative expression can heal, transform, and empower. It was deeply resonant with the ethos of the MA: writing not as performance alone, but as reflective practice, rooted in lived experience. The young cast was exceptional, and Desiri’s direction struck that rare balance between rigour and freedom. What stayed with me most was how the play created space for young voices to lead, with care, depth, and honesty. It was a celebration of talent, courage, and creative education at its best — and a proud, humbling moment to witness the remarkable impact of a gifted writer-educator coming into her own.

  • Guerrilla CPD: Why Research-Informed Teacher Collaboration is the Future

    I co-wrote “Guerrilla CPD” with Debbie Bogard to shine a light on the power of informal, grassroots teacher development. Debbie is a brilliant, research-informed practitioner working in Further Education, and collaborating with her was both inspiring and energising. Together, we drew on our shared belief that CPD works best when it emerges organically—through dialogue, creativity, and mutual respect—not when it’s imposed from above. Our article explores how we developed a playful, teacher-led CPD programme during the pandemic, rooted in the radical pedagogies of Freire, hooks, and Fanon. It was a time of crisis, but also one of possibility. We found that when teachers are given space to reflect, write, share ideas, and challenge dominant norms—particularly around curriculum content and delivery—something transformative can happen. Working with Debbie reminded me that the future of professional development lies in collaboration between FE and HE, between practice and theory, and between colleagues who trust and challenge each other. In a profession increasingly shaped by surveillance and accountability metrics, these kinds of informal, friendship-driven partnerships may be our best hope for genuine change.

  • The Mindful Creative Writing Teacher

    This blog introduces The Mindful Creative Writing Teacher—my book for anyone teaching or facilitating creative writing, whether in schools, universities, prisons, or community spaces. Drawing on decades of experience, I offer a fresh, practical, and compassionate approach to teaching writing that blends mindfulness, creativity, and social justice. In the blog, I explain why I wrote the book: to move beyond rigid workshop models and embrace a more humane, dynamic, and inclusive pedagogy. The book is filled with real-life case studies, poems, hands-on activities, and reflective prompts designed to help you cultivate creativity, wellbeing, and critical thinking in your classroom. It’s for English teachers, creative writing tutors, and writers alike—especially those looking to empower diverse voices, support reluctant or neurodiverse learners, and find joy in their own writing again. You’ll find strategies for teaching storytelling, feedback, decolonisation, and multimodal writing, as well as guidance on developing your own mindful teaching identity. This blog offers a glimpse into the book’s ethos: writing not just as a craft to be perfected, but as a transformative act of attention, empathy, and expression. If you’re looking to teach writing in a way that’s more authentic, creative, and connected, this book—and blog—are for you.

  • 7 Transformative Lessons from First Story’s Creative Writing Approach – A Goldsmiths Reflection

    In this blog, I reflect on an inspiring session led by novelist and First Story writer-in-residence Pete Hobbs. Drawing on seventeen years of working with young writers, Pete shared a wealth of practical, playful exercises and a deeply inclusive pedagogy that reimagines creative writing as a space for experimentation, voice, and community. From evoking memory through sensory detail to empowering students to write in their own linguistic registers, his approach offers powerful strategies for educators at all levels. This post captures the session’s key takeaways—and celebrates the joyful, transformative possibilities of writing. It left me rethinking how I teach.

  • Seven Things Creative Writing Teachers Should Know About Safeguarding

    I’m Francis Gilbert, and I’ve just published a vital blog post: Seven Things Creative Writing Teachers Should Know About Safeguarding. Drawing on a powerful masterclass led by Danja Sanovic at Goldsmiths, I reflect on how safeguarding isn’t just a legal box-tick but a deeply creative, relational act. Whether you’re teaching in schools, leading workshops in the community, or working with adults, this post offers clear, compassionate guidance. It’s essential reading for anyone using writing to reach vulnerable groups. Creativity thrives when everyone feels safe. Read the post and rethink how you hold your writing spaces.

  • 6 Ways to Design Effective Creative Writing Lessons

    I’ve written this blog to share some of the key insights from a recent seminar I delivered for students on the MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths—and for anyone interested in designing more mindful, engaging creative writing lessons. Drawing on the CASTERS framework, James Nottingham’s “Learning Pit,” and ideas around publishing, reflection, and inclusive practice, the session offered practical strategies for teaching writing with presence, purpose, and care. Whether you’re a teacher, writer, or facilitator, this blog offers inspiration and guidance for creating lessons that challenge, connect, and empower. Find out more and join the conversation.

  • 📎 CUT + COPY + TEACH: 5 Ways Uncreative Writing Will Turbocharge Your Teaching

    As a writer and educator, I’ve long been fascinated by how creativity works in the classroom. In this blog, I explore Uncreative Writing, a radical teaching approach developed by Dr Cath Clover. Drawing on her powerful workshop at Goldsmiths, I show how copying, remixing, and reframing existing texts can spark critical thinking, accessibility, and genuine creative joy. Whether you’re teaching English, media, or any subject, this inclusive method helps students find their voice through found words.

  • 5 Ways Creative Writing Can Fuel Creativity

    I’ve long believed that creative writing isn’t just for the English classroom—it’s a radical, transformative practice that can fuel creativity across the curriculum. In my new chapter for The Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education, I explore how freewriting, diagrarting, critical literacy, and compassionate feedback can empower learners of all ages. Drawing on decades of teaching experience and recent research, I show how creative writing can heal, liberate, and inspire. This piece is for educators, writers, and anyone interested in reimagining how we learn and grow through words.

  • Publishing as Pedagogy: Why Creative Writers and Teachers Need to Understand the Industry

    In this article, I explore why knowledge of the publishing industry is essential for both creative writers and educators. Drawing on my experience teaching publishing to MA students, I argue that understanding how books are produced, marketed, and circulated can empower writers and transform the way we teach creative writing. This piece is both a call to action and a practical guide for integrating publishing literacy into the creative writing classroom.

  • Five Ways to Decolonise the Teaching of Creative Writing

    In April 2025, I had the joy of welcoming back Carinya Sharples—a former student of mine from the MA in Creative Writing and Education I lead at Goldsmiths—for an unforgettable session on Decolonising Creative Writing Pedagogies. Carinya held the space with grace, rigour and radical care, sparking vital conversations about power, voice, and language. In this blog, I share five key strategies that emerged from her talk and my own experience—practical, powerful ways to rethink how we teach creative writing. If you’re ready to challenge norms and embrace liberatory practice, come explore more with me by reading the blog.

  • Creative writers and marketing: some thoughts and observations

    Marketing isn’t just about selling books—it’s about finding the right readers, refining your creative process, and sharing your work with confidence. In this blog, we explore marketing in the publishing industry through the lens of the writer as a healer, teacher, researcher, and reflective practitioner.

  • Using publishing tools to create thriving creative writing communities and cultures

    Publishing isn’t just about books—it’s about shaping identity, community, and activism. This blog explores how the MA Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths uses publishing as a pedagogical tool, from internal dialogues between the Writer, Publisher, and Healer within us, to global projects like GlobalGRACE and Creative Voices, which use storytelling, theatre, and art to amplify marginalised voices. Discover how publishing extends beyond the page to empower writers, challenge dominant narratives, and foster creative communities. Read more about how publishing can be a process of transformation, resistance, and education.

  • Learning to write, publish and teach, all in one go!

    This blog explores how learning to write, publish and teach can help creative writers in multiple ways; they can hone the craft of their writing and pedagogy by using publishing as a pedagogical tool. A truly innovative approach…

  • Towards a methodology for creative writing educators to use publishing to develop their writing and teaching

    An article which discusses how creative writing educators might develop their own methodologies so that they can become fruitful creative writers who use publishing to develop the literary and pedagogical practices that work for them.

  • Four lessons I learnt from the late Canon Christopher Smith

    A short article on the lessons I learnt from my late godfather, Christopher Smith.

  • The History of Publishing in 7 Objects

    This article explores the Publishing Industry in 7 objects. It starts with the dawn of humanity to the present day.

  • Five key lessons about S.E. Hinton’s ‘The Outsiders’ and publishing

    This article explores how and why outsiders, in the form of writers, readers and texts, came to shape the publishing industry, particularly Young Adult novels.

  • Will Labour’s policy of adding VAT to private school fees improve educational standards?

    This blog post briefly explores the benefits of reducing spending upon private education and boosting spending on public education. It includes an interview I did on LBC’s Iain Dale programme, December 2024.

  • Entering Viola’s Room: four key lessons I’ve learnt from Punchdrunk’s Immersive Theatre

    An article which explores 4 key things I’ve learnt from experiencing Punchdrunk’s Immersive Theatre events.

  • Four ways ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is therapeutic — and two ways it is not!

    This blog post explores the therapeutic effects of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, and its non-therapeutic effects as well.