This Samhain step into the eerie beauty of London’s oldest botanical garden for a ‘Botanical Horror Creative Writing Workshop’ at Chelsea Physic Garden. Immersed in the haunting charm of this historic space, you’ll embark on a unique journey through the chilling world of eco-horror.

In this two-hour workshop, participants will explore the fascinating history of the genre, which sprouted in the Victorian era from 19th-century anxieties about the unknown, and flourished into tales of carnivorous plants and supernatural occurrences. Together, we’ll dive into gothic chronicles, botanical folktales, and ecologically themed short stories, tracing the eerie intersections between gothic literature, folk horror, and contemporary influences in film, theatre and music.

Midway through the session, we’ll embark on a twilit guided tour through the Garden of Medicinal Plants, exploring the Poisons Bed, Cool Fernery, and Victorian Glasshouses, where rare plants, history and folklore spring to life. We’ll discuss British and Irish folklore surrounding select flowers, plants, and trees, in tune with the season. Down the winding path you’ll discover the unsettling beauty of the living collection as we explore the darker side of nature.

In the second half, you’ll have the chance to experiment with generative writing prompts designed to inspire your own spine-chilling botanical stories. We’ll examine how key elements of short fiction —setting, atmosphere, imagery, pacing, plot, tension and point of view— can weave together to create imaginative narratives that draw on the natural world.

By pursuing alternative methods of looking and listening, taking cues from the bustling ecosystems that surround us, the voices of past and present, we will forge new ways of navigating not just the landscape we move through, but the landscape within us. Through discussion, reading samples, and creative exercises, we’ll uncover inspiration hidden in the weeds.

Throughout the centuries spooky stories have unearthed our deepest fears. This workshop occurs at the change of season, when the veil is thinning, a time we’re increasingly aware of changes to our climate, inviting us to wonder what might happen if nature fought back? This workshop asks you to imagine an alternative reality where plants rise up and mother nature reclaims control.

Whether you’re a complete beginner, or a writer with some experience looking to try something new, this workshop holds something for you. Spaces are limited, so book early to secure your spot. Set against the backdrop of Chelsea Physic Garden, you’ll find the perfect inspiration to let your botanical horrors bloom.

Tutor Bio:

Jessica McKinney

Jess McKinney is a writer from Inishowen, Donegal. Her work has appeared in The Stinging Fly, Poetry Ireland Review, The Winter Papers, Banshee Magazine, The Moth, Bath Magg, Poetry Jukebox and Abridged, along with anthologies by Poetry Ireland, New Island Press, and Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service.

She completed her MA in Poetry at Queen’s University Belfast, where she received the Irish Chair of Poetry Student Award. This was followed by the publication of her debut pamphlet ‘Weeding’ with Hazel Press, which was nominated for the Saboteur and Patrick Kavanagh pamphlet awards.

She has been the recipient of several bursaries and awards to support the development of her work, including the Society of Authors’ Foundation Award, Arts Council Agility Award, Irish Chair of Poetry Bursary Award, Donegal County Council Artist Bursary, and Arts Council Literature Bursary. She is currently working on her debut novel.