Teaching
Rebecca is a highly experienced and inspirational teacher, who works with writers at all levels and from diverse backgrounds. She has taught creative writing at the University of Oxford for over ten years, and from 2017-20 was the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford. She also runs private courses in England, Greece, France and Italy, and provides one-to-one mentoring in fiction and non-fiction for writers looking for more personalised support and guidance.
Rebecca is featured in the BBC film, How To Write, alongside authors Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman, Kate Clanchy and Caroline Bird.
In 2010 Rebecca developed her Novel Thinking program, which uses creative writing techniques to drive innovation and transformation in business settings. She has since led Novel Thinking workshops for a wide range of business clients from MBA students at the Said Business School to NHS doctors to global CEOs on the Oxford Strategic Leadership program, as well as offering tailor-made workshops for private clients and groups.
Residential Creative Writing Courses
La Bastide Negrin, Provence, France
5th-11th May 2024
A week long course for writers of all levels at the lovely Bastide Negrin in the heart of the exquisite French landscape of Provence.
Castello di Galbino, Tuscany, Italy
25th May - 1st June, and 1st-8th June 2024
A bespoke program for everyone to enjoy, from first-time writers to published authors, set in the beautiful hills of Tuscany.
Rosemary’s House, Sithonia, Greece
2025 Dates TBD
A week long residential course for writers in search of renewal and inspiration on the magical Greek island of Sithonia.
Rebecca has taught creative and academic writing for many years. She was Gladstone’s Library Writer-in-Residence from 2014-15; First Story Writer-in-Residence from 2010-12 at Larkmead School in Abingdon, and an Honorary Teaching Fellow on the acclaimed Writing Programme at the University of Warwick fro 2004-7.
She has led residential writing courses for The Literary Consultancy, the Oxford International Summer School and the Relit Summer School, and was a founding faculty member of the School of Life in London, for whom she designed, co-wrote and taught courses on the Family with Roman Kriznaric and Charles Ferneyhough.
She has taught at Oxford University for many years as a core tutor on the Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University. She also designed and teaches the extremely popular Effective Writing short course at Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education, and is a regular tutor in English Literature and Creative Writing for the Sarah Lawrence College Exchange Program at Wadham College, Oxford.
As an expert on parental loss in childhood and adolescence, and bereavement counsellor for Cruse Bereavement Care and The Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Rebecca has lectured widely in schools and regularly gives training workshops for bereavement counsellors and health-care professionals workers.
Teaching Reviews
“The session was more than helpful - I feel inspired!”
"The teaching was brilliant, pitched just right"
"Wonderful tutor and a fabulous course - just terrific!"
“Rebecca is a giving and gifted tutor and made the course materials accessible to everyone. Highly interactive, the course was interesting, informative and fun.”
"This was the best course I've ever attended (and I've been to some very good ones over many years) Rebecca Abrams is an excellent teacher. The course was very well structured with relevant, useful, accessible content - and the delivery was consistently superb: inclusive, interactive, varied and practical with just the right pace. Rebecca drew out and appreciated student contributions, using them really effectively to take everyone's learning forward."
"The course was brilliant. Rebecca Abrams is amazing, not just for her knowledge and her teaching skills but for the fact that she is so engagingly enthusiastic. I had to come all the way down from Edinburgh for each of the three one-day sessions and, every time, I was struck by the notion that it was 100% worthwhile. I was genuinely excited to be learning so much in so short a space of time."
Rebecca Abrams teaching at The Roseland Writing Project, Cornwall, England.
Novel Thinking - Executive Coaching Programme
“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore.”
— André Gide
A unique programme of workshops, created and led by Rebecca, to unlock innovative approaches to the art of doing good business.
Novel Thinking develops the idea of ‘writing your company’ to work creatively with senior executives on strategic thinking, product and business development, and corporate communication.
Using key techniques and concepts drawn from the craft of fiction-writing, Novel Thinking is a highly effective way to enable business leaders to explore new perspectives on their own leadership story and generate powerful new insights for the future.
Novel Thinking workshops are modular, so can be tailor-made to suit individual clients’ needs. Whether a one-off event or part of a larger programme, Novel Thinking is a unique and inspirational tool for anyone interested in bringing genuinely creative thinking into the business world, from MBA students to senior executives.
Reviews from the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme
“Provided an opportunity for deep reflection – storytelling is an undervalued leadership tool.”
“Very effective at causing me to reflect on the manner in which I communicate.”
“Direct connection to our work, yet through a unique lens. Enjoyed this very much!”
“Really helped me to think about the value of stories and what it means in leadership.”
