About the Writers' Room
The Europeana Writers' Room is a monthly creative writing workshop run by the Europeana Foundation. It uses illustrations and imagery from the digitised collections available through the common European data space for cultural heritage via Europeana.eu to inspire participants to write stories, poems, texts, reflections and more.
The workshops start with gentle warm-up exercises and then move on to longer prompts so you can really explore your ideas. By combining practical writing exercises with a supportive writers’ circle feel, the sessions provide an inspiring and focused space to develop your writing and offer resources and ideas to keep the stories coming. You can write in any language during the Writers' Room, and there is no obligation to share your work. No experience is required.
Each session has a dedicated theme to help spark new ideas each month, and we share examples of poetry or prose related to the theme. If you have suggestions for works to share on the themes listed below, please email [email protected].
Sessions are planned well in advance - explore the themes for the next sessions and sign up for all upcoming Writers' Rooms below!
Wednesday 1 July 2026, 15:00-16:00 CEST
In July, in collaboration with Ivana Šalinović from the Croatian Storytelling Society, we will focus on the theme from this year’s World Storytelling Day - light in the dark. We’ll use artworks chosen by Ivana to think about light and dark. How do they make us feel? When does one become the other? What can we learn from this opposition?
Wednesday 5 August 2026, 15:00-16:00 CEST
In August, we'll explore the theme of 'Endings'. Are you a happily ever after person? Do you like a big reveal, a cliff-hanger, or a twist in the tale? Or do you like everything tied up neatly or for things to be left a little ambiguous? We'll use cultural heritage artworks and objects, as well as examples from literature, to delve into this theme!
Wednesday 9 September 2026, 15:00-16:00 CEST
Wednesday 7 October 2026, 15:00-16:00 CEST
Wednesday 4 November 2026, 15:00-16:00 CET
Wednesday 2 December 2026, 15:00-16:00 CET
Wednesday 6 January 2027, 15:00-16:00 CET
Wednesday 3 February 2027, 15:00-16:00 CET
Follow the Writers' Room on Europeana Academy
You can also access all the prompts and exercises, and share your writing on the Europeana Writers' Room section of the Europeana Academy (log-in required). So if you missed a workshop or want to look again, head to the Europeana Academy and explore the themes of food and fairy tale, knowledge, soft power, cosy comfort, climate action, time, love, uncertainty, and women in mythology.