Fiction. Stories. Imaginings. Daydreaming. None of these ever changed the world – or did they?

This programme is underpinned by a radical proposition. Stories can change the world. For those of us interested in making the world a better place, investing time into creating new stories is a worthy form of changemaking.

In writing fiction, in inventing new worlds, in bringing characters to life, in creating compelling stories, activists and changemakers can do something that it is often challenging. We can take others into the world we want to live in, the one that usually exists only in our imaginations. We can, literally and metaphorically, create a better world.  We can show people – and show ourselves – that another world is possible.

The programme starts with one question: what is the story that you need to hear right now?

By dropping into this question in our minds, dreaming into it with our hearts, and wandering within our imaginations, we can find our own entry point. It might be an idea, a single image, a question or a feeling. A glimpse. A window. A sentence. The start of a story.

This story, once we have breathed life into it and played with characters, contexts and plots, can be one of the things that keeps ours spirit alive and supports us with other forms of activism and changemaking.

Our stories might turn into campfire tales, short stories, podcasts, blueprints for activism, graphic novels, or even full-length books. But more than that, the worlds that we have created in these stories won’t disappear. We will find out if we can bring them closer to our current realities. If we can imagine them, we might just make them happen.

This programme is adventurous, playful, and ambitious. We will imagine, talk, create, and write. Our stories will be our own, but they will be fed and nourished by the conversations through which they emerged. Writing does not have to be a solitary endeavour. By writing alongside each other, supporting each other, and building a strong collaborative culture, all our stories will be richer. Bring it on. Who wants to play? Let’s write.

Dates, format and content

This programme takes place over five months and includes face-to-face and online elements.

Face-to-face Writing Retreats (Bristol)

Weekend 1- Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 November 2026 (9.30am-5pm)

  • Opening circle and making agreements
  • Why use fiction for changemaking?
  • What is the world we want to live in?
  • What is the story you need to hear right now?
  • World Building
  • Finding characters
  • What-If questions
  • The story arc / plot
  • Dedicated writing time
  • Developing writing practices
  • Setting intentions
  • Closing circle

Weekend 2- Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 March 2027 (9.30am-5pm)

  • Opening circle and making agreements
  • Can stories change the world?
  • Dedicated writing time
  • Storytelling spaces
  • Using feedback for refining stories
  • Making it real – how fiction can help our changemaking
  • The next chapter – what is the next step for our stories?
  • Closing circle

Zoom Writing Rooms:

Writing Room 1 – Wed 6 January 2027 (7-9pm)

Opening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle

Writing Room 2 – Tues 7 February 2027 (7-9pm)

Opening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle

Writing Room 3 – Thurs 4 March 2027 (7-9pm)

Opening circle and check in; Warm up writing provocations; Dedicated writing time; Sharing time; Closing circle

One-to-one Writing Mentoring:

Two one-hour sessions – time, content and structure is negotiable

Location for Face-to-Face Writing Retreats

Top Barn, Bridge Farm, Glenfrome Road, BRISTOL, BS16 1BQ (non-residential).

Who is it aimed at?

Do you like stories? Great. Do you want to live in a world which is a bit different from the one we live in right now? Brilliant. That’s enough.

You don’t have to be a storyteller. You don’t need to be a writer. All you need is a belief that another world is possible, and a curiosity to explore what this might look like if you let your imagination run wild.

Who is facilitating the programme?

Max Hope (they/them) is a facilitator, educator, researcher, activist, and writer. Max’s own identity as an activist and changemaker is rooted in their commitment to social and environmental justice. They have spent many years as a grassroots activist, primarily focusing on challenging queer and gender-based inequalities and providing innovative alternative spaces for marginalized young people and adults. They are angry about poverty, about sexual violence, about the abuse of power, about patriarchy, and about the state of the wild world. Max is a keen writer and has authored or co-authored two books, twenty academic articles and book chapters, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and blog posts. They are currently immersed in a fiction project which involved world building, creating characters, and dealing with ‘what if?’ scenarios and they are loving it. They have also run writing retreats and supported dozens of students in their writing of essays, dissertations, and PhD theses. For more info on Max, including a full list of publications, go to https://maxhope.co.uk/

How much does it cost and how do I book a place?

Places are £495 (standard rate) / £550 (supporter rate)

Please email hello@maxhope.co.uk to book a place, and you will be sent a Booking Form and payment details.

If you do not have the financial freedom to manage the cost, please get in touch, as there are options for paying in instalments, and also some options for a ‘pay what you can’ cost (supported by those who have paid the ‘supporter rate’).

“The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.” (Ursula Le Guin)