MMMMmm. Kayyyyyyy. Writers’ HQ is coming at ya.
Here are 6 reasons why being a writer in Milton Keynes is the absolute best:
1. Our baby’s growing up
Compared to the other retreat cities, Milton Keynes is a mere babe in arms: the centre only dates from the 1960s and we just gained city status in 2022. As a result our arts and culture scene is going through, ahem, puberty… Well, what I’m trying to say is that Milton Keynes invests a lot into new talent and experiments with its emergent identity. We are having all the growth spurts with none of the awkwardness. There’s MK LitFest, IF: Milton Keynes International Festival and writing workshops galore.
2. Cultural cubbyholes
You would be forgiven for thinking that Milton Keynes means nothing but roundabouts and grid roads, but actually our individual neigbourhoods all have very distinct personalities, including street names themed after watermills, ancient monuments, musicians, and wildflowers. They’re little cultural cubbyholes with their very own personal narratives, just waiting to be told… [Yes, I’m looking at you.]
3. Incy wincey spider and other banging chooooons
We like to start ‘em young here. Sing-a-long and story time across our nine libraries is a MASSIVE hit (or so I’ve heard). And for the bigger kids among us, several of them also offer other creative groups like Lego Club, Knit & Stitch, and Code Club – all great ways to avoid actually writing (you know you should be writing).
4. Our computer’s bigger than yours
We have the best secret weapon EVERRRRRRR. Bletchley Park. Home to the Codebreakers and their effing ginormous computer, Collosus, the grounds and museum have been inspiration for countless literary works. If it’s good enough for Mr Benny Cucumberpatch, it’s good enough for me!
5. City of the future!
If you’re into sci-fi or like adding futuristic elements to your writing, MK is chock-full of inspiration. The city is home to not one but TWO adorable robot delivery companies (if you’re lucky you might stpo them trundling around, sometimes bursting into song); a restaurant where robot waiters serve you at your table; and our streets are being used for driver-less car trials since our nifty grid roads are great for training them! Plenty of material right there for a dystopian Or utopian setting in your next story…
6. Grass, Glass, Concrete, Cow Pat
If you’ve ever bothered to open your eyes in MK, you’ll have noticed that old meets new and pastoral meets urban all over the shop. We have concrete cows for Pete’s sake. The overriding theme here (and for your next novel—you’re welcome) is interconnectedness. Historical towns and villages have been absorbed into the ‘new city’ and are linked by redways, canals, rivers, roads and railways. Our new MK Writers’ retreat will be hosted in Old Wolverton at The Old Bath House. All we need now is some new writers at our newly relaunched retreat and this tenuous link is complete.
