WEA events near you

We are proud to present our art exhibition, celebrating the creativity, achievements, and personal journeys of learners from across Leicester. 

Join us for an inspiring exhibition celebrating the incredible achievements of our Leicester-based adult learners.

This showcase brings together artwork from five diverse learning groups, including the Leicester Art Hub, the Adhar Project, and WEA lifelong learning courses. 

A free webinar to explore the work of the Centenary Commission on Adult Education and how its recommendations could shape the future of lifelong learning.

We are delighted to have the Chair of the Commission, Dame Helen Ghosh, as the keynote speaker at this event, sharing reflections on lifelong learning in 2026 in the light of the Commission’s work.

Join us for an inspiring online event with film writer, author and BAFTA‑longlisted screenwriter James Clarke, as part of Purpose to Pen - a new WEA lecture series exploring the question at the heart of every writer’s craft: Why do I write?

In this session, James will reflect on a career spent writing about cinema -  from iconic actors and directors to animation and geek culture. His work has appeared in Empire, Little White Lies, The Guardian and more, and his films have premiered at the BFI IMAX and screened internationally. James will share how curiosity, craft and a lifelong love of film shape the stories he chooses to tell.

Join award‑winning writer and poet Derek Owusu for a powerful conversation about purpose, creativity and the stories that shape us, as part of Purpose to Pen - a new WEA lecture series exploring the question: Why do I write?

Derek’s writing spans fiction, poetry, cultural commentary and editorial work, including the landmark anthology SAFE: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space. His debut novel That Reminds Me won the Desmond Elliott Prize, followed by Losing the Plot, longlisted for the Dylan Thomas and Jhalak Prizes. His third novel, Borderline Fiction, was published in 2025.

What drives one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers to the page? Join C.L. Taylor -nine‑times Sunday Times bestselling author - for an illuminating event in the WEA’s Purpose to Pen series, exploring the question: Why do I write?

With over two million UK sales, four Nielsen Silver Bestseller Awards, three Richard & Judy Book Club selections and bestselling YA fiction, C.L. Taylor’s work has gripped readers around the world.

In this session, she’ll discuss the themes that drive her thrillers, the emotional truths behind suspense, and what keeps her returning to the blank page.

Join writer and oral historian Marsha O’Mahony for a rich exploration of storytelling, community memory and the power of lived experience, as part of the WEA’s Purpose to Pen series.

With over 30 years’ experience in journalism, writing and oral history, Marsha has documented the voices of the River Wye, the Gwent Levels and the Irish diaspora in the West Midlands. Her work centres on humanising data - bringing qualitative depth to quantitative facts to create meaning and connection.

In this event, Marsha will share why she writes, why community stories matter, and how oral history can preserve the truths that statistics alone cannot.

What fuels a writer whose work spans theatre, radio, screen and site‑specific performance? Join playwright and screenwriter Liz John for an inspiring event in the WEA’s Purpose to Pen series, exploring the question: Why do I write?

Liz’s work includes national theatre tours, award‑winning/nominated short films, immersive sound projects and more than 25 episodes of Doctors. She has written for The Archers since 2017 and founded BOLDtext Playwrights, a West Midlands collective known for topical, site‑specific theatre.

In this session, Liz will reflect on collaboration, regional creativity and the quiet stories that demand to be told.

Join author, art historian and broadcaster Lucinda Hawksley for a fascinating journey into the motivations behind her writing, as part of the WEA’s Purpose to Pen series.

Lucinda specialises in 19th‑ and early‑20th‑century art, literature and social history. An award‑winning travel writer and environmental advocate, she is also the great‑great‑great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens. Her books include The Mystery of Princess Louise, Lizzie Siddal, March, Women, March and Charles Dickens and His Circle.

In this event, Lucinda will discuss the intersections of biography, history and creativity - and why she continues to write about the people and stories that shaped our world.