“Think Gunther von Hagens for the Literary Elite” – KultureFlash

“Expect the shouty Victorian atmosphere to increase towards grammatical brawling as the night goes on” – The Guardian

7-9pm, Thursday September 10, 2009. Places limited.

The Butcher’s Shop is a unique writers’ workshop and theatrical experience. Hosted by BAD IDEA’s editors at the Old Operating Theatre Museum in London, short stories submitted by guests are dissected, chopped up, and improved through an intensive process of live editing and debate.

The next Butcher’s Shop will be a special sci-fi themed night entitled FUTURE HUMAN. We will be re-imagining the human body through literature and science, and exploring the utopian possibilities of technological enhancement. 

As ever, we will be putting your prose under the knife, and conducting a live debate with some very special guests: Cory Doctorow (Boing Boing blog hero and author of Little Brother), Gwyneth Jones (author of the Arthur C.Clarke Award winning Bold As Love), Ian Watson (co-author of the screenplay for A.I., and a former Stanley Kubrick collaborator) and Matthew de Abaitua (author of The Red Men). 

Want to take part? You can submit stories of 350 words or fewer to info@badidea.co.uk, or via our Facebook page, by September 3. The best stories that we receive will form part of the evening’s entertainment. All stories should address the theme of “transhumanism” – the theory and practise of using technology to enhance the human mind and body. 

The ultimate goal of the event is to create live debate about the editorial process, involve attendees in a dramatic ‘theatre-in-the-round’ exploration of the writing craft, and have fun. And did we mention the free-flowing gin?

Sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin, tickets for the event include complimentary cocktails in the theatre’s Herb Garret. If you would like to attend, you can buy tickets HERE.

The admission price (including open bar and gifts from Hendrick’s and BAD IDEA) is £12. Workshops are from 7pm – 9pm at the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St. Thomas’s St., London SE1 9RY. Places limited. All stories must be submitted in advance of the event. We cannot guarantee that all stories submitted will be edited at the event.

TICKETS WILL BE HELD ON THE DOOR AT THE VENUE, NO TICKETS WILL BE MAILED OUT. 

For further details contact BAD IDEA on +44 (0)207 254 0298, info@badidea.co.uk.

FUTURE HUMAN artwork by Bryony Lloyd.

To get an idea of the format, check out the video below to see BAD IDEA editor Daniel Stacey dissect the prose of novelist Robert Collins at one of our previous events. 

The Butcher’s Shop, Sponsored by Hendricks Gin (1)