Pitching Workshop & Write-Together
2025-11-26 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | The Constitution Pub, 42 Churton St, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2LP, United Kingdom
Work on the querying process and your writing project with fellow Spectrum members
Spectrum is re-launching regular in-person Write Togethers!
As as part of the inaugural session, one of our Spectrum members, Karin J. Robinson, will spend the first half of the session talking about the perils of the submission process from getting an agent to being out on submission to publishers, based on her recent experiences. We will also look at writing a submission query letter, and if you would like to prepare one in advance, we’ll create some time to share work-in-progress pitches. If you have something you’re already working on please bring it. Don’t worry if not, we’ll have some sprint time in the evening for you to have a crack!
After the workshop, we’ll be doing some writing sprints—half an hour of uninterrupted writing, a short break, and another sprint after that. So come hang out and get some writing done!
Some notes:
New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and work on your project alongside other members. This is a more relaxed event and does not require any prior preparation.
Registrations close 30 minutes before the event. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your Registration as soon as possible. Failure to update your Registration or let an organiser know you will not be attending can result in penalties, so please be considerate.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full up, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #creative-workshop channel on the Discord server, and when a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know. You can also keep checking the website on the day of the event, with a maximum 1 hour buffer, in case any spots open up last minute.
As always, we are asking for a small donation towards the group’s annual running costs at each session. If you are able to donate, you can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
Thank you and hope to see you there!

December In-Person Critique and Christmas Drinks
2025-12-02 19:30 - 21:30 | The Constitution Pub, 42 Churton St, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2LP, United Kingdom
A critique meeting for short stories and novel excerpts written by our members, live and in person in Pimlico!
An overview of how the critique meetings are structured can be found here – please note that you need to read the stories we’ll be discussing ahead of time and prepare your feedback for the authors. There will be only one story this session and then more time for Christmas drinks after!
Some things to keep in mind:

We aim to post the new submissions for this session around a week or so before the event. Please wait until we have confirmed the new submissions are live before downloading anything. To access the documents, you need to sign up on our website and download them from the Members Area under ‘Next Critique Session’; they will be clearly marked for this date, so please make sure you download the correct submissions.
New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and see how the group works. We do ask that you participate by giving your comments to the people who submitted their work for this session, even if you have never done so before. Please check out our guide on how to give a good critique if unsure.
Registrations close 2 hours before the event. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your Registration as soon as possible. Failure to update your Registration or let an organiser know you will not be attending can result in us revoking your membership, so please be considerate.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. Please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #critique-meeting channel on the Discord server, and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know. You can also keep checking the website ahead of the event, with a maximum 2 hour buffer, in case any spots open up. Please note you need to have read the pieces in order to participate in the meeting, so do account for that if you are registering at the last minute.

Lastly, we are fundraising for the year’s running costs, and are asking for a small donation towards that at each session. You can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly, or speak to an organiser at the pub if you’d prefer to give cash. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
Hope to see you there!

Perineal Prose
2025-12-29 14:30 - 18:00 | The Windsor Castle, 23 Francis St, London, SW1P 1DN, United Kingdom
Neither quite one thing or another, the time between Christmas and New Year is a fine opportunity to draw the thoughts of a busy year to a close, and look towards a new year ahead with fresh eyes, new optimism and the up-bubbling of wonderful creative ideas.
Spectrum would like to invite those who can attend to a little social gathering for waifs, strays and those of you just keen to get some fresh air. We can share a chat about our shared passion for writing, genre fiction and any recommendations for the January rituals around resolutions, new reading lists and must-see/-read new additions to the speculative canon.
The venue will be the Windsor Castle in Victoria (formerly the much more evocatively named ‘The Cardinal’) from 2:30pm onwards for a drink, a social chat and a chance to write together for those interested in doing so. Price of admission is free, but the fee to leave is one regulation Limerick on a speculative subject of your choice! The worse, the better 🙂
Numbers are limited only for the sake of trying to get something agreed with the venue. If you want to stop by at any point, feel free to do so.

January Online Critique Session
2026-01-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Discord: Critique Voice Chat Channel
A virtual critique meeting for short stories and novel excerpts written by our members. We will be critiquing one to two pieces at this session.
An overview of how the critique meetings are formatted can be found on this page – please note that you need to read the stories we’ll be discussing ahead of time and prepare your feedback for the authors.
Some things to keep in mind:

This will be a virtual session held on Discord (voice/audio only). Instructions on how to join our server can be found on this page. IMPORTANT: This is not an instant virtual meeting like Zoom. You’ll need to create a Discord account and join our server, which runs all the time, and then join the Voice Chat at the time of the session. Please allow extra time to complete this ahead of the meeting.
Please make sure you download the correct stories to read, especially if there is more than one critique event listed. To access the documents, you need to sign up on our website and download them from the Members Area under ‘Next Critique Session’; they will be clearly marked for this date and event.
New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and see how the group works. We do ask that you participate by giving your comments to the people who submitted their work for this session, even if you have never done so before. Please check out our guide on how to give a good critique if unsure, and don’t be nervous! We’ll let you observe for a while before calling on you.
Registrations close 2 hours before the event. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your Registration as soon as possible so someone else can take your spot. Failure to update your Registration or let an organiser know you will not be attending can result in us revoking your membership, so please be considerate.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #critique-meeting channel on the Discord server (it will be marked with the date of the event), and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know you can sign up. Please note you need to have read the pieces in order to participate in the meeting, so do account for that if you are registering at the last minute.

Lastly, we are fundraising for the year’s running costs, and are asking for a small donation towards that at each session. You can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special role on our Discord, and discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch (we’re working on some fun things!) as well as on special events tickets.
If you are having trouble getting onto Discord, signing up on the website, or have any other questions, please email us through our contact form and one of the organisers will get back to you.
Hope to see you there!

January In-Person Critique Evening
2026-01-21 19:30 - 21:30 | The Leather Exchange, 15 Leathermarket Street, London, SE1 3HN, United Kingdom
A critique meeting for short stories and novel excerpts written by our members, live and in person in London Bridge!
An overview of how the critique meetings are structured can be found here – please note that you need to read the stories we’ll be discussing ahead of time and prepare your feedback for the authors.
Some things to keep in mind:

We aim to post the new submissions for this session around a week or so before the event. Please wait until we have confirmed the new submissions are live before downloading anything. To access the documents, you need to sign up on our website and download them from the Members Area under ‘Next Critique Session’; they will be clearly marked for this date/event, so please make sure you download the correct submissions.
New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and see how the group works. We do ask that you participate by giving your comments to the people who submitted their work for this session, even if you have never done so before. Please check out our guide on how to give a good critique if unsure, and don’t be nervous! We’ll let you observe for a while before calling on you.
Registrations close 2 hours before the event. Our events tend to be very well-attended, and we often have waiting lists. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your Registration as soon as possible so someone else can take your spot. Failure to update your Registration or let an organiser know you will not be attending before the 2 hour cut-off can result in penalties, so please be considerate.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full up, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #critique-meeting channel on the Discord server (you can find it in the channel itself or as a sub-topic on the channel list on the left), and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know so you can sign up. You can also keep checking the website ahead of the event, with a maximum 2 hour buffer, in case any spots open up. Please note you need to have read the pieces in order to participate in the meeting, so do account for that if you are registering at the last minute.

As always, we are asking for a small donation towards the group’s annual running costs at each free session. If you are able to donate, you can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special ‘Monthly Benefactor’ role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
Hope to see you there!

Writing Workshop: Writing A Community, Not a Lone Hero
2026-01-29 19:30 - 21:30 | The Constitution Pub, 42 Churton St, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2LP, United Kingdom
Framing stories beyond heroes and villains
A writer’s workshop under the expert tutelage of one of our fellow Spectrum organisers and published author, Ana Sun.
How might we approach writing narratives that steer away from the hero’s journey? In this workshop, we will explore techniques to handle a rich cast of characters to reflect community voices, and how to create tension and conflict without villains.
This workshop was oversubscribed at World Fantasy Con last October, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to participate in this session!
Some notes on our workshops:

New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and take part in the workshop, even if you’ve never been to any of our events before. Attendance of a workshop does not count towards full member eligibility, however.
Registrations will close 1 hour before the meeting start time. Please be advised that spaces are limited due to venue capacity, so make sure to register your interest and keep it up to date if you find that you can no longer attend, so someone else can take your spot. Please see our Attendance Policy linked below the form for more info.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full up, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #workshop channel on the Discord server (you can find it in the channel itself or as a sub-topic on the channel list on the left), and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know so you can sign up. You can also keep checking the website ahead of the event, with a maximum 1 hour buffer, in case any spots open up.

As always, we are asking for a small donation towards the group’s annual running costs at each free session. If you are able to donate, you can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special ‘Monthly Benefactor’ role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
So grab your spot while you can, and we look forward to seeing you there!

In-Person Write-Together
2026-02-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Backstage Café at the Old Vic, 131 Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8UR, United Kingdom
Get together with your fellow members and work on your project!
These events are tailored to create some space in your life to get some writing done in the company of other writers. We will usually sprint for 45 minute intervals and then take a short break before diving in again. So come hang out and get some writing done!
This will be held in person at Backstage Café, the Old Vic. The address is at the bottom of this page.
Please note:

Registrations will close 1 hour before the meeting start time. Please be advised that spaces are limited due to venue capacity, so make sure to register your interest and keep it up to date if you find that you can no longer attend, so someone else can take your spot.

Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full up, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #write-together channel on the Discord server (you can find it in the channel itself or as a sub-topic on the channel list on the left), and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know so you can sign up. You can also keep checking the website ahead of the event, with a maximum 1 hour buffer, in case any spots open up.

As always, we are asking for a small donation towards the group’s annual running costs at each free session. If you are able to donate, you can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special ‘Monthly Benefactor’ role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
So grab your spot while you can, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Online Critique: February 18th, 2026
2026-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Discord: Critique Voice Chat Channel

February In-Person Critique Evening Change of Venue!
2026-02-25 19:30 - 21:30 | The Constitution Pub, 42 Churton St, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2LP, United Kingdom
Venue change Alert for In-Person Critique on the 25th February!
A critique meeting for short stories and novel excerpts written by our members, live and in person at the Constitution Pub in Pimlico!
An overview of how the critique meetings are structured can be found here – please note that you need to read the stories we’ll be discussing ahead of time and prepare your feedback for the authors.
Some things to keep in mind:

We aim to post the new submissions for this session around a week or so before the event. Please wait until we have confirmed the new submissions are live before downloading anything. To access the documents, you need to sign up on our website and download them from the Members Area under ‘Next Critique Session’; they will be clearly marked for this date/event, so please make sure you download the correct submissions.
New members are absolutely welcome – please feel free to come say hello and see how the group works. We do ask that you participate by giving your comments to the people who submitted their work for this session, even if you have never done so before. Please check out our guide on how to give a good critique if unsure, and don’t be nervous! We’ll let you observe for a while before calling on you.
Registrations close 2 hours before the event. Our events tend to be very well-attended, and we often have waiting lists. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your Registration as soon as possible so someone else can take your spot. Failure to update your Registration or let an organiser know you will not be attending before the 2 hour cut-off can result in penalties, so please be considerate.
Waiting lists are managed through Discord. If the event is full up, please put your name down in the appropriate thread on the #critique-meeting channel on the Discord server (you can find it in the channel itself or as a sub-topic on the channel list on the left), and if a spot opens up an organiser will ping you to let you know so you can sign up. You can also keep checking the website ahead of the event, with a maximum 2 hour buffer, in case any spots open up. Please note you need to have read the pieces in order to participate in the meeting, so do account for that if you are registering at the last minute.

As always, we are asking for a small donation towards the group’s annual running costs at each free session. If you are able to donate, you can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special ‘Monthly Benefactor’ role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
Hope to see you there!

March In-Person Critique Evening
2026-03-17 19:30 - 21:30 | The Leather Exchange, 15 Leathermarket Street, London, SE1 3HN, United Kingdom

Online Critique: March 18, 2026
2026-03-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Discord: Critique Voice Chat Channel

March In-Person Write-Together
2026-03-24 19:30 - 21:30 | Backstage Café at the Old Vic, 131 Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8UR, United Kingdom

Eastercon 2026
2026-04-03 00:00 - 2026-04-06 23:59 | Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham, The NEC Birmingham, Pendigo Way, Birmingham, B40 1PP, United Kingdom
Eastercon is the annual British science fiction convention that takes place every Easter weekend. Run by volunteers for all those who love Science Fiction and Fantasy, it features panels, workshops, talks, an art show and a dealer’s room selling books and other items. There are rooms for gaming, crafting or just chilling out. Events range from serious science to the very silly indeed!
This year, EasterCon takes place at the Hilton hotel near the NEC in Birmingham. A small group of Spectrum members is planning to be there, including some of the organisers. Planning to join us? Let us know in the #eastercon channel on Discord!
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A SPECTRUM EVENT. Check out the event website for memberships and attendance details.

Worldcon 2026 (LAcon V)
2026-08-27 00:00 - 2026-08-31 23:59 | Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, California, 92802, United States
Worldcon is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society. It is held in a different city (and sometimes continent!) each year, and is organised by an independent committee of local volunteers each time. This is where the Hugo Awards are also administered.
This year, Worldcon will be held in Anaheim, near Los Angeles, CA.
Please note, this is not a Spectrum event. However some of our members will be attending, either in person or virtually.
Interested? Check out their website and grab your membership now. And let us know on Discord if you’re planning on attending!
