Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, who was first published when they were 14 years old. Their first book published under the Claire North pen name was The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (Orbit Books, 2014), which became a word-of-mouth bestseller and was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Subsequent novels include The Sudden Appearance of Hope (Orbit Books, 2016) which won the 2017 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and The End of the Day (Orbit Books, 2017) which was shortlisted for the 2017 Sunday Times / Peters Fraser and Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award. Their latest trilogy about Penelope, wife of Odysseus, began with Ithaca (Orbit Books 2023) – a Sunday Times Fiction Book of the Year. Catherine currently also works as a live-music lighting designer and is a fan of big cities, urban magic, Thai food and graffiti-spotting. They live in London.
Fictionalising Mythology: Retelling, Reimagining, Reinventing
What is a mythological retelling? Where do we draw the line?
This course explores the art of fictionalising mythology – whether by retelling established myths, finding new stories hidden in the gaps, or using myth as a subtle undercurrent in entirely original narratives. We’ll examine how writers balance respect for the source material with the creative license to reframe, modernise, or subvert it. Is there a canon? Are there lines we shouldn’t cross – or does myth, by its very nature, invite reinterpretation?
By the end of the course, you will have the tools to identify where myth can serve your stories – whether you’re writing direct retellings or simply drawing from mythic structure, symbolism, or archetype. Myth isn’t just something to retell – it’s something to converse with, reshape, and carry forward.
Tutors
Claire North
Laura Shepperson
Laura Shepperson has always been fascinated by myths and myth retellings. Her most recent novel, The Heir of Venus (Alcove Press, 2024), tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas through the eyes of his three wives. Her first novel, The Heroines (Alcove Press, 2023) was a UK Sunday Times bestseller, published in the UK and US (under the title Phaedra) as well as Italy, Spain and Russia. In 2017 she was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction. Laura holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Laura lives outside London with her husband and two children. @LauraShepperson
Guest Reader
Jennifer Saint (Digital)
Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne (Wildfire, 2021) which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne - the woman who made it happen. Ariadne was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a Sunday Times bestseller. Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, England, with her husband and two children. She is the President of the Leeds & District Branch of the Classical Association. All four of her novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers, with Elektra (Wildfire, 2023) and Atalanta (Wildfire, 2024) hitting the coveted number one slot.