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Terrible Tales & Dreadful Decisions: Write Your Own Wicked Cautionary Tale
09 April @ 10.30am to 12.30pm
About Terrible Tales & Dreadful Decisions: Write Your Own Wicked Cautionary Tale
Join authors Lizzie Shannon-Little and Gerard Lewis for a playful, creative writing workshop inspired by classic cautionary tales – from Aesop’s Fables to Hilaire Belloc and their own darkly humorous poetry collection, The Tale of the Propeller Man and Other Stories.
Children will explore why warning stories are funny, frightening, and strangely irresistible, before inventing and writing their own wicked poems about dreadful decisions and disastrous consequences.
This interactive session encourages imagination, discussion, and creative confidence. It is best suited to confident readers and independent writers aged 8 to 12. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with adults and can take part through drawing, discussion, and imaginative play alongside the writing activities.
Expect laughter, mischief, and delightfully terrible ideas.
The session runs 10.30pm to 12.30pm.
Please make sure to arrive on time. A 10-minute grace period is allowed for late arrivals. After this point, admission to the activity cannot be guaranteed.
Booking in advance to secure your place is recommended. Sales from tickets help support our work to deliver fun and accessible family activities, community engagement projects, schools’ workshops, exhibitions and special events for Oxford’s people in our Museum spaces.
About the authors
Lizzie Shannon-Little and Gerard Lewis are Oxfordshire-based writers who met at a writing group in Oxford and have been collaborating creatively for well over a decade. Their darkly humorous poetry collection, The Tale of the Propeller Man and Other Stories, draws inspiration from classic cautionary tales and the wicked wit of writers such as Dr Heinrich Hoffmann and Hilaire Belloc.
Lizzie is an artist and writer with a fascination for myth, dark storytelling, and all things slightly strange, balancing her creative practice with a career in communications. Gerard is an author, playwright, and musician whose work spans novels, theatre, and song, and whose unused stories for this book were (apparently) too dark even for publication.
Access
The Museum is accessible for wheelchair users, buggies, and baby carriers. There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift and lift to the basement level. Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum.
Please contact the Museum team if you’d like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on the website: https://museumofoxford.org/plan-your-visit/access
Tickets
Please see important booking information below.
Booking information
Ticket prices:
£1.50 per child
Each child ticket includes free entry for one accompanying adult. This event ticket includes access to the Galleries for one child and one adult.
Dates & times:
Tuesday 09 April 2026 at 10.30am
Running time:
2 hours
Age guidance:
8 to 12
Children must be supervised at all times.
Good to know:
Please be aware that photographs will be taken at this event for use in marketing. If you (or a member of your group) would prefer not to be photographed, please let a member of staff know during the event.
About Museum of Oxford
The Museum of Oxford is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of Oxford and its people. Located inside the Oxford Town Hall, it explores the city’s rich history beyond the university, focusing on the lives, industries, and communities that have shaped Oxford over time.
The museum features interactive exhibits, local artefacts, and personal stories, covering topics such as Oxford’s medieval origins, its diverse communities, and key moments in its development. It also hosts temporary exhibitions, events, and activities for all ages.
