WOULD-BE authors have an amazing opportunity to learn from the best at six free workshops with authors.

Starting on June 18, there will be one poetry workshop and five fiction workshops with authors, organised by Herefordshire Council as part of the National Year of Reading and Learning Champion Programme.

The writers include bestsellers Catrin Collier, author of Hearts of Gold which was adapted for a BBC mini-series, who will be visiting The Burgage Hall, Ledbury on Thursday, June 19, and Sam Llewellyn who will be at Ross Library on Friday, June 27.

On Wednesday, June 25, award-winning Manda Scott, whose first novel Hen's Teeth was shortlisted for the Orange Prize will be at the Bromyard Centre, and crime writer Margaret Murphy will be at Hereford Library.

Aspiring children’s authors can sign up for Shoo Rayner’s workshop at Leominster Library, and poets are served by Sara-Jane Arbury, the former writer-in-residence for Herefordshire Libraries who will be at Fairfield High School on Wednesday, June 18.

All workshops run from 10am-4pm and include lunch. Delegates will need to bring an example of their writing to the workshop (one poem, or approximately 300 words).

The workshops are FREE, but places are limited and pre-booking is essential.

To find out more, contact your local library, or check out the Herefordshire Libraries website herefordshire.gov. uk/leisure/libraries/1566.asp