Elizabeth Hopkinson

Elizabeth Hopkinson

Historical fantasy and fairy tales with LGBTQIA+ representation

www.elizabethhopkinson.uk
Booking enquiry
Elizabeth Hopkinson - author tools

Available for

Workshop, Talk, Reading, Interview

Audiences

Age 14 to 16, Age 16 to 18+, Further Education, University, Adult

Genres

Fable, Fairy tale, Fan fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Folklore, Historical fiction, History, Legend, Magical realism, Mythology, Mythopoeia, Short story

Book types

Anthologies, Fiction for young-adults

Details

Hi! I'm Elizabeth and I can't wait to share with you my passion for folklore, history, diverse representation, and characters you can really empathise with.

I'm an experienced speaker and workshop leader. I love to read from my work. In my workshops, I especially like to use traditional tales to explore issues. I'm new to schools visits as an author, but I have previously worked as an SEN support assistant and a voluntary reading partner, and done lots of voluntary youth work. 

For Secondary Schools, Colleges and Universities 

Book me for:

- LGBT+ History Month (February), Pride Month (June), Disability Pride Month (July) or Ace Week (end of October)

- Representation in folklore and history/modern fiction

- Careers in creative writing 

- Empathy through characters

- Book groups

- LGBTQIA+ societies

- Creative writing students 16+

I can provide sample talks/workshops on request. NB: My books are aimed at 14+. I will only do workshops for small groups, such as book groups and LGBTQIA+ societies, or for students 16+. 

For SEND Schools 11+

I am happy to create author visits and activities on the above or related themes, in consultation with you, particularly for those on formal or semi-formal learning pathways.

- Contact me to discuss further. I am working towards my Level 1 in BSL.

For LGBTQIA+ youth groups

I can offer talks or workshops about:

- asexuality

- my journey as an asexual writer and activist

- representation in folklore and history

- using traditional tales to explore identity.

I can provide sample talks/workshops on request.

Other bookings

I am also availalbe to speak at bookshops, festivals, conventions, book groups or creative writing groups. 

I have experience of being interviewed numerous times by BCB Community Radio, and once by the BBC as part of their This Is Bradford project.

Some previous talks and workshops 

- a day visit to a Bradford primary school with my illustrator Anna Hopkinson

- readings and Q&A as part of a panel at a Manchester bookshop with the British Fantasy Society

- a cosy fantasy workshop at Swanwick Writers' Summer School

- "Massaged to Death by Mermaids: Merfolk of the World and LGBTQIA+ Identity" at two fan conventions and virtually for Todmorden Folklore Centre

- a workshop on representation in folklore with LGBTQIA youth groups in Leeds and Huddersfield

- a talk to a student LGBTQIA Society about Asexual Fairy Tales, with readings

“Elizabeth is a skilled facilitator who blends just enough teaching to provide content with creative exercises which stimulated us to create worlds about which I wanted to write”.- Swanwick Writers’ Summer School 

”I really enjoyed the reading! Being an asexual myself I’m really glad you wrote this book! I hope you continue writing!”- University of Huddersfield LGBTQ+ Society"

"Really interesting - had insightful discussions and learned a lot about old fairy tale tropes. Got good book recs - thank you!"- Alphabet Collective, Leeds

Own Voices Statement & Access Needs

I identify as asexual, and my pronouns are she/they. I have lived with chronic depression/anxiety from the age of 16, and with fibromyalgia since 2016. I am probably neurodivergent in some way (undiagnosed).

For schools visits, I prefer to keep to West Yorkshire. For other visits, I will consider the rest of Yorkshire and Lancashire. I am very happy to do virtual events.

My prefererence is for a single talk or workshop. If I'm being invited to a full day event, I will require rest breaks and a quiet room. If the visit is outside West Yorkshire and starts first thing in the morning or finishes in the evening, I will require overnight accommodation. Please consult my Access Needs form for full details. (Supplied at time of booking).

Terms & Conditions

My fees are in line with the Society of Authors recommendations, but I am willing to waive them in the case of small charitable or community groups with limited resources. I would, however, ask that you cover my transport fees and consider buying one of my books.
I have a full DBS and Public Liability Insurance through the Society of Authors.

Books by Elizabeth Hopkinson

I’ve written 7 books including Cage of Nightingales and Asexual Fairy Tales, and featured in numerous anthologies.
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A vow to an archangel. A web of unspoken love. A commission that could shatter it all. Two years ago, Tammo and Carlo saved Celestina’s life—and bound themselves in a sacred vow to the Archangel Michael. Now, Tammo’s rare gift as a bird-charmer has made him a favorite of the nobility, and Carlo’s voice is taking Angelio’s opera world by storm. But beneath beauty and acclaim, tangled feelings churn between the three of them: love, duty, and truths too long unspoken. When alluring and dangerous Marchesa della Pamina offers Tammo a commission, it sets off a chain of betrayals that threatens to unravel their bond—and expose Carlo’s most closely guarded secret. As Carnival season draws them into a glittering world of masks and misdirection, desire and jealousy begin to distort the very gifts that once bound them together. And when trust falters, even an angel’s blessing may not be enough to hold them Masquerade of Finches is a story of fragile devotion, found family, and queer identity—featuring a tender portrayal of an asexual, nonbinary eunuch at its heart. Shortlisted for the Tempest Prize “Compelling throughout and very accomplished.” - Patience Agbabi
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Two boys. One meek, one rebellious. Both discover a power that will set them free…or sever them. In a highly structured eighteenth-century society, the city-state of Angelio is known for two things: its music and its guardian, the Archangel Michael. At Angelio’s music school—nicknamed the Cage of Nightingales—castrato singer Carlo is destined for fame at the opera…at the price of his freedom. Charity pupil Tammo hates the school and the restrictive future it offers, dreaming instead of escaping to live in the woods to charm birds with his flute. When Tammo meets Carlo, their lives change forever. With the Archangel’s help, they are granted the power to fulfil each other’s deepest desires—but every gift demands a price. As music opens doors to a glittering world beyond the Cage, the bond between them is tested by ambition, longing, and the fragile promises they have made. And their choices will shape not just their futures, but that of Celestina—a young aristocrat who will become entwined in their lives in ways neither of them can foresee. Cage of Nightingales is a story of found family, and queer identity—featuring a tender portrayal of an asexual, nonbinary eunuch.
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Almost everyone knows the familiar fairy tale ending: the prince marries the princess and they live happily ever after. Or do they? Once upon a time, our ancestors were much more honest and open about the spectrum of human sexuality. Among the fairy tales and myths they told were stories of androgynes, neither male nor female; of women and men who resist sex and marriage for other kinds of love; of chaste romances, miraculous childbirth and bodily transformations. These are the asexual fairy tales you will find in this book. These tales come from many places: from Grimms’ Fairy Tales to The Thousand and One Nights, from Greek mythology and Arthurian legend to the silent films of the 1920s and from Scandinavia to Japan. Retold, reimagined, and sometimes reinvented as new stories for the 21st century, these stories will change the way you think about fairy tales, and bring asexuality out of the closet.
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Once upon a time, our ancestors told tales of asexuality, symbolic stories that hint at other identities: a princess who grows a beard to escape marriage, a knight who forsakes his wife's bed to become a werewolf, a goddess with detachable parts, a planet where everyone is asexual. Drawn from many times and places, retold and reimagined for the 21st century, Elizabeth Hopkinson's second book of myths and tales brings asexuality out of the closet and gives it the history it has been denied.
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A girl who crafts a husband from marzipan. A man who thinks he’s made of glass. A nonbinary sibling who succeeds where their brothers fail. An origin story for the asexual flag. In this third collection, Elizabeth Hopkinson collects, combines and reinvents tales from Spain to China, El Salvador to India, bringing asexual identities to the fore. With original stories about a gender-swapped Cinderella, a poster in love, and a queer platonic relationship, this is her most inventive collection yet.
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A trans monk. A mermaid saint. A headless healer. A werewolf refugee. Asexual Fairy Tales author Elizabeth Hopkinson lends her numinous storytelling voice to lesser-known saints from Celtic lands in the age of Patrick, Columba and Cuthbert - alongside some of their influencers and inheritors. From Brigid the Time Traveller to Cædmon the Socially Anxious, from Brendan the Respecter of First Nations to the Black Madonna of Montevergine who protects same-sex couples and traditional third genders, this collection of tales from the past has much to teach us about diversity and inclusion today.
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A mysterious pendant. A sinister suitor. And an epic chase to the Edge of the Map... 1706. The rival Dutch and English East India Companies sail the world s oceans, bringing back exotic treasures and tales of fantastical lands. In coastal Hollyport, Margaret faces a terrible choice: to abandon herself to a marriage that could erase her very soul, or to risk all aboard a ship bound for dangerous waters. With her betrothed husband, the sinister Mr Van Guelder in pursuit, Margaret embarks on a journey like no other: where pirates, flying islands and secret empires await; along with unexpected friendship from troubled young nobleman Taro, whose estate holds surprises and sorrows of its own. But Van Guelder is never far behind, nor is the power of the mysterious lodestone round his neck, and Margaret will have to learn the true nature of suffering before she can ever be free.

Photos and videos

Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image
Elizabeth Hopkinson - first image

Keywords

ASEXUALITY CAREERS CHARACTERS DIVERSITY EMPATHY FAIRYTALE FANTASY FRIENDSHIP HISTORICAL IDENTITY INCLUSION LEGEND LGBTQ LGBTQIA+ MYTHOLOGY PRIDE PRIDEMONTH PSHE QUEERHISTORY REPRESENTATION SEND STEREOTYPES YAFICTION YOUNGADULT YOUTH GROUPS