diff --git a/src/Graphics/XHB/Ewmh/Serialize.hs b/src/Graphics/XHB/Ewmh/Serialize.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Graphics/XHB/Ewmh/Serialize.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances    #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE OverlappingInstances #-}
+
+module Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Serialize (Serialize(..)) where
+
+import Control.Monad (replicateM_)
+import Data.Binary.Get
+import Data.Binary.Put
+import Data.Char (chr, ord)
+import Data.List (intersperse)
+import Data.Word (Word8, Word32)
+import Graphics.XHB
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as B
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8 as C
+import qualified Data.DList as DL
+
+putSkip8 :: Int -> Put
+putSkip8 n = replicateM_ n $ putWord8 0
+
+putSkip16 :: Int -> Put
+putSkip16 n = replicateM_ n $ putWord16host 0
+
+putSkip32 :: Int -> Put
+putSkip32 n = replicateM_ n $ putWord32host 0
+
+class Serialize a where
+    serialize :: a -> Put
+
+    toBytes :: a -> [Word8]
+    toBytes = B.unpack . runPut . serialize
+
+    deserialize :: Get a
+
+    fromBytes :: [Word8] -> Either String a
+    fromBytes bs = case runGetOrFail deserialize (B.pack bs) of
+        Right (_, _, a) -> Right a
+        Left  (_, _, e) -> Left e
+
+    serializeList :: [a] -> Put
+    serializeList = mapM_ serialize
+
+    deserializeList :: Get [a]
+    deserializeList = fmap DL.toList $ loop DL.empty
+        where
+        loop as = do
+            b <- isEmpty
+            if b then return as
+                 else deserialize >>= loop . DL.snoc as
+
+instance Serialize a => Serialize [a] where
+    serialize = serializeList
+    deserialize = deserializeList
+
+instance (Serialize a, Serialize b) => Serialize (a, b) where
+    serialize (a,b) = serialize a >> serialize b
+    deserialize = do
+        a <- deserialize
+        b <- deserialize
+        return (a, b)
+
+instance (Serialize a, Serialize b, Serialize c) => Serialize (a, b, c) where
+    serialize (a,b,c) = serialize a >> serialize b >> serialize c
+    deserialize = do
+        a <- deserialize
+        b <- deserialize
+        c <- deserialize
+        return (a, b, c)
+
+instance (Serialize a, Serialize b, Serialize c, Serialize d) => Serialize (a, b, c, d) where
+    serialize (a,b,c,d) = serialize a >> serialize b >> serialize c >> serialize d
+    deserialize = do
+        a <- deserialize
+        b <- deserialize
+        c <- deserialize
+        d <- deserialize
+        return (a, b, c, d)
+
+instance Serialize Char where
+    serialize = putWord8 . fromIntegral . ord
+    deserialize = fmap (chr . fromIntegral) getWord8
+
+instance Serialize String where
+    serialize = mapM_ serialize
+
+    deserialize = fmap C.unpack getRemainingLazyByteString
+
+    serializeList = mapM_ putWord8 . map (fromIntegral . ord) . concat . intersperse "\0"
+
+    deserializeList = fmap (init_ . convert) getRemainingLazyByteString
+        where nul      = fromIntegral . ord $ '\0'
+              convert  = map C.unpack . B.splitWith (== nul)
+              init_ [] = []
+              init_ xs = init xs
+
+instance Serialize Word8 where
+    serialize = putWord8
+    deserialize = getWord8
+
+instance Serialize Word32 where
+    serialize = putWord32host
+    deserialize = getWord32host
+
+instance Serialize Int where
+    -- this might cause some breakage, but practically `#define`s are not < 0
+    serialize = putWord32host . fromIntegral
+    deserialize = fmap fromIntegral getWord32host
+
+instance Serialize ATOM where
+    serialize   = putWord32host . fromXid . toXid
+    deserialize = fmap (fromXid . toXid) getWord32host
+
+instance Serialize WINDOW where
+    serialize   = putWord32host . fromXid . toXid
+    deserialize = fmap (fromXid . toXid) getWord32host
+
+instance Serialize ClientMessageEvent where
+    serialize (MkClientMessageEvent fmt win typ dat) = do
+        putWord8 33 -- 33 ^= ClientMessageEvent
+        putWord8 fmt
+        putSkip8 2
+        serialize win
+        serialize typ
+        serialize dat
+
+    deserialize = error "deserialize for ClientMessageEvent not implemented"
+
+instance Serialize ClientMessageData where
+    serialize (ClientData8  ws) = do mapM_ putWord8 ws
+                                     putSkip8 (20 - length ws)
+    serialize (ClientData16 ws) = do mapM_ putWord16host ws
+                                     putSkip16 (10 - length ws)
+    serialize (ClientData32 ws) = do mapM_ putWord32host ws
+                                     putSkip32 (5 - length ws)
+
+    deserialize = error "deserialize for ClientMessageData not implemented"
diff --git a/xhb-ewmh.cabal b/xhb-ewmh.cabal
--- a/xhb-ewmh.cabal
+++ b/xhb-ewmh.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                xhb-ewmh
-version:             0.1.0.0
+version:             0.1.0.1
 synopsis:            EWMH utilities for XHB
 description:         EWMH utilities for XHB
 license:             BSD2
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@
   exposed-modules:     Graphics.XHB.Ewmh,
                        Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Atoms,
                        Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Types,
-                       Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Values
+                       Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Values,
+                       Graphics.XHB.Ewmh.Serialize
 
   other-extensions:    DeriveDataTypeable,
                        FlexibleContexts,