18th April
THE MAPMAKER'S WORKBOX
Journeys - real, imagined, your own life. Plot significant points, devise signs, triangulate and locate the arrow that says, 'You are here!' in a workshop led by Meredith Andrea and Jacqui Rowe where you might discover unexpected patterns in time and place.
23rd May
MASTERCLASS - MEMORY, EXPERIENCE, OBJECTS: FUEL, ENGINE, CAR
What we write comes mostly from sharp experience, whether recent or buried in the past, often prompted by resonant objects and places. How can we best access memory and experience to drive our writing forward? In a re-run of one of last year's most popular workshops, Mario Petrucci offers expert tools and a good wrench.
20th June
THE SHAPE OF THINGS
Poems have been described as 'little machines made out of words'. What a poem does can't be separated from how it's made; overall shape, punctuation and line breaks are as much a part of a poem as its words and images. Meredith Andrea will look at form and its fine tuning using examples and your own writing on the day.
18th July
PLANETS, PLASMAS AND PENGUINS
It's become a fad in contemporary writing to make a nod, here and there to 'science'. But how can science inform what we write, without becoming gimmicky. Mario Petrucci, an award winning writer and PhD physicist, who often uses scientific modes in work of his own such as Heavy Water, leads an intriguing workshop. [NO science or maths needed!]
8th August
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Collections aren't bus queues or greatest hits albums; poems must be selected, arranged and ordered to ensure that they speak to each other as well as to the reader. Meredith Andrea and Jacqui Rowe will be looking at some notable pamphlets and collections for inspiration and practical ideas. Participants are encouraged to bring a selection of their own poems.
19th September
MASTERCLASS - BEGINNINGS AND SURPRISE
Getting started, surprising the reader, surprising yourself - how do we get all that to happen? Mario Petrucci leads an exciting workshop for poetry or prose.
24th October
SELF AND OTHERS
To whom, or what, is your poem addressed? And who is doing the talking? We'll consider a range of possibilities, from simple personal statements to poems that speak in other voices and strike up unexpected conversations. Another chance to try out some new and different perspectives with Jacqui Rowe and Meredith Andrea.
14th November
MASTERCLASS - WRITING IN THE SPACE BETWEEN
Finding your style, your identity, as a writer is the great goal of most poets' lives. Take a chance, with Philip Gross and other participants, and see what you might find by letting it go.
12th December
OTHER VOICES
Is it possible to write a poem in a language you don't know? Jacqui Rowe leads a workshop which also explores exotic and unexpected vocabulary and ways of translating poems from languages you don't understand. [NO knowledge of languages other than English needed!]
All workshops take place on Saturdays from 1.30 to 4.30 pm