Landscape and Memory 

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‘Landscape is the work of the mind. Its scenery is built up as much from strata of memory as from layers of rock' (Simon Schama, Landscape and Memory). Whether rural, urban, imagined, current or historical, landscape stimulates strong feelings and memories. Join us to look at some contemporary poetic landscapes to inspire new work.  

Water, Water, Everywhere

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An opportunity to explore your relationship with all things watery. This workshop will focus on all forms of water from puddles to lakes, raindrops to waves. There’ll be wrecks and devil dogs and ways of diving deep in order to emerge with fresh and original poetic responses to these innovative prompts.

Listening into Poetry

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When did you last tune in to the sounds of the natural world? When did you last listen, really listen, to the patter of rain, or the sound of the wind through empty branches, or to a blackbird singing? How can a poem convey this experience in words? Together, we will listen, and find ways to describe our listening. We will explore the ways in which poets such as John Clare, Alice Oswald, Seamus Heaney and Séan Hewitt convey the experience of listening. Inspired by their techniques, and by the sounds around us, we will write our own listening poems.

Travelling the Strange Places of Poetry

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This workshop will focus on the unusual places that poetry can transport us to, and how poetry itself is an ‘unusual’ place to inhabit in terms of language and perspective. We will discuss the strategies of example poems and respond to linked writing prompts, leading us to some much-needed travel in this time of stasis. 

Playing with Place

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We'll be travelling on the page, thinking about indoors and out, noseying about. We’ll find new ways of writing about next door as well as those places we’ve yet to visit. I’ll be bringing along poems by Hannah Lowe, Roger Robinson, Tomas Tranströmer and Hirata Toshiko. 

Writing for Children  

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On the festival theme of ‘play’ why not have fun experimenting with writing poems for children? Beginners and more experienced children’s poets equally welcome. Just bring bags of enthusiasm!

Listening to the Coast

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Would you like to visit the coast, listen to its wisdom, and feel inspired to write? Wherever you find yourself late 2020, I’ll bring the coast to you through photography, film, poetry, and artwork. Responding to prompts, you will take away at least three drafts of new work.

Putting the Play in Poetry

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There is nothing more playful than poetry. Let's play a series of word games designed to make you think differently, take risks and, most importantly, have some serious FUN! We’ll get going with a number of new poems.

All Work and All Play

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In this workshop, we’ll look at the poetry of work and the work of poetry. We’ll read and write poems about labour and leisure, then, with the help of some brilliant ars poeticas, explore whether poetry itself is work or play, and the ethical and artistic implications of that decision. 

Playing with Myth

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Craft new poems from the myths of your families, cultures or daily lives in this workshop of ancient and contemporary lore, guided by poems from around the world. 

[Inter]play: words and sound 

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Following on from their Friday festival performance, the creators of The All Saints Sessions explore matching the language of poetry with sound – both musical and ‘field recordings’ of everyday sounds and places – discussing their practice and setting practical exercises. Bring pen, paper and, if possible, a mobile device and headphones and we will write poems in response to music.

Follow Your Own Paper Trail

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The artwork reproduction postcard is a common new poem prompt, but what about writing poems inspired by cereal gifts? Or sports catalogues? Or thirty-year old school homework? Mike Sims and Julia Bird offer you a range of unusual poetry prompts, inspired by their writing project and resultant artists' book Paper Trail. You'll gather some good drafts from strange places over this playful 90-minute workshop.