Robert Frost sums up the process of poetic creation thus: “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”
What comes through in his statement is the sense of movement a poem makes from its beginning in a triggering moment, to its development as the initial thought and emotion are shaped and defined, followed by the third stage when the poem finds its coherent form and language. It is useful to see the writing of the poem as unfolding through this three-stage process, so one can track its growth with patience and see how this movement happens also within the body of the poem, from its first line to the middle and the conclusion.
This is what a strong poem offers its reader, a vivid sense of movement that takes the reader from its first thought or feeling on a journey as it searches for a home in an image and in a final form.
Workshop Schedule
18 March 2023 - Online (10.00am - 1.00pm)
The first session will explore how a poem begins in a triggering moment, which can be found in objects, memories and in reading poems. There will be writing triggers using objects, memories, photographs, and published poems.
25 March 2023 - In-person (10.00am - 1.00pm)
The second session will track how the poem travels from its first idea or line, and consider the possibilities of form, rhythm and imagery. We will explore poetic forms like the sonnet, the control of the line and the use of imagery through reading exemplary poets and poems. There will be workshopping opportunities for participants to get feedback on the drafts that may result from triggering ideas in the first session.
8 April 2023 - In-person (10.00am - 1.00pm)
The last session will look at the moment of arrival, when the movement resolves itself in the last line. We will read poems with a strong sense of movement, to see how poets take the poem from the initial idea and first line to the ending. The workshop part of the session will help participants deepen the themes in their drafts and take the poems further.
15 April 2023 - In-person (10.00am - 1.00pm)
The final session will look at the revision process vital to this last stage of the journey. We will look at the art of rewriting by examining how poets revise their work. Participants will get final feedback for their work. There will be a poetry recital in which participants will each read a workshop poem.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
Cancellation:
The workshop can be cancelled or postponed two weeks before the workshop date if the minimum number of participants is not met. Participants will be fully refunded for workshops cancelled by us.
Participants who are unable to attend a workshop they have registered for are to inform us of the reason two weeks before the workshop date. They will be fully refunded in the event of extenuating and mitigating circumstances (E.g. illness, bereavement, accidents) . Those who inform us up to 5 working days before the workshop date will receive a 50% refund. Those who did not turn up at the workshop will not receive a refund.
Upon registration, you are deemed to have read and understood the cancellation and withdrawal policy and accept the terms contained therein.
