TEACHING: SPRING 2012
FEBRUARY - MAY POETRY WORKSHOPS
TUESDAY EVENINGS 7.30 - 9.45 pm
17/24/31 Jan | 7/14/21/28 Feb | 6/13/20 March | 3/17/24 April | 1 May
FRIDAY EVENINGS 7.30 - 9.45 pm (please note, this class will revert to THURSDAY EVENINGS from 29 March and will continue on Thursdays until 19 April)
13/20/27 Jan | 3/10/17/24 Feb | 2/9/16/23/29 March | 5/19 April
These classes are for intermediate students who are working towards finalising and polishing poems with a view to publication. There is usually a waiting list to join these classes but if you are interested, please and you can probably attend occasional classes until a space occurs.
FEE: £10 per session. Advance payment (for at least 7 sessions) would be appreciated.
WEEKEND DAY SCHOOLS
Saturday 11 February: 10.00 am - 4.30 pm (9.30 arrival)
"There is a / Word missing from the dawn chorus"
from A Mass for Hard Times by R.S.Thomas
R.S.Thomas (29 March 1913 - 25 September 2000) used "some of the classic structures of modern consciousness - the form of the Mass and liturgy, children's rhymes, the seasons and the sonata" in his "attempts to give uttererance to the ineffable" (The Scotsman); yet his poetry is marked by self doubt and the deep divisions of his own nature. On the relevance of his own poetry he asks "Am I/ Too late, then, with my language?" (Credo, A Mass for Hard Times.)
Using the long poem sequence A Mass for Hard Times as our starting point, this Day School will look at how we can use 'classic structures' (such as the Mass) for longer poems. We'll also look at how to bridge the gap between idea and word and forge a voice that is fresh and contemporary yet still very much our own. We will start with a 2-hour creative writing workshop, and the rest of the day will be spent workshopping new or existing poems - with advice on submission to suitable journals.
FEE: £40 (£30 concessions) per workshop (to include tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits. Please bring a packed lunch.)
Saturday 10 March: 10.00 am - 4.30 pm (9.30 arrival)
Between waking and dreaming
Dreams and divination, the subconscious and the unconscious - this Day School will look at how intuition and symbolism inform our waking minds and how we can draw inspiration from dreams and other sources (such as the Celtic world.) We will look at poems by Pascale Petit who uses folk tales, dreams and surrealism in her poetry.
We'll also continue to look at how to bridge the gap between idea and word. We will start with a 2-hour creative writing workshop, and the rest of the day will be spent workshopping new and existing poems - with advice on submission to suitable journals.
FEE: £40 (£30 concessions) per workshop (to include tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits. Please bring a packed lunch.)
Saturday 14 April : 10.00 am - 4.30 pm (9.30 arrival)
Intensive workshop to prepare portfolios/ collections for submission to journals and/ or pamphlet publishers and competitions.
FEE: £40 (£30 concessions) per workshop (to include tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits. Please bring a packed lunch.)
APRIL: THE PLEASURE OF POETRY
Missenden Abbey, Gt Missenden | Tuesday 10th - Friday 13th April 2012 | Tutor: Jenny Lewis
On this course, held at the beautiful and historic Missenden Abbey, you will enjoy discovering, or rediscovering, the many pleasures of poetry including reading favourite poems, finding out about new poems and poets and writing poetry together in a supportive group. It is for anyone who has an interest in or a love of poetry.
Residential fee £419, non-residential fee (to include the course and two lunches) £231
More information about this course.
JULY - AUGUST: APPROACHES TO POETRY
Sunday 22nd July - Saturday 11th August 2012
Held at Exeter College, Oxford. Details to be provided.