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A Poetry Surgery: A Creative Writing Workshop
Saturday 8 November 2025
With autumn arriving and the darker evenings it seemed a good time to turn to poetry for our latest workshop, a Poetry Surgery, for which everyone was invited to bring along a poem that they were having difficulty finishing to work on. Poet, Matthew Geden, led a general discussion about what poetry is and focused on what makes them successful pieces of work, covering structure, rhythm and form. The group then moved on into producing some work themselves with a prompt from Matthew, writing about the subject first in prose and then thinking about how that prose might be turned into a poem – which elements to take from the prose and why, and what form the poem might take. The prompt, writing about someone we know, produced some wonderful portrayals of fathers and grandfathers in particular, and some real potential for interesting poems. We had a break for a lovely lunch and a chat with a chance to stretch our legs (though the weather didn’t really allow for a stroll round the gardens!)
“I found the workshop incredibly helpful, friendly and informative”
Outside we watched as the weather rolled in from the sea – with early sun followed by torrential downpours – and as hounds swarmed down the road, an unusual sight even in this rural location. In the afternoon we worked as a group on individual poems that people had brought in with them, offering feedback, and by the end of the session the discussion had nudged each poem forward, whilst some were pronounced finished and in need of no surgery at all. Although, as Paul Valery said, ‘a poem is never finished, only abandoned.’
What really stood out was the high standard of the poetry the group are producing - and whilst some were already published poets, for others these were early works and despite this they showed the ability to conjure an image or emotion of much more experienced writers. I look forward to reading their first collections ...
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The Road Less Travelled: A Creative Writing Retreat
Saturday 14 June 2025
We were excited to kick things off with a day’s retreat designed to spark new poems and stories. With a mix of published poets and complete newcomers to writing, the morning workshop concentrated on close reading of some wonderful poems and writing exercises to get the creative juices flowing. The sun made an appearance in time for lunch which we were able to have outside in the garden, before rain forced us inside again. By this time conversation was lively and everyone had got to know each other so the atmosphere was relaxed and warm.
In the afternoon we turned to short stories and again, with a mixture of close reading and writing tasks, explored what makes a short story successful and the many different ways to approach them.
As the day came to a close we ended by sharing some work, some of which will form the basis for future longer pieces. A wonderful way to end the day.
“I found the workshop incredibly helpful, friendly and informative”