If you’ve ever held a dream of being the next Wordsworth, a special workshop with a University of Worcester academic might help you to get there.
Course Leader for Creative Writing, Dr Jack McGowan, will be running a poetry workshop to give people advice and support. It will take place in Worcester’s Cathedral Square on June 3 at 10am as part of local book shop Script Haven’s Alchemy of Words festival.
The event will suit a range of experience levels, from novice beginners looking to get a first draft down on paper to seasoned poets who want some feedback.
“Any experience level is welcome,” said Dr McGowan. “I think a good poem for me is about being unusual, being interesting, challenging the normal way of looking at the subject and the topic of the poem. Part of the challenge is the editing, which is exactly why getting feedback from other people is important.”
The first hour will feature a number of writing prompts that attendees can take inspiration from to write some poetry, then there will be a group discussion about how people have responded to those prompts in the second hour, with some feedback provided and the chance to share your poetry with the group, though there is no obligation to do so.
Dr McGowan is a published poet and academic with expertise in spoken word and performance poetry and over a decade of experience writing for both the page and the stage.
He believes poetry as an art form presents certain challenges. He said: “You need to get everything into a small space, you need to be more precise in what you are communicating because the margins are so small, the space is so small that there’s less room for error. But the real strength of poetry is its flexibility and adaptability and it’s a really great vehicle for talking about pressing contemporary issues because it can change with them.”
The Alchemy of Words festival runs from May 30 to June 7.
Dr McGowan added: “It’s really important that the course and the University has links to the local arts community and we reach out to celebrate the amazing work they’re doing. I think there’s a wealth of talent to be tapped into in Worcester and there’s more and more opportunities every day to engage with that and to get like-minded writers sharing their work. It’s great that we’re engaging with the community and the opportunities provided by the Festival and I’m really happy to support it.”
For more information and tickets visit: https://scripthaven.co.uk/product/workshop-writing-review-feedback/
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk