The Programme

Friday evening

17.00–19.00:Arrival of poets.

19.00: Introduction/induction and welcome.

19.15: Meal of hot vegetarian soup and bread.

20.30: Open-mic in Birchcliffe Chapel hall. Theme (very loose): Together

 

Saturday morning

08.00–09.30: Breakfast.

10.00–11.30: Workshop session 1 (4 concurrent workshops)

A) Fill the stage and make them listen – Professional performance poetry. Steve Larkin

B) Communicating/listening – Brain gym and storm-in-a-teacup writing frames. Terry Caffrey

C) Getting pithy with pity – The craft and lessons of war poetry. Sean Kavanagh

D) Starting with a blank page – Creating something from nothing. Winston Plowes

11.30–12.00: Post-workshop chat, voluntary preparation of lunch buffet.

12.00–13.00: Buffet lunch

 

Saturday afternoon

13.30–15.00: Workshop session 2 (5 concurrent workshops)

E) An introduction to scriptwriting – From poetry to drama. Julian Jordon

F) Chartist Poetry – Forgotten literature; political poetry writing skills and quiz. Simon Rennie

G) Performance Techniques – Live! – Getting the most out of your voice. Chris Dawson

H) Poetry can be a funny business – Comic poetry workshop. Nat Clare

I) Voyage to the other side – Adventures in experimental poetry. Steven Waling

15.00–15.30: Tea/coffee break and post-workshop chat

15.30–17.00: Workshop session 3 (5 concurrent workshops)

A) Fill the stage and make them listen – Professional performance poetry. Steve Larkin

F) Chartist Poetry – Forgotten Literature; political poetry writing skills and quiz. Simon Rennie

B) Communicating/listening – Brain gym and storm-in-a-teacup writing frames. Terry Caffrey

H) Poetry can be a funny business – Comic poetry workshop. Nat Clare

E) An introduction to scriptwriting – From poetry to drama. Julian Jordon

17.00–18.00: Post-workshop chat, preparations for evening meal.

 

Saturday evening

18.00: Pre-dinner drinks and socialising.

19.00: Curry feast (veggie) prepared by i-Spice caterers.

20.30–23.00: The massive open-mic. in the chapel hall with guest poets

23.00 onwards: Chatter and socialising. Early night if you’re tired.

 

Sunday morning

08.00–09.30: Breakfast

10.30–12.00: Workshop session 4 (4 concurrent workshops)

C) Getting pithy with pity – The craft and lessons of war poetry. Sean Kavanagh

G) Performance Techniques – Live! – Getting the Most out of Your Voice. Chris Dawson

D) Starting with a blank page – Creating something from nothing. Winston Plowes

I) Voyage to the Other Side: Adventures in Experimental Poetry. Steven Waling

12.30–13.30: The future of Write Out Loud; Presentation and consultation.

13.30–14.00: Feedback forms, goodbyes, leave hostel by 14.00.

 

The Workshops

 

Fill the stage and make them listen ­– Professional performance poetry

Workshop leader Steve Larkin.

Steve is an internationally respected spoken word artist, a lecturer in performance poetry and storytelling, the founder of the UK's largest poetry slam organisation and a singer/song-writer. He lectures at Oxford Brookes University and was nominated for the chair of the Oxford University Professor of poetry in 2010.He is also founder and president of the renowned poetry organisation Hammer and Tongue and was International Poetry Slam Champion of 2004 at the Spoken Word Olympics in Ottawa.

Communicating and listening – Brain gym and storm-in-a-teacup writing frames

Workshop leader: Terry Caffrey

Terry is a writer and poet who has worked in 2,500 schools and 28 prisons. He was the North West’s first ‘author/reading champion’, and has worked with the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, the Citadel Theatre in St Helen’s, and with Manchester City FC. Terry will show you that poetry is alive – it isn’t just stuff written by dead people and weirdos. He’ll make you feel proud about creating something that is uniquely yours.

Getting pithy with pity – The craft and lessons of war poetry

Workshop leader: Sean Kavanagh

Sean runs Hebden Bridge’s Write Out Loud open-mic night. He formerly worked as a doctor and is now a writer on medical subjects, and pursues a range of other literary endeavours, including running poetry workshops and events whenever he has the time and opportunity. Sean was first turned onto poetry by the works of The Great War poets when at school and has been fascinated by war poetry’s power ever since. The workshop will look at the techniques and messages of a range of war poets, and help you put those into practice, to say what it is that you feel about humans in conflict. You should leave equipped to spread this knowledge to the rest of your poetry.

Starting with a blank page – Creating something from nothing

Workshop leader: Winston Plowes

Winston is a canal-dwelling poet from Hebden Bridge who works as a circus skills performer and children’s entertainer. He regularly runs poetry workshops in a variety of settings, and has recently published some of his works, together with other poets, in a collection entitled Misery Begins at Home. His workshop will wrestle with that thorny old issue of inspiration and how to get some. A variety of techniques will help you to stop tearing your hair out and staring into the void when you want to sit down and to create poetry of some worth.

An introduction to scriptwriting – From poetry to drama

Workshop leader: Julian Jordon

Julian is a co-founder of Write Out Loud,and a respected performer and facilitator of poetry events across the north-west of England. His Short film, To the Sea Again – from John Masefield’s poem - was a finalist at international film festivals in London, Canada and Hollywood (Moondance Film Festival); Julian wrote the script based on a monologue that was first performed for him by playwright Jimmy McGovern. Here, Julian outlines some of the basics for how to start writing scripts, using his own film as an example. Enter as a humble poet and leave with ideas and techniques that could help you to expand your writing portfolio.

Performance Techniques – Live! – Getting the Most out of Your Voice

Workshop leader: Chris Dawson

Chris, a Mancunian marooned in the midlands, is Write Out Loud’s on-line News Editor and writes Performance Techniques for Write Out Loud’s monthly ezine. An actress for the past 15 years, she has mostly been involved with stage work, although has done some radio, TV and film. Recently she provided technical and editing assistance in the making of the Optical Busstop film “The Exorcist”. Prior to that she was a presenter and producer at BBC Radio CWR in Coventry, where she also picked up a qualification or two in journalism, and subsequently taught radio broadcasting and journalism. In this workshop she passes on some of the many techniques and tips she has learnt from her own voice coach, Andrew Wade (ex- Head of Voice, Royal Shakespeare Company). Chris aims and hopes to help you bring your poetry to life in performance, by using your voice to its full potential.

Poetry can be a funny business – Comic poetry workshop

Workshop leader: Nat Clare (main picture)

Dr Nat Clare is an academic, poet, creative writer and singer-songwriter based in Bolton. Nat has written for the BBC's award winning Not The Nine O’Clock News and Central TV's Spitting Image as well as for Sir David Frost and Granada Television. He has appeared on radio as a singer-songwriter and on Channel 4's The Word as part of the Poor Poets duo with Paul Blackburn. Nat co-founded the alternative cabaret band Optical Busstop, and co-hosted Bolton Octagon Theatre's long-running, groundbreaking Live Friday cabaret, which helped launch the career of Dave Spikey among others. Nat is currently working on a CD of his songs and on a play with Martin Thomasson whose last play with Les Smith And Did Those Feet sold out its premiere run at Bolton's Octagon Theatre. Nat has been part of Write Out Loud from its very early days and performs regularly on the northern poetry scene. He’ll teach you how to lighten up your verse, write deliberately for comic effect and have your fellow poets holding their sides together as they roll in the aisles.

Chartist Poetry: A Forgotten Literature; political poetry writing skills and quiz

Workshop leader: Simon Rennie

Simon Rennie is well-known on the Manchester poetry scene where he hosts the long-running event, Inn Verse. His first collection was published last November by Knives Forks and Spoons Press and is called Little Machines. John Siddique, author of The Prize and Recital, has written of the collection as having 'a wicked streak that repays the reader with a joyful wink'. Simon holds an MA in poetry criticism from Durham University and is currently undertaking a PhD at Leeds University, on the poetry of Ernest Jones. The workshop will examine the important role that poetry played in the 19^th century Chartist movement, which shaped many of the political institutions and freedoms that we enjoy in this country today. Exercises in political poetry writing and a quiz should broaden your poetic knowledge and skills, and help you write for the next revolution.

Voyage to the Other Side: Adventures in Experimental Poetry

Workshop leader: Steven Waling

Steven is the author of Travelator (Salt) and Captured Yes (Knives Forks and Spoons Press) - a book of experimental poems. He also writes the BrandosHat blog and publishes poems all over in mags and on 't'interweb. The workshop will provide you with information on what experimental poetry can be, and give people an opportunity to stop making sense and have a go at creating a poem through chance procedures.

 

The Address

Hebden Bridge Hostel, Birchliffe Centre, Birchcliffe Road, Hebden Bridge, W. Yorkshire, HX7 8DG. (Hostel is located behind the main centre, visible from and just below main car park, signposting will be in place)