In this week long writing retreat we will generate lots of new work through a series of workshops over five mornings where we explore contemporary English-language poetry, using poems as prompts for fast-writing exercises in order to generate new beginnings that can be developed further during free time in the afternoon. We might use writing constraints and experiment with form. The retreat is suitable for writers with some experience of writing poetry who are willing to play, as together we celebrate the importance of writing and of poetry in our lives.
Paul Stephenson studied modern languages and linguistics. He has published three pamphlets: Those People (Smith/Doorstop, 2015), which won the Poetry Business pamphlet competition; The Days that Followed Paris (HappenStance, 2016), written after the November 2015 terrorist attacks; and Selfie with Waterlilies (Paper Swans Press, 2017).
In 2013/14 he took part in the Jerwood/Arvon mentoring scheme and the Aldeburgh Eight, before completing an MA in Creative Writing (Poetry) with the Manchester Writing School. In 2018 he co-edited the ‘Europe’ issue of Magma (70) and currently co-curates Poetry in Aldeburgh.
He is a university teacher and researcher, and lives between Cambridge and Brussels. His first collection ‘Hard Drive’ was published by Carcanet in June 2023. Website: paulstep.com / Instagram: paulstep456 / twitter: @stephenson_pj
Course Details
Start Date 1st July 2024
End Date 7th July 2024
Price £1100