"Wow, what happened to me there?": A workshop day

Join poets Vanessa Lampert and Alan Buckley for a full workshop day on poetry and the art of surprise.
The title of this workshop (a quote from the Irish poet Paul Muldoon) reflects how we feel as readers when a poem startles us, and helps us see some part of the world – or ourselves – in a new way. In this all-day workshop we’ll be looking at a range of contemporary poems, to see how close attention to everyday experience can generate poems that move us out of the ordinary, and which demand to be re-read. We’ll explore how familiar language, and a willingness to be playful, can take us to places of deep feeling and mystery. Participants will have lots of time to write and share their own responses to the poems being presented. This day will be suitable for anyone wanting to develop their own work, although we recommend that writers already have some experience of showing their work to other people.

The workshop will take place on Saturday 11th May, 2024 from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm at The Community Works. The event is intended to be a fundraiser for the library, to support its extensive programme of free and low-cost events, and everyone involved in making it happen is giving their time free of charge. We’re asking people to donate what they can afford – either £10, £20, or £30. There’ll be a maximum of 14 participants (plus two OPL volunteers who’ll be supporting the running of the day). Please bring a pen, paper / a notebook, and something to eat in the lunchtime break. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Vanessa Lampert is a poetry editor, mentor and teacher for Poetry School London, several Poetry Society Stanza groups, Hive South Yorkshire, and schools nationwide. She has a pamphlet On Long Loan published by Live Canon, and a full collection Say it With Me published by Seren. She has won a number of prizes including Café Writers, Ver, Edward Thomas and Sentinel Quarterly.

Alan Buckley is the author of two poetry pamphlets and the full collection Touched, and his second collection will be published next year. His poems have won or been commended in a number of competitions, including the Forward and Bridport prizes. He was a founding editor of ignitionpress, and has been a poetry tutor for both First Story and Arvon.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, United Kingdom