About this Event
About our workshop:
This popular workshop series invites you to explore a different poetic theme every fortnight.
You’ll take inspiration from life, art, music, nature, the city and, of course, poetry – reading published work, responding to writing prompts, giving each other feedback and (most importantly!) connecting with fellow poetic souls. Everyone should leave with the beginnings of one or two poems and plenty of inspiration to keep writing.
In this series, following the success of our in-house anthology ‘Slow Progress’, we’ll also be working towards a second publication for 2026. Attendees are therefore invited to bring, share and edit their poems during the workshops – with more information provided on the night. This is not mandatory, but encouraged, and all experience levels are welcome in this supportive space.
So join us in the cosy, inspiring setting of Morocco Bound – there are bookshelves aplenty and delicious drinks available while you write. One hot or soft drink is included in each ticket, with a wide range of beer and wine also on offer. As this is an evening series, feel free to bring a snack if you are on-the-go!
Dates
For those wanting to shape their poetry with Ruth across multiple sessions, you can buy an 6 Class Pack at a discounted price. The Schedule is:
Poetry Archives — Tuesday 5th May
In this workshop we’ll explore poems built from historical events, documents, photographs and personal histories, reading contemporary poets who work with archives and memory. Through guided exercises, you’ll experiment with transforming materials — real or invented — into poetry.
Prose Poetry — Monday 18th May
What makes a poem a poem? In this workshop, we’ll read and write poems that blur the boundary between lyric, story and essay — using rhythm and imagery to create tension and surprise in paragraph form.
Absence & Erasure — Monday 1st June
Sometimes what’s removed matters more than what remains. This workshop explores erasure, fragmentation, and silence as creative tools, drawing inspiration from poets who reshape existing texts or write through omission. You’ll experiment with gaps, interruptions and partial narratives to develop new approaches to meaning-making.
Poetic Endings — Monday 15th June
Which poems stay with us long after the final line? In this session, we’ll examine how published poems end — through image, revelation, ambiguity, or quiet closure. Through practical writing and revision exercises, you’ll experiment with multiple endings for the same poem and even starting from ‘endings’.
Line Break Lab — Monday 29th June
A deep dive into one of poetry’s most powerful tools: the line break. We’ll read poems that use pacing, enjambment and white space to shape meaning, then experiment by rewriting the same material in different line structures. This hands-on session will reveal how lineation controls rhythm and emphasis, developing your practical editing skills and poetic craft.
Unreliable Poets — Monday 6th July
Can a poem lie? This workshop explores unreliable speakers, shifting perspectives, and poems that question truth and memory. We’ll consider when bending or embellishing the truth can add greater depth to our poetry, experimenting with persona, contradiction and narrative uncertainty.
Can't make them all? Individual tickets will also available for each workshop - check back soon!
PLEASE NOTE THAT TICKETS ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE - ONLY THE NAMED PERSON WILL BE ADMITTED, THEY CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER SERIES
Schedule
Each workshop will roughly consist of:
6:30-6:40pm - welcome and time to grab a drink
6:40-7:00pm - warm-up exercise and discussion
7:00-7:45pm - reading, discussing, writing
7:45-8:00pm - break
8:00-8:30pm - reading, discussing, writing
8:30-9:00pm - sharing, workshopping, editing
About the tutor
Ruth is a London-based poet and tutor originally from the West Midlands. She believes everyone can write poetry and is passionate about making the community more inclusive and accessible. Ruth’s first pamphlet ‘The Thought Sits With Me’ was published by Nine Pens in 2022. She edited Morocco Bound’s first anthology of poetry, ‘Slow Progress’, in 2024. She has placed and been shortlisted for several prizes in the last few years, including the Passionfruit, New Poet’s, Plough and Prole Prizes.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Morocco Bound Bookshop, 1a Morocco Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 71.13
