Rising in the Cotswolds hills the River Thames travels over two hundred miles through the heart of some of England’s most beautiful country, right into the centre of London and eventually, out into the North Sea. Lifeblood of the land, gateway to the globe, the Thames has been a source of inspiration for writers, artists, makers and performers for millennia - for this swim-write, we will travel from point to point along the young Thames at Lechlade, where the waters are fresh and peaceful, using the experience of immersion to spark new writing.
All good stories are about change, forged in the heat of conflict, big and small. Characters learn, grow, move on; poems shift perspective, see somehow differently. When the sun stands still at the solstice, however momentarily, it gives us the opportunity to reflect and harness the energy of high summer for growth and transformation. As we immerse ourselves in the Thames and swim against the current at sunrise we will be embodying these elements, letting go at the point of return, swooshing back having been challenged and changed. We will use these themes and ideas to inform our writing around the swim. It's going to be magical 💫
This workshop will be split into three parts. Part 1, the night before the swim, will involve some pre-reading and writing inspired by the river. Part 2 will be the swim itself, when we will do a point to point swim downstream as the sun is rising on the water. Part 3 will be a follow-up and sharing of work we have produced, inspired by our experience (see below for timings).
Led by poet JLM Morton and swim guide Rebecca Ward.
This workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced writers working in prose or poetry. Though this is definitely not a triathlon and you don’t need to be fast (we’re not and we won’t be on the day), you should be a reasonably decent swimmer and be able to swim steadily, albeit slowly and comfortably, for 400 meters without stopping for a long break (you can, of course, slow down / rest on your tow-float). A tow-float for the river swim will be compulsory. If you have any questions about swim fitness then drop us a line.
Workshop 1 online, Sunday 20th June 4.30pm - 6pm
Workshop 2 in person, Monday 21st June 6.30am - 8.30am (approximate timings for meeting, changing, swimming, changing, hot drinks and hilarity)
Workshop 3 online, Tuesday 29th June 7pm - 9pm celebrating and sharing our work.
Cost: £45. Spaces will be limited on this workshop - we are taking reservations via email: dialectwriters@gmail.com to book.
JLM Morton is the author of two poetry pamphlets: Lake 32 and Sentient. Former poet in residence at a lake in Cotswold Water Park, she’s a keen outdoor swimmer. For more info, words and art, see her website.
Rebecca Ward will be our swim guide. Wild swimming for 6 years, Rebecca has swum many lakes, loughs, lynns and rivers in Britain. Her involvement in wildlife conservation gives her a sense of stewardship of the natural environment, taking care to safeguard the waters in which she swims.
Her particular passions are icy swims in frozen lakes, and also making outdoor swimming as accessible as possible to everyone.
Find Rebecca on Instagram @wardenoflove
The lovely Rebecca Ward :)