The poem itself lies beyond in an open space. Keep it open. Trust that the poem knows something you have yet to discover… The poem knows best.
- Mimi Khalvati
Image: Fresco showing a woman so-called Sappho holding writing implements (wax tablet and stylus), from Pompeii, Naples National Archaeological Museum. Carole Raddato, Flickr.
In this 10-week course of live zoom sessions we will read, discuss and draw inspiration from a range of exciting work from British and Irish contemporary women poets. You’ll be given ideas and prompts to spark new poems, and constructive feedback on your own work in a nurturing group space.
· Discover new work from contemporary women poets.
· Gain in-depth knowledge of the skills, techniques and preoccupations of some of the best women poets writing in English today.
· Be inspired to create and share new poetry.
· Develop your craft and confidence as part of a supportive community.
This workshop for women and non-binary folk, tutored by award-winning poet and creative writing lecturer Kate Potts, is designed for poets with some experience seeking a more in-depth creative engagement with contemporary poetry by women. The workshop will take place online to facilitate access for a diverse cohort, with a maximum of 10 spaces.
We’ll be looking at poetry from the following collections (copies will be provided):
· Kim Moore, All the Men I Never Married
· Malika Booker, Pepper Seed
· Fiona Benson, Vertigo and Ghost
· Mimi Khalvati, Afterwardness
· Hannah Lowe, The Kids
· Fran Lock, Hyena!
· Warsan Shire, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head
· Jane Clarke, A Change in the Air
· Liz Berry, The Republic of Motherhood
· Momtaza Mehri, Bad Diaspora Poems
Venue: Online (Zoom) plus group chat and online access to learning resources.
Timing: Thursdays 10am-12.15, 30th January 2025 to 3rd April 2025
Cost: £210 for 10 weeks. A deposit option of £95 is available to secure your space. The final balance will be due by 23rd January 2025. There are also two concession spaces available at £170.
See our cancellation policy here.
For more information, please email poet@katepotts.net.
Your Tutor: Kate Potts
Your tutor: Kate Potts
We are very lucky to have Kate Potts as tutor on this Wise Women Poetry Workshop. Kate is a poet and academic. She teaches for Middlesex University and The Poetry School, and freelances as a creative writing tutor, mentor and editor.
Kate's second collection, Feral (Bloodaxe, 2018) was a Poetry Book Society recommendation and a Telegraph poetry book of the month. Her debut pamphlet Whichever Music (tall-lighthouse, 2008) was a Poetry Book Society choice and was shortlisted for a Michael Marks Award. Her first first full-length collection was Pure Hustle (Bloodaxe, 2011).
Pretenders, a multi-voice work exploring imposter syndrome, will be published by Bloodaxe Books in spring 2025.
'To read Feral for a while is to find it bamboozling and beautiful, to want to read it for longer. Once that’s done, the only response is to consider it a masterpiece, and to feel that everyone who cares about language should read it.' - Jonathan Edwards on Feral, Poetry Wales
'Kate Potts is one of the foremost writers of our generation.' - Fiona Benson