W¦RKSHOPS

Poetry Intuition/Birdwood Poets

Susan Taylor facilitates this friendly workshop in an artist’s studio with a fabulous garden in Dartington. She runs it in conjunction with her partner in poetry, Simon Williams. Pens get to writing, tongues to lively discussion on members’ new poems, as well poems by great and good poets.

Poetic form, in its many guises, is a particular interest of this group.

Simon Williams

Susan says I’m looking jolly here, so I’d better say that Birdwood Poets is in no way a heavy study session. Although we do look at the poetry of contemporary and dead poets, it’s always with a view to how they can inform our own writing.

Apart from that, we concentrate on generating new work, leaving individual writers to refine and finish the poems they start in our sessions.

We work a lot from suggestions put in by members of the group and we often develop new exercises and themes from ideas which occur during discussion. Several members are visual artists as well as poets and we use original artworks as inspiration for new poetry too.

Poems from Birdwood

a collection of poems from our Totnes workshops

by

Tom Austin

Nigel Cameron

Timothy Francis

Roslyn Langdon

Fenella Montgomery

Jacqueline Nicholls

Marcus Parnell

Lucy Pearce

Norma Powers

Pam Sandry Gorman

Susan Taylor

Simon Williams

Pam Sandry Gorman

Totnes Types

Chris Mitchell

Eyes surrounded with wrinkles

crinkles of laughter

laughing eyes

amused eyes

eyes joking

Always joking

Chris collects things

like marbles and binoculars

he knows his antiques

loves the origins

of words and phrases

Ask him – he’ll know

Watch this space for more ‘Totnes Types’, & other poems from this publication, coming very soon!

JOHN HEGLEY PRESENTS PRIZE TO PAIGNTON POET

By Laura Minney, Community Newswire

ARTS Hegley Devon, 06 Mar 2009 - 11:38

The winner of a Devon poetry prize is to be presented with his award by performance poet John Hegley.

The Plough Prize, based at the Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington, was introduced in 2008 and will be presented to Marcus Parnell for his poem Nan's Handbag.

The short list for the Devon prize was selected by a panel of judges, and the winner and runners-up were chosen by Devon Libraries' staff and announced in February.

Marcus, 37, from Paignton, South Devon, is a freelance graphic artist and designer, but says his true passion lies in poetry.

He says: "I'm generally inspired by anything - writing sharpens the mind to the world around us and I find it very therapeutic.

"I started attending a group called Poetry Intuition run by Simon Williams and Susan Taylor who encouraged me to get writing poetry again.

"I'm very evangelical about it and if anyone shows a vague interest in writing I try to drag them along to the group."

Marcus will be presented with the award by John when he appears at the Plough on Saturday March 14 in his "word-wild" song and poetry show Beyond Our Kennel.

The winner's trophy has been made and specially hand-engraved by Dartington Crystal at their Torrington glassworks.

Marcus continued: "I was delighted when I found out I'd won this award - it was very unexpected.

"The trophy will no doubt take pride of place somewhere at home. I'm certainly looking forward to meeting John Hegley."

The four runners-up - David Birch of Sidmouth, Andrew Proudfoot of Plymouth, Tony Cloke of Okehampton and Marion Glasscoe of Crediton - will also be invited to attend.

Further details are available from the Plough Prize website at www.theploughprize.co.uk.

Birdwood Poets News - Group member wins The Plough Prize

Birdwood poets workshop is meeting in an artist’s studio in Dartington during autumn Term 2010, starting on Monday September 13th at 7pm... so if you’re new and you do want to join us, you will need to contact Susan at this email address susan@farmhouse.ac

Birdwood Poets (aka Poetry Intuition) is an ongoing weekly poetry workshop, which meets in Dartington. It is facilitated by Susan Taylor and Simon Williams. Continuing into its fifth year of practise, this group explores all aspects of poetry and creates fresh work through exercises and discussion. The £5 per session includes coffee or tea. There are usually spaces available for this evening workshop, as there is core group of regular members, plus extra writers, who are only able to visit  when time allows.

Moor poets workshop at CHARLES CAUSLEY FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 5th JUNE 2010

at the Link into Learning Venue, Launceston

with Graham Burchell , Susan Taylor & Simon Williams

Spirit of the Land and Language - MOOR POETS STUDY & WRITING DAY ON THE TED HUGHES POETRY TRAIL AT STOVER

SATURDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 10am to 4pm

The Classroom, Stover Country Park, Stover (1/4 mile off A38 on A38 2 towards Newton Abbot)

A poetry study and writing day on the Ted Hughes Poetry Trail at Stover Country Park, with Susan Taylor and Simon Williams. The Trail consists of sixteen specially designed poetry posts, each featuring a Hughes poem. We will begin by walking the trail, which is a level pathway and takes about two hours. The park is a wildlife haven for many species, including water birds and dragonflies, which bring to life the themes of the Hughes poems.

In the classroom at the on-site Nature Interpretation Centre we will explore the craftsmanship and dedication which made Hughes ‘a guardian spirit of the land and language.’ Ted Hughes wrote of his poem The Thought-Fox: “Long after I am gone, as long as a copy of this poem exists, every time anyone reads it, the fox will get up somewhere out of the darkness and come walking towards them.”

Susan and Simon have long felt an affinity with the voice of Ted Hughes, due to their work at the Arvon Foundation when he was a presiding presence there.

Outdoor clothing essential  

Workshop Fees: by donation, with a suggested £10 - 25 for all day, £5 - 15 for a half day.

Bring With You: Pens and paper, and a packed lunch. Tea and coffee is available. YOUR PLACE ON THIS WORKSHOP MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE

call or email Jennie Osborne - jenniedancing@googlemail.com 01803 840541

Some examples of Previous workshops with Susan & Simon