Pen to Paper

A poetry course providing inspiration, writing activities, tips and tricks to get you putting pen to paper! 

Another non-regular post from me, but I just wanted to share the story and success of my recent poetry writing course, 'Pen to Paper'!

'Pen to Paper' was originally commissioned by the Anchor Gallery in Birmingham, as a part of their Spring 2018 season of poetry events. Held in the gallery space, a small but hard-working group met for three 2-hour sessions across March, April and May. Each session included two mini-activities, a main poetry activity, and a guest activity run by a special guest poet. One-to-one sessions with myself and the guest poet were offered at the end, where discussions ranged from editorial advice, to guidance on performing and publishing work.

      

After the three sessions, attendees were invited to send a couple of their poems to be included in a collective anthology. This was professionally printed, and launched at an end-of-course party. Attendees were thrilled to see their work on the page, and I was astonished by the quality and variety of the work I was sent! Themes ranged from broken families to fashion accessories, from philosohical musings to comparisons between poets and rappers! We also had a bold selection of poetic forms - poems using metre and rhyme, free verse, stream of consciousness, and erasure poetry. It was definitely a worthwhile activity to bring such varied experiences and inclinations together on the page.

• “It has been excellent, valuable learning experience, fully enjoyed being in all sessions, taken away something new each time. Purchased several books from recommended [reading lists] and encouraged me to look in different ways.” (Bev, course attendee)

• “I had the absolute best afternoon guesting at @NellieFayeCole‘s poetry workshop this afternoon! Thank you for being so welcoming and accommodating your activities were SO INSPIRING can’t wait for the next one” (Scarlett, special guest poet)

• “Fantastic last workshop with @NellieFayeCole today at @AnchorGallery. I’ve loved every minute - tried out many new writing activities and been introduced to new forms and poets. I’m really going to miss it. Thanks, Nellie” (Elisabeth, course attendee)

There was a strong desire in the end-of-course feedback to continue, develop, and expand 'Pen to Paper' beyond the Anchor Gallery’s spring season. If we can secure a venue that will host us for longer sessions over longer seasons, we'll be back with more writing activities and (hopefully), more publications to come!