Writing the Sestina: A Troubadour's Form in Contemporary Hands with David Morley 16/6/25

Join award-winning poet David Morley for a bold and invigorating workshop on the sestina—a poetic form of elegant obsession and spiralling repetition, invented by twelfth-century troubadours to shock, delight and astonish. With its intricate patterning and sonic ingenuity, the sestina turns language into a game of echo and reinvention. In this session, you'll explore the form's evolution through close reading and conversation, taking inspiration from Elizabeth Bishop's iconic 'Sestina' and contemporary examples by Mimi Khalvati, Raymond Antrobus, Joe Dunthorne and Tishani Doshi. You'll be guided step by step in crafting your own sestina and, by the end of the session, will have a strong draft underway. There'll be space to share your work in a supportive setting—and we'll also peek at the form's most ambitious incarnation: the magnificent double sestina by Sir Philip Sidney. Expect challenge. Expect invention. Expect joy.

About David Morely: One of the UK's top poets and poetry teachers, David's work has received major recognition for both its literary and educational impact. His most recent collection, FURY, was a Poetry Book Society Choice and shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection. He won the Ted Hughes Award for The Invisible Gift: Selected Poems, and his acclaimed books from Carcanet Press include The Magic of What's There, The Gypsy and the Poet (a Poetry Book Society Recommendation), Enchantment, and The Invisible Kings (a TLS Book of the Year and Poetry Book Society Recommendation). A pioneer of podcasting in creative writing, David created the influential Slow Poetry and Writing Challenges spoken-word projects. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Warwick and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His new collection, Passion, will be published by Carcanet in summer 2025.

2.5 hours long

Start time: 10am UK time // 5pm Perth Australia // 6.30pm Adelaide & Darwin // 7pm Brisbane, Sydney, AEST // 9pm NZ  

Advertised times on this site are in London, UK Timezone, but when you add the event to your calendar it should be correct for your local time zone.

You can check your timezone against London UK time here: https://greenwichmeantime.com/time-gadgets/time-zone-converter/

Cost £30 GBP (with cost effective exchange via STRIPE)

Zoom link and materials will be sent by email at least 2 days prior. If you don’t receive it get in touch with me.

More events here https://www.cathdrake.com