Poems to Love, Sparks of Monthly Inspiration: 5 May, 2 June, 7 July 2026

Top up your poetry joy and craft!

Relish poems to love in these short monthly informal small group meetings on Zoom that are very affordable.  Each month you'll receive a small bundle of poems (sent in advance) for close reading that are exciting, arresting or just simply wonderful. 

We'll look at the nuts and bolts of how good poetry is made and why we like it in a small group, thinking about content, form, line breaks, voice, syntax and other stylistic aspects, as well as those sparks of vital inspiration. There will be plenty of time to discuss your practical poetry questions and passions.

It's a simple format with two periods of close reading and discussion followed by two opportunities to write your own responses to the poems. These short sessions are only an hour long, a shot in the arm for inspiration, professional development and most importantly, a reminder to keep expanding your reading joy, being inspired by great poems, new and old to enhance your craft and appreciation. ... one of the most enriching things to do in life I believe!

Just bring your love of poetry, words and ideas. Surely the joy, intimacy, compassion and daring of poetry is an antidote to the news and state of the world these days? 

These are short and low priced, so if you can't make all three it's still very much worth it, but you can also just purchase the first session.

I have a free and a 50% off bursary for those who really need it - message me here: https://www.tickettailor.com/promoter/help/link/cathdrakestheverandah - only 50% available now...

Facilitator, Cath Drake is from Perth, Australia and has lived in London, UK for almost 25 years. Her poetry collection, The Shaking City (Seren Books, 2020) was longlisted in international Laurel Prize and highly commended in the UK Forward Prize. It followed Sleeping with Rivers, a Poetry Book Society Choice & winner of the Seren/Mslexia poetry prize. Cath has been published widely in anthologies and literary journals in UK, Ireland, US, Europe and Australia, recently including Best of Australian Poems, Poetry Salzburg Review and The Weekend Australian. She has twice been be awarded second place in the international Ginkgo Ecopoetry Prize and also highly commended in this prize. An environmental science graduate, Cath worked for a decade as an environmental scientist, writer and journalist and won awards for her environmental nonfiction writing and broadcasting. Cath is also a mindfulness teacher and she has run The Verandah, quality online poetry events, since 2020.

45mins to one hour long - Tuesdays

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

Online on Zoom

Times on the homepage of 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 £35 GBP (with cost effective exchange via STRIPE) for all three or £15 GBP for one workshop.

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

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