ERASURE POETRY: AUTUMN, TRANSITION AND FINDING MEANING IN CHANGE

1 PM - 3 PM

Autumn has always been poetry's favourite season. Keats, Frost, Shakespeare – our greatest writers have returned again and again to autumn to explore what it means to let go, to change and to find beauty in impermanence. Watching leaves turn and fall invites us to reflect on our own lives: what we're releasing, what we're learning and how we find meaning as seasons shift. At this time of profound transitions, as the climate emergency alters the seasons we've relied upon for centuries, our culture rarely creates space to process these transitions thoughtfully: to explore what we're losing, what we're learning and how we move forward.

Canonical autumn poetry has always held this space, and we invite you to join the team at boom saloon for a very special workshop to explore how erasure poetry can help us do the same. Erasure poetry is deceptively simple: by blacking out words from existing texts, you reveal new sentences, meanings and stories from what remains. It's a technique that frees you from the pressure of creating from scratch; instead, you play with language that already exists, discovering unexpected poetry in the spaces between words. It's also a powerful tool for reframing narratives. By choosing what to erase and what to keep, you're actively reshaping how we understand change, loss and transition. By the end of the session, you'll have created your own erasure pieces that help you – and anyone who reads them – sit with change in a more thoughtful way.

Through this simple but profound practice, you'll discover how poetry can help us process transition, find resilience and perhaps help others do the same. Regardless of experience or level, you'll discover how the simple act of subtraction can unlock new stories – and new possibilities for change.

Please bring along your favourite works on autumn and change to inspire your erasure poetry; photocopying facilities available on the day

‍

boom saloon is an independent publisher dedicated to democratising creativity for good. We publish books and magazines, both in-house and for clients, which explore the connection between the arts and social change. Profits from these fund further publications, made in collaboration with people facing complex personal challenges such as substance misuse, homelessness, forced displacement and dementia. Building upon the concept of Asset Based Community Development, we begin by identifying creative talents who could benefit from the nourishment and support of their skills. Working in collaboration, together we create books and magazines to amplify these voices. Our work often addresses issues that should be better supported by the state, yet we receive no continuous public funds or state aid. Our work is powered by an international collective of members, who enjoy a series of discounts and events in thanks for their support. Most importantly, they make it possible for us to publish voices too often silenced and use paper and ink as a circular model for change.