Celtic Poetry Workshop
Because there will be a small assignment to do for the first class -
Registration for this class will close
at 8 am Pacific/11 am Eastern/4 pm UK
on Saturday, 31st August
Five weeks of intense dabbling with Celtic poetry.
Dates: 31st August; 7th, 14th, 28th September; 5th October.
Time: Saturdays at 12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK
This class will offer you a better appreciation of early Celtic poetry, plus a chance to experiment with applying ideas and techniques to your own poetry.
What if you don’t speak any Celtic languages?
The
question I’m asked most often about this work is what value it has to
those who don’t speak the languages of the original poems. My answer is
that it absolutely still has value. Poets who speak these languages have considered it worthwhile to translate their native poetry, and sometimes their own
poetry, into English – giving us a window into the soul of that poetry.
At the same time, by studying the techniques used by the original
poets, we can find much to apply to our own writing.
This will not
be a terribly scholarly or comprehensive look at either the history
of Celtic bards or their poetic forms – although we will touch on these
things frequently.
This workshop is for anyone who already
loves old poetry from Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and would like to
find creative and technical inspiration within it to improve, or begin
to create, their own poetry. The class is open to experienced poets and
complete novices, and will include a number of very short writing
assignments. Expect to be stretched and challenged in a fun and supportive environment!
I will discuss and give examples of poetic techniques and there will be a couple of poetry-writing assignments given in each
session. These will be aimed at writing just a few lines, rather than
creating ‘finished products’.
Stories of Celtic poets
Who were the early Celtic poets?
What are their stories?
The carrying stream
the value of memorisation
What’s so great about old Celtic poetry?
continuous stream of tradition
form and discipline
alliteration, assonance, and rhyme
brevity
How much of this is accessible to those who don’t speak the languages?
Is poetry in translation any good?
the value of hearing the original (even if you don’t really understand it)
What lessons can we, as modern poets, learn from early Celtic poetry?
imposing form encourages discipline
the power of pattern
using our voices
finding awen
What to expect from this class:
This is a participation-based class! Please plan to attend the Zoom sessions! (Recordings only available to engaged participants who unavoidably miss a class.)
Weekly online class includes – my presentations, Q&A sessions, student poetry readings and exercises. Classes usually last around 90 minutes.
Weekly notes. You will receive these as a PDF after each class. These will include:
- Exercises and examples
- Important points and graphics from the presentations
- links or citations to any texts referenced in the presentations
- links and citations to further reading on the topics covered, which you can follow up on, if you wish.
Homework: writing poetry and preparing to read it aloud in class.
Study Guide: After you register I’ll send you a study guide with some reading suggestions and the assignment for Week 1.
Cost: Regular price $75 US. *Patreon patrons: $60
*You must be a patron at the time of registration, and remain a patron for the duration of the class series.
Important! You should receive an email from me within 48 hours of paying for the class. Please respond to that email if requested. If you don't see it, check your spam folders, etc. and if you can't find it, contact me by clicking "contact organiser", below! It's important that we are in email contact, so that you can receive the zoom link and class mailings.
You can always find out what classes I have coming up at: https://tinyurl.com/GDclasses