The Joy of Renga

In this session, Japanese-Danish poet Erica Hesketh introduces renga, a sequence form originating in Japan. Erica has long been obsessed with this form, and has experimented with it in her own poetry (in English), including in her debut poetry collection In the Lily Room (out in May with Nine Arches Press).

In this two-hour Zoom session you'll learn about renga’s origins and basic rules, and how poets have used it in different ways, both in Japan and in English-speaking countries. Erica will take you through a series of gentle exercises to generate seasonal imagery, practise the ‘link and change’ connections between verses, and observe nature in your corner of the world. The session will also include a look at haiku, which originated as the opening verse of a renga. Finally, the group will have a go at writing a sequence together, in honour of renga’s origins as a social form written on the spot at (plum-wine-fuelled) parties.

About Erica Hesketh

Erica Hesketh is a poet and editor, originally from Japan and Denmark, now based in London. Widely published in magazines and journals, she placed second in the 2022 Winchester Poetry Prize, and was commended in the 2023 Magma Poetry Competition and the 2023 Stanza Competition. She was longlisted for the 2023 National Poetry Competition. Her poetry has been commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall, Spread the Word and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her debut collection, In the Lily Room, will be published by Nine Arches Press in May 2025.

Zoom

These workshops will be conducted via Zoom. We have put together this simple 'How To' document to help you download Zoom, join a meeting, and navigate around the meeting features (such as adjusting video and audio, uploading files, and sharing screens).

You will receive a confirmation email from Ticket Tailor with your ticket and the Zoom invitation, containing the meeting link and Meeting ID & Password.

Someone from The Poetry Business team will be on hand prior to each workshop to offer additional help in getting connected.

There is usually a lot of interest in our workshops: in the interest of fairness, please limit yourself to one workshop ticket in every two week period.

Bursary Spaces

There are two bursary spaces available per workshop for writers from groups that are under-represented in contemporary poetry (for instance because of ethnic background) or who are experiencing financial hardship. If you would like to apply for one of these bursary places, please contact workshops@poetrybusiness.co.uk

Refunds

If you no longer wish to attend the workshop please let us know by emailing us. We ask for 3 working days' notice before the workshop starts in order to offer a full refund, and enable us to offer the place to someone else.

Though we will do all we can to help you get set up with the technology it is the participants' responsibility to ensure that their camera, microphone and other computer settings are configured correctly. Please contact us (workshops@poetrybusiness.co.uk) if you are concerned about getting set up for Zoom.