Writing Ballads

Ballads are tightly rhymed poems that are great fun to write, thematically and tonally versatile, and often especially effective at readings or in performance. Writing them can also help us to sharpen many skills – for narrative, concision, wit, eloquence, and formal skill. Join Rory Waterman, whose most recent collection Come Here to This Gate (Carcanet, 2024) ends with several ballads based on folk tales, to explore this perennially popular form, and to develop a barnstorming, provocative, and/or emotive ballad of your own.

About Rory Waterman

Rory Waterman was born in Belfast in 1981, and grew up mainly in Lincolnshire. His full-length collections, all published by Carcanet, are: Tonight the Summer’s Over (2013), which was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for a Seamus Heaney Award; Sarajevo Roses (2017), which was shortlisted for the Ledbury Forte Prize for Second Collections; Sweet Nothings (2020); and Come Here to This Gate (2024), described in the Guardian as 'a wise and deeply satisfying book.' He is also a critic for the TLS, PN Review and other publications, and has published several books on modern and contemporary poetry. He co-edits New Walk Editions. Since 2012, he has worked at Nottingham Trent University, where he is Professor of Modern Literature and Creative Writing leads the MA in Creative Writing. He is currently leading a research project on Lincolnshire folktales, and writing about folklore and landscape.
www.rorywaterman.com

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.