Shaping a Collection

There are nearly as many ways to shape a collection as there are to write a poem. From tightly themed books to novels-in-verse, experiments in form to slow excavations of feeling, a collection is never simply 'some poems I wrote recently'. In this session, poet and editor Erica Hesketh breaks down collections by Gboyega Odubanjo, Catherine Redford, Jen Hadfield and others to explore different approaches to shaping a collection, thinking about pacing, narrative, voice, variety and flow. This session is open to all but will be most relevant to those poets who are currently working on a set of poems, as there will be space for mutual discussion and problem-solving during the session.

About Erica Hesketh

Erica Hesketh is a poet and editor, originally from Japan and Denmark. She is the author of In the Lily Room (Nine Arches Press) and To an Unknown Receiver: Sonnets & Cascades (Guillemot Press), and co-author with Laura Sampson of Moon, Snow, Blossom: Wintry Folk Tales from Across Japan (Elliott & Thompson). She is artistic director of Winchester Poetry Festival.

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.