Reflections on our first poetry workshop

Reviving a traditional workshop, the first new poetry workshop was held at Pat Wilson’s on the 4^th December.

We had a good turnout, with nine people attending. The workshop is not only for poetry writers, but also for those who love to read poetry.

We started with a discussion, everybody contributing their thoughts on what made poetry special for them. This then moved into the selection of favourite poems / poets – we had a wide range of choice and preference, serious and humorous, happy and sad, written in a form, or completely free.

Then it was the chance for us all to read one (or more) of our own poems, and for the others to give helpful comments and feedback – this went well, with helpful insight and constructive criticism.

It had been requested that there should be an ‘educational bit’ looking at a poetic form, and we discussed the pantoum.* We had also decided to set ourselves a task, to write something to share at the opening of the next workshop. The discussion of the pantoum had generated a lot of interest and it was decided we would all try to write one for next time.

Everybody agreed that it had been an informative and enjoyable meeting, and subsequently the date for the second poetry workshop was set for Wednesday, 4^th March, at 8pm, again at Pat’s; our thanks to her for the coffee and biscuits.

If you would like to come to the March meeting, or if you have any suggestions for improving the content, please contact me at cbwriter168@outllook.com.

*For those of you who are desperate to know the pantoum form is as follows:

Length: Any number of stanzas, each of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 of each stanza appear as lines 1 and 3 of the next stanza. Line 1 rhymes with 3, line 2 with 4.  There is no prescribed metre, so the lines may be of different lengths.