EVENTS
Upcoming events
Guest Talk - Becoming a Workshop Facilitator
Hampshire Writers Society Meeting, Free to Members, £8 for Non-Members
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I'm giving a short presentation at the April meeting of HWS where I'll talk about my journey into becoming a workshop facilitator and what I've learned along the way.
14th April, 7pm
Bournemouth Writing Festival
'Day in the Life' Community Poem
All ages | FREE (drop in)
Create a poetic snapshot of your day on a piece of bunting to be a part of a large-scale artwork at Bournemouth Library.
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Instructions for email/post submissions ahead of the festival can be found here.
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Sat 25th and Sun 26th April, 10.30-17.00 at the Poetry Marquee, Horseshoe Common
Bournemouth Writing Festival
'Writing the Everyday' Poetry Zine
18+ | FREE (drop in)
Create or contribute a poem on the theme of 'writing the everyday' to feature in a zine which will be published online.
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Instructions for email/post submissions ahead of the festival can be found here.
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Sat 25th and Sun 26th April, 10.30-17.00 at the Poetry Marquee, Horseshoe Common
Previous events
Poetry Collage from the Compost of the Classics
All ages | FREE (drop in)
Cut, compose and create using classics ranging from Austen to Marlowe to Zephaniah as your starting material. In this fun, playful and accessible workshop we will explore the cut-up-technique and blackout poetry as ways to enhance, reclaim, remix, transform and revolutionise classics that we admire or revile into a piece of art distinctly our own. By the end of the workshop you will have at least one piece of poetry collage art to take home (A4 in size). Suitable for all ages - beginners welcome.
Sunday 12th October 2025 11am-12.30pm
Off the Rails - Creative Writing Project
Ages 13–18 | FREE
All aboard for a wild ride through Totton’s past, present and future! Off The Rails is a creative writing and art project for young people aged 13–18 – and it’s FREE.
Join local author AJ Hardingson for four fun, hands-on workshops where you’ll dive into Totton’s Victorian railway history, dream up the future of rail travel, and bring it all to life through poetry, flash fiction, and collage. You'll learn creative hacks for writing and editing, get stuck into making bold, brilliant artwork, and help co-create an epic exhibition that will be on display at Totton Railway Station.
Whether you’re a word wizard, total beginner, or just want to try something new – this is your stop.
Workshop Dates: 19th, 22nd, 26th & 29th August 1–3pm at Totton Creative Hub.
Exhibition Launch: Saturday 27th September, 2pm at Totton Railway Station
Each workshop builds on the next, but also stands alone. It's recommended to come to as many as you can.
Workshop 1 (19th)- Blackout/collage poetry
Workshop 2 (22nd) - Flash fiction
Workshop 3 (26th) - Green futures & time travel
Workshop 4 (29th) - Railway 200 artwork and exhibition co-creation​
A home for your words
I'm running a drop in workshop at the Poetry hub at Bournemouth Writing Festival. This will be a playful workshop that gets you making. We'll explore prompts for making poems on the theme of 'home' to put into our DIY poetry zines - combining visual storytelling with your words.
April 26th 2025, The Bandstand, Bournemouth 10.30am-12pm
Play on Words - Poetry Zine Making
In this fun and accessible workshop for teenagers we'll explore two poetry forms that suit zines really well - collage and blackout poetry.
Oct 29th 2024, Fluid Motion Creative Hub, Totton
1001 ways of writing: The Art of Illustration
In this fun and accessible workshop we'll explore how art can help us through writers block and get the creative juices flowing. We'll look at maps, character illustration, storyboarding and more - you might be surprised at how it affects your writing and inspires you to get started or keep going!
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