This workshop is for people who like to make up poems and tell stories, but most of all it’s for those who just like words – the way they rub against each other, say things we don’t anticipate, create effects, work small wonders. We shall use simple ‘high-pressure, low-expectation’ exercises, many akin to parlour games, to prime the pump, dip into the well, pull who-knows-what from the trick top hat of the imagination.

We also shall drop into memory, and do longer, more reflective work. Some exercises involve private writing, others produce group pieces and ‘shareware’ – we shall make regular use of the Random Word Box, and put lines into the hat for others to use. Depending on the mood and make-up of the group, we may give attention to more formal verse, to sonnets, villanelles etc., and to reading aloud, getting more comfortable speaking and reading to a group.

The main aim of the workshops is for participants to enjoy themselves with words, and in the course of this to build confidence and generate material that gives real pleasure and satisfaction. It’s chance for people to surprise themselves, to rediscover and to relish their own wit and imagination.