ONLINE COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Book here for online courses and workshops. As always we aim to host the country’s best poets and workshop leaders, with a strong emphasis on good mental health and wellbeing, and hope our new online offering will be accessible to those who can’t make it to the Poetry Pharmacy itself. We are working on putting together an exciting program of innovative course leaders and content!
Subsidised places on our online courses and workshops are available – please email emergencypoet@gmail.com for details.
WILD WORDS: AUTUMN
With Rhiannon Hooson
1st - 31st October 2024
The course is now full. Thank you for your interest!
Wild Words: Autumn is a course of themed seasonal writing prompts delivered each day in October via email, led by poet Rhiannon Hooson, and organised by the Poetry Pharmacy.
Wild Words: Autumn is the first of four creative writing courses which draw inspiration from the changing seasons, and which are built on the philosophy that creativity should be organic, low pressure, plentiful, and joyful. It's made up of daily writing prompts and exercises focused on the autumnal world around us. These prompts allow you to devote as much or as little time to your creativity each day as you would like, from ten minutes to a couple of hours.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Crows tumble past harrying a kite. By the stile into the bramble-clogged lane huge white fungi have shelved out of the grass and gather water like shallow porcelain cups. In the house, the log burner ticking on its dusty flagstone; an apple, sliced in two to reveal the star at its heart.
First and foremost, Wild Words: Autumn will provide you with inspiration attuned to the changing seasons, and help you to build a sustainable, daily creative habit. Suitable for both beginners and experienced writers of prose, poetry, and all forms of creative non-fiction, Wild Words is for anyone who would like to live more creatively, write more, or make an authentic connection with the natural world.
ABOUT RHIANNON
Dr. Rhiannon Hooson is a Welsh poet, author, and editor who has taught Creative Writing for nearly twenty years. She has won major awards for her work, including an Eric Gregory award from the Society of Authors, and her first book, The Other City, was a finalist for the Wales Book of the Year award. She has performed at literature festivals across the UK and in Europe, and her work has been featured in the Guardian, Magma, and Poetry Wales among others. In the last few years, she has been writer in residence at the Hay Festival, winner of the First Chapter Award, and the judge of the PENfro festival poetry competition. She has a PhD in poetry from the University of Lancaster, where she taught creative writing, and spent time living and working in Cumbria and Mongolia before settling in the Marches. Her latest book, Goliat, was recently published by Seren Books.
Feedback from Previous Participants
"The quality, depth and originality of the writing prompts has been extraordinary. Each one has been unique, inviting and thought-provoking. After writing each day, I felt immensely proud of having created something. It didn’t matter too much whether it was the best writing. What mattered was the feeling of agency, empowerment, expression and joy at having created something.
Writing made me calmer, more present to my own life and, often, more observant and grateful for what was around me. You have been hugely generous in what you have created for us. Thank you."
— Jane
"I have come away with a host of new ideas that I would never have attempted without her support. I would highly recommend her courses so don't hesitate!"
— Tina
"The prompts in Rhiannon's course were perfect for ushering me back towards creativity during a difficult time. I loved the variety of exercises - there was something for writers of every stripe, and I was introduced to so many different ways of writing and approaching writing. It was a brilliant month!"
— Liz
HOW IT WORKS
Each morning in October, you will receive an email containing an original writing prompt or exercise. These are designed so that you can dedicate as much time to them as you would like; some are open ended to allow you space to respond in your own way, and some are more involved and designed to broaden your creative outlook. Over the course of the month these prompts and exercises will build on each other, allowing you to develop work produced earlier in the course. If you have a busy week, feel free to save the prompts for your own little workshop at the weekend, or come back to them later.
Please note that the course does not include an element of feedback, though you were welcome to share your work!
The course is now full. Thank you for your interest!