WILD WORDS Plymouth will nurture the talents of up to 20 beginner/emerging poets through six half-day nature poetry workshops, one to one tutorials, rehearsal and informal public reading, on Friday mornings, starting on March 28th, 2025.

Workshops will take place at Plymouth Central Library from 9.30am to 1pm. Subjects will include: what makes good nature poetry, image-making, writing sensually, the word as sound, sonic devices, rhythm and rhyme, changing the lens of perception and poetry as activism.

Workshops will be fun, provide a tool kit, build confidence and include mini field trips to Plymouth's wild spaces.

WILD WORDS Plymouth is open to anyone over 18. There is no upper age limit. No previous experience is required.

Heidi Stephenson is the former Southwest Coordinator for Apples and Snakes where she produced many Spoken Word events and three national tours. She writes poetry for International Times and All-Creatures.org. Her long-form eco-poem,
The Re-Greening, a response to T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and the ecological crisis, was created with Arts Council funding in 2021. She recently completed her first collection Wild Cry: Vegan Verse for Planet Earth. She has taught over 60 writing workshops for Literature Works, Exeter University, Arvon Foundation and many NGOs.

Dates: March 28th, April 4th, 11th, 25th, May 2nd, 9th, rehearsal on May 16th and public reading on May 23rd 2025.
Location: Plymouth Central Library, 167-171 Armada Way, PL1 1HZ.
Cost: Participation is free and places are offered first-come, first-served.

To apply, please email Plymouth Central Library by Wednesday 26th March 2025 with your contact details at reflib2@plymouth.gov.uk.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England