This event is part of the UK/Australia Season.
The UK/Australia Season is a major new cultural exchange celebrating the diverse and innovative artist communities and cultural sectors of each nation. A collaboration between the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Season is a vibrant programme spanning theatre, film, visual arts, dance, design, architecture, music, literature, higher education and a public engagement programme.
Designed to strengthen and build cultural connections, the Season theme is “Who Are We Now?” and will reflect on our history, explore our current relationship, and imagine our future together. The Season launched in both countries in September 2021.
Overview
UK and Australian poets explore courageous connections with our land and people in the 2020s in a series of high quality online poetry workshops, masterclasses, readings and talks.
Given how COVID-19 changed our lives, the immense environmental and social challenges we face, locally and globally, who are we now in relation to our connection with our land and people?
Sharing, exchange, collaboration and the creation of new work with emerging and established poets from both the UK and Australia will culminate in online celebratory readings for audiences from right across UK and Australia, and beyond.
How can we describe, challenge or create new connections with our land and people in the 2020s? What do we want to build for the future? How is Australia and the UK connected? Poets are inherently courageous in searching for truth and meaning.
The Verandah’s refreshing poetry programme into 2022
Four sessions, monthly, of reading and writing poetry – is there anything more fun and rewarding?! These are for beginners to intermediate level readers and writers of poetry. (If you can’t make the first November date and want to start in the new year, get in touch as 3 sessions is also an option.)
Three new year poetry feedback workshops
To help take your poems to the next level. Do you have a new year’s resolution to focus more on your writing and to send your pieces out for publication?
The new year isn’t far away. It may not have been the easiest of years for many of us, so let’s refresh and reflect on another year with journaling, mindfulness and, of course, a sprinkling of poetry. Set aside time for yourself: you deserve it. Get ready for a great 2022.
The Making of a Sonnet with Mimi Khalvati
The first of The Verandah’s one hour interactive sessions with poetry masters on how they created some of their best poems. Mimi is our most sought after teacher with peerless wisdom on writing and editing sonnets.
About the artist
Cath Drake has been hosting quality online writing workshops and readings from her virtual verandah for UK and Australian poets since lockdown in London in 2020. The community is growing from strength to strength.
Cath says: ‘As an Aussie, the verandah is one of my favourite places to be – social, relaxing and welcoming. Half inside, half outside, in between the natural and built world, the private and public, internal and external, it’s a bridge where some of the best conversations and creativity takes place. It’s a perfect place for connecting, a perfect place for courageous poetry to flourish.’
Tickets
Dive into Poetry – 6 March 2022. Register here
Poetry Feedback Workshops – 7 Mar 2022. Register here
Crafting a prize-winning poem with Professor Paul Hetherington – 28 Feb 2022. Register here
