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Cath Drake’s ‘The Verandah’: Courageous Connections in Poetry in the 2020s

Date May - July 2022
Location Online (see website for more details)

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

  • A new series of three Dive into Poetry sessions starting in May. What is more enjoyable and rewarding than reading poetry and writing together with expert guidance? Led by award-winning poet Cath Drake.
  • In-depth poetry feedback workshops: hone your poems with a supportive and immensely enjoyable small group of international poets led by award-winning poet Cath Drake.

Seriously good poetry masterclasses are coming up with top UK poets. More masterclasses to be announced with Hannah Lowe, Judith Beveridge and others.

  • Karen McCarthy Woolf (16th May) will explore a variety of approaches to poetic voice. How can we vary and amplify the voices we deploy to expand and enliven our poetic repertoire?
  • Mimi Khalvati (23rd May) will share her much sort after wisdom and knowledge of poetic rhyme to help you to use rhyme with finesse and precision. She’ll explore the different kinds of rhyme available to the contemporary poet.

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.’