17th August 2012

Omniversity at Madlab, in partnership with Manchester publisher Comma Press, are hosting a poetry writing course tutored by Gaia Holmes.

Over the course of six monthly workshops, you’ll get a handle on the predominant styles, structures and types of voice used by poets and learn how to implement them in your own work. Completing set writing tasks between and during workshops - and receiving structured, peer-driven feedback - you’ll develop 12 poems to completion, with tailored advice on how to shape the story, and improve characterisation, dialogue and narrative voice.

You don’t necessarily need any practical experience of writing poetry, nor of supervised creative writing of any kind, but it’s important that you have an interest in - and enthusiasm for - contemporary (late 20th century to present-day) poetry.

To get the most from the course you should be prepared do some background reading, undertake writing tasks between sessions, read the work of others on the course prior to each session, offer tactful – yet frank – feedback, and receive constructive criticism on your own work. The course isn’t geared towards any particular style of poetry – we’ll be looking at techniques applicable to a variety of genres.

This course takes place on Monday evenings (10 Sept, 8th Oct, 12th Nov, 10th Dec, 7th Jan, 11th Feb) Costs and times £150 for six evening sessions over a six-month period, held on Monday evenings (10th Sept, 8th Oct, 12th Nov, 10th Dec 2012, 7th Jan, 11th Feb 2013).

Tutor biography
Gaia Holmes lives in Halifax. She is a part-time creative writing lecturer at the University of Huddersfield and freelance writer who works with schools, libraries and other community groups throughout the West Yorkshire region. In her spare time Gaia is a DJ for Phoenix FM, Calderdale’s community radio station. She also bangs and rattles a red tambourine at gigs and rehearsals with Sambalifax and squeezes an accordion with ‘Crow Hill Stompers’. Her second poetry collection, Lifting the Piano With One Hand, is due out with Comma Press in Autumn 2012.

More information: http://omniversity.madlab.org.uk/tag/gaia-holmes/