Ahead of the official Launch of our Changing Landscapes anthology on 28th November I am pleased to have received two boxes of books.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process of collating the contributions, editing and designing the layout and creating the cover design. It has been a privilege to work with these writers.
The poems in this anthology are created by local writers who came together through a series of workshops. Some are very experienced poets whilst others are just setting out on their poetic odysseys. The poets supported and inspired each other and the result is a collection that explores a range of styles and approaches.
We have included several “concrete poems”, where the words and visual shape combine to enhance to the subject. We also include a dialect poem along with an illustration created by the poet..
Some poems speak directly to the “Changing Landscapes” theme, whilst others are less direct. Some poets considered the changes observed through the seasons, as the light changes throughout a single day, or during a brief journey.
We hope that the variety of approach adopted by the poets helps to reflect the varied nature of the changing landscapes around our homes on the edge of the Pennines.
The quality of the poetry from the contributors is really good and the range of responses to our local landscapes has been really inspirational.
Recently I sent some poetry off to a competition run by Dark Poets Club and was really pleased to hear back that my poem “Truncated” had received an honourable mention and has since been published on the Dark Poets Club website.
Quite often my writing is a response to some of the appalling behaviour of those with most power in the world and Truncated is one such poem. In just a few lines it reminds us of the hard that can follow from a decision taken among the noise and hot-heady atmosphere of even supposedly modern and democratic governments:
Truncated
The first bombs were launched through the “Aye” lobby
And unaware the soon to be victims, continued their brief truncated lives for a little while
Greeted by soul-less self-serving cheers from both sides of The House
Yesterday, for the second year, the wonderful Craft and Canvas shop in Hebden Bridge have organised their plein air art competition. With over 40 entries and variable weather it would have been impossible to predict what the final artwork would look like. But in a matter of a few hours there was a stunning display of art on show at North Light Studios, all created out and about in Hebden and its surroundings.
Having spent a few hours down beside the river I must say that this was a very friendly event, as well as the supportive organisers and fellow participants, lots of people out in town, some local, some from overseas, some with children, many with dogs (there was a dog show in the park), and many with food for the ducks came to watch for a while and often to chat. Any trepidation about painting in public was soon gone and that is a credit to the place and its people.
Here are some pictures of where I was working and my finished watercolour painting. I’m also including pictures of some of the other artworks produced.
Fridays 10am to 12noon – 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th Sept, 3rd Oct
In September I will be leading a series of poetry workshops where we will look at the landscapes around Littleborough and the surrounding hills and moors. There will be plenty of inspiration, discussion and poetic hints and tips to enable participants to write some poetry to be proud of.
An anthology of poems created from these sessions will be published and distributed in a large print format making it accessible for people who might not be able to access poetry in the typical smaller print sizes. A launch event for the book will be announced once a date can be finalised and all contributing poets will have the chance to read some of their work at the launch.
Bookings are currently open. There is a charge of £25, payable at the first session, which covers the 5 workshops and a copy of the anthology. Places are limited and can be booked by emailing Liz White at: lizwhitecreative@gmail.com
One of the sessions, 12th September (weather permitting), will consist of a field trip to explore and discuss the local landscapes.
This project is supported with funding from Grantscape and organised by Liz White for Create and Connect.
Sometimes nature can be the inspiration for making new images and sometimes it can inspire new creative writing. Recently I was thinking back to a time about 50 years ago when I was walking the last part of the journey to school and was distracted by a Merlin flying just a few yards away and parallel to the path. I’d never seen one before and it was genuinely stunning. A small bird of prey it was struggling in the face of a very strong wind so I was able to watch it closely for a while. I was a bit late for school but it is a memory I still treasure and I’ve never since seen a Merlin. That inspired the little poem below, and after that I couldn’t resist adding it with drawing into my nature journal.
Sometimes the idea comes from the image and then the words come along afterwards as was the case with this watercolour sketch and poem about a grey seal.
Not everything in the journal includes poetry and the spread below has a few little nuggets of folklore and myth along with 25 additional names for Digitalis, the plant we now call Foxglove. There watercolours were painted from one of the beautiful foxgloves that have been thriving in our garden in the last month.
We still have a few places left on our poetry workshops at Hare Hill House on Saturday 28th June.
There are two workshops to choose from both running from 10am to 12noon.
Becky May will be running a Contemporary Poetry session while I will running a Nature poetry session. The workshops cost just £5 per person and you can book by emailing Liz white – lizwhitecreative@gmail.com or myself – seamus@onepoetsvision.co.uk
After the workshops there will be poetry performances and then in the afternoon Yorkshire poet and author Gaia Holmes will be discussing her work, including her recently published collection of short stories “He used to do dangerous things”. The afternoon session is free of charge and all are welcome.
This promises to be an enjoyable and productive day of poetry in the historic Hare Hill House in Littleborough.
If you are a nature lover you probably already know how being outside among plants, trees and all kinds of wildlife, can help lift your mood and make you feel good. But did you know that recording your experiences, observations and thoughts can multiply those benefits?
Last weekend my wife, Maggie, and I ran nature journaling session at the Hollingworth Lake Country Park. We all had a great time with a nature work, tips for finding subjects to write about and a range of ways to make illustrations. The participants were shown how you can make a journal using various kinds of paper and they also learned some watercolour techniques to create a nice, and quick, illustration of bluebells.
One of our participants even climbed a tree while the other had a sit down in a den made of branches at the bottom of the tree.
We were really impressed by the enthusiasm, skills and knowledge of those people who came along and really happy to send them home with their own jounaling journey underway.
We were also delighted with the feedback, some of which is shown below:
“Want to do more” “Lovely, awesome” “Thanks very much for this afternoon. I really enjoyed it, much better than I thought I would. It has certainly inspired me and given me confidence to learn more and develop new skills.” “Would be great if there was a journalling group” “Loved seeing lots of different ways of making images” “It was great to spend time on what’s meaningful”
Exhibition Launch, Wardle Library, Sat 22nd March 2025
It was lovely to be asked to run a creative workshop to write a collaborative poem for a Community Threads Project and exhibition in Wardle.
The poetry workshop on Tuesday evening was really productive with enthusiasm and lots of great input from participants, who ranged from those who haven’t written poetry to experienced and award winning writers. All made great contributions that will be reflected in the final work.
The project has involved making a range of artwork inspired by the village, including, painting, textiles, photography and model making. The exhibition opens from 11am to 1pm, on Saturday 22nd March, with free badge making and refreshments. The Mayor will be opening the exhibition and I will be privileged to read the poem, titled “Our Wardle” at the opening event.
The Vibe charity and project in Rochdale has sadly come to the end of its time. Writing this post feels akin to writing an obituary. Issues around availability of premises, securing continued funding and the age of founding members, mean that it is time to close at the end of this year. Vibe has truly been an incredible success and has benefitted many young people in terms of wellbeing, resilience and skills.
Vibe has been part of my life since 2015 when I first became involved as a freelance writer in the Stories We Can Tell project. Our work at Vibe has always been led by the young people who are supported to use creativity but never pressured. People do well in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere, and at Vibe they can be themselves while joining in with all kinds of creative activity.
At Vibe I’ve been able to work with young people writing anything from novella length stories to poetry and lyrics, and help with art, photography, woodwork and even guitar building. Vibe also gave me the opportunity to work alongside creative practitioners from other fields, like music, photography, craft, art and film-making, sharing ideas and skills. The team at Vibe always support each other and we consider ourselves as friends, not just colleagues.
Although it is sad to be saying goodbye to this amazing project this will not really be the end as the skills we’ve all been developing will no doubt be used with others in the future and friendships will endure.
Coffee on the Corner, Littleborough 6.00pm to 8.00pm
On Tuesday, 5th November, we will hold our 3rd edition of the Poetry Café in Littleborough. This is a free, open-mic style poetry evening held in a lovely café. We welcome all genres of poetry and there might even be a short story.
All a welcome to attend either just to listen or to read some of your own, or some favourite poetry. Should you wish to read please let me, Seamus, know on arrival and I’ll add you to our list of performers for the evening. Generally, dependent on numbers each person will have the opportunity to read twice in the evening. Being bonfire night we can expect some sparklers and maybe some bangers but the organisers will not accept any work that is racist or attacks minority groups in any way.
The café are opening outside of their normal hours for our event so please buy some drinks, and maybe some of the excellent home-made cakes, to help support the owners who very generously provide the space.
Coffee on the Corner is just a short walk from Littleborough railway station and bus stops and there is parking on the nearby streets is free and after 6.00pm there is not a time limit in force.
I’m really looking forward to delivering a brand new workshop on Nature Writing, this Thursday 24th October, for the Riverside Writing Group.
I have always had an insatiable interest in the natural world and from a young age have looked at, read about, drawn, and photographed nature. Much of my own writing looks at the way that human society and individuals interact with nature, both in positive and negative ways.
This workshop will look at what Nature Writing means, it will provide hints, inspiration and the opportunity to create some new work in any style, and of course it should be both enlightening and fun.
As always with Riverside Writers workshops this will be free of charge and takes place in Rochdale Central Library from 10am to 12noon. You don’t need any experience as a writer to take part nor do you need any expertise in the natural world – just a pen, paper and your thoughts. All welcome – the more the merrier!
Sunday 13th October, 11am to 4pm at the RSPCA Animal Centre, Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough
I’m really happy to be part of this event, created by artist and writer Elizabeth White. Several artists will be exhibiting a range of paintings, prints, cards, pet portraits etc.
This is a great chance to come and meet local artists, see demonstrations and buy some lovely art.
Admission is Free and there is an excellent cafe on the premises serving drinks and food.
This is the first of a series of three “Art By The Lake”exhibitions with the following dates being Sun 3rd November and Sun 1st December.
