Artswords News October 2015

Dear Writers and Readers

October is here, and so is a festival of poetry in Swindon!

Yes, the month begins on a high with the fourth Swindon Festival of Poetry, 1st to 5th October.  Come along and find out why poet Robert Peake calls it the ‘friendliest and least pretentious’ festival. Meet the bard of the barge, Canals Laureate Jo Bell, who will be offering poetry on a slow boat in Swindon!  Savour poems over lunch, cake, or tea; make poetry mosaics; join a workshop; or just listen and join in in any way you like. For further details, see here.

To accompany the festival, Artsite is hosting a special exhibition uniting artists with poets in Poetry with Postcards from Monday 28th September to Sunday 4th October


On 6th October, an eight-week ARTSWORDS Writing Course, with Jill Sharp, begins at the Richard Jefferies Museum.This course is timed to coincide with worldwide NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
It offers practical advice and support in a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere. For further information see http://artswordsswindon.blogspot.co.uk/p/writing-groups_28.html  or ring 01793 771080 or email artswords@lowershawfarm.co.uk

Mum’s the Word, a group for mothers interested in writing, next meets on Tuesday 6th October at 7.30pm at Lower Shaw Farm. For further information, please contact Monica at montimms@waitrose.com.

On Tuesday 20th October at 7.30pm the Artswords Reading Group meets at Lower Shaw Farm to discuss The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrente. Without warning, Olga is left, by her husband, with two young children. Her world falls apart, in one sense, but, in another, she recreates it… Further information from Matt at 01793 771080 or matt@lowershawfarm.co.uk

This month’s Artswords Writers' Cafe and Kitchen takes place from 6pm on Thursday 29th October at Lower Shaw Farm. Cost £2. Starts with pot-luck supper from 6pm. If you can, please bring something to nibble or drink, to share with others. Following acclimatisation with food and friendly chat, we take time to look at our writing. You may simply read your work for up to 5 minutes; or, if you’d like your work to be the subject of helpful comments and discussion, bring 10 copies of one piece of writing. This should amount to no more than 500 words of prose or 40 lines of poetry.

Other News

As already mentioned, it’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November, a worldwide initiative to uncover the writer in us all. Discover more here.

On Saturday 21st November, New York poet Kathryn Maris comes to Swindon to share her expertise. Find out more and book your place here.

If you wish to share this newsletter with others, please do; and like us on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter.

If you have any news or events for November that you’d like us to mention in the next newsletter, please let us know by the middle of this month.


Looking forward to meeting, greeting, and enjoying poems at the Swindon Festival of Poetry!




Matt Holland & Annie Vickers
SWINDON ARTSWORDS 
LOVE LITERATURE! LOVE LIFE!

Artswords News September 2015

Dear Writers and Readers  


After the relative lull of the last weeks of summer, we look forward to the return of our regular reading and writing groups and some September surprises.

Mum’s the Word, a group for mothers interested in writing, returns on Tuesday 1st September at 7.30pm at Lower Shaw Farm.  For further information, please contact Monica at montimms@waitrose.com

On Saturday 5th SeptemberRichard Skinner comes to Swindon for a Writing Masterclass at the Richard Jefferies Museum. Richard is a novelist, poet, essayist and writing tutor on the Writing a Novel course at the Faber and Faber academy. To find out more and book your place, click here
Cost: £45

This month, Poetry Swindon’s Open Mic night is on Tuesday 8th September at the Victoria Pub in Old Town. Guest poets are Chris McCabe and Lorraine Mariner from the Poetry Library. For further details and to book your place, click here.

September’s Artswords Writers' Cafe and Kitchen takes place from 6pm on Thursday 24th September at Lower Shaw Farm. Cost £2. Starts with pot-luck supper from 6pm. If you can, please bring something to nibble or drink, to share with others. Following acclimatisation with food and friendly chat, we take time to look at our writing. You may simply read your work for up to 5 minutes; or, if you’d like your work to be the subject of helpful comments and discussion, bring 10 copies of one piece of writing. This should amount to no more than 500 words of prose or 40 lines of poetry.

Then, on Tuesday 29th September at 7.30pm, the Artswords Reading Group reconvenes at Lower Shaw Farm.  We will be discussing Fathers & Sons by Ivan Turgenev.
What’s a nihilist, in Russia? Can a nihilist fall in love? And what about cynics and stolen kisses? How does this nineteenth-century classic play out to twenty-first century readers? Come along to find out!
Further information from Matt 01793 771080 matt@lowershawfarm.co.uk
 

Other News

 An eight-week ARTSWORDS Writing Course with Jill Sharp begins in October. This course is timed to coincide with worldwide NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
It offers practical advice and support in a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere.
For further information see http://artswordsswindon.blogspot.co.uk/p/writing-groups_28.html or ring 01793 771080 or email artswords@lowershawfarm.co.uk
The Swindon Festival of Poetry, (the ‘friendliest and least pretentious’ according to poet Robert Peake) takes place from 1st to 5th October. Lots of wonderful poets! You can listen, be tutored by, or simply be inspired. Meet the ‘canal laureate’ Jo Bell, find out about flash fiction, or come and enjoy poetry over a cuppa with others. Further details available here

In partnership with the Poetry Festival, Artsite artists and poets have worked together to produce beautiful postcards.  An exhibition of the outcomes runs from 28th September to 5th October at Artsite.

If you would like to, please feel free to share this newsletter with others, like us on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter.

If you have any news or events for October, please let us know by the middle of this month.

Happy reading, writing, and thinking!

Matt Holland & Annie Vickers

SWINDON ARTSWORDS 
LOVE LITERATURE! LOVE LIFE!