Workshop 7

Fleur Adcock

Week 8:

Workshop 7

Distribute Group 1 poems.

Poetry Exercise 2: Writing from elsewhere

Both Fleur Adcock’s “Camping” and Stu Bagby’s “First Dance” are stories about childhood experience told by an adult looking back.

Think of something (happy, sad, dramatic …) that happened to you as a child.

You’re now going to write a poem describing it.

• First outline (quickly, in note form) the shape of the story, the sequence of events.
• Then think about how old you were, what time of year it was, where it all took place.
• Write it as briefly as possible – as if you were telling it as an anecdote to a group of people at a dinner-party.

(minimum 14 lines)

Next week:

• Group 2: Workshop Poems Due. Bring sufficient copies for the entire class


• Group 1: Peer Reviews