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Next Paston workshop
The Paston workshop this Sunday (June 29) will be led by Caroline Gilfillan and Annette Rolston, and will probably follow a similar pattern to the last one. Caroline says: "We'll all work together for a short time, and then the artists will work with Annette, and the writers with me – though I must stress that you can move between writing and visual arts and vice versa. I know that several of you are interested in both, and that's fine.
"In the writing section of the workshop, we'll spend some time on new material – we have two new writers joining us – and devote some time to sharing and workshopping poems you've already written. Some of these will have been circulated already, but please bring copies of up to three poems – eight copies of each should be more than enough. Getting feedback on your work and having it heard can be such an exciting, instructive experience, so do bring work with you. Plus, hearing the work written by others is always interesting and inspirational.
"This part of the workshop might also help you decide which poems you might want to put into the book, too – if you need to choose. I'll prepare some activities both around writing in a specific form (probably the sonnet) and writing in free verse. As before, we'll use specific extracts from the Paston Letters as source material."
Here is an example of a ghazal written by Caroline at a previous workshop:
St Margaret’s Church, PastonThe wind sighs through the pale horse chestnut flowers
And ivy spills like water over elderflowers.A spider’s web is glued from pew to pew,
Its maker crouching in the carved wood flower.Outside I gather speedwell, borage and cranesbill
untended beside the dipping heads of gilt rose flowers.Beneath the stinging locks of nettles, a tombstone warms my hand.
And Margaret gives thanks for every leaf and flower.
And here is a verse from Tim Lenton, also based on the Letters and written at a workshop:
PartridgeI fear that Partridge may attack
He really has no business here
My husband must come home and drive him backA thousand angry men are drawing near
And he is miles away in London town
While I am pregnant, lost in fearI'll write and tell him to come down
He must bring crossbow, spear and shield
And I will wear my broadcloth gownHe'll slaughter Partridge in the field
The thousand men are bound to yield
The photograph at the top of of this section is of St Margaret's Church, Paston, from the path to the cliffs. It shows how unusual it is in being situated in a hollow, whereas most Norfolk churches are at high points. The picture was taken by Tim Lenton, who added this verse to it:
Balanced like light on fields of barley
Margaret the sleeper
slips into the background
becomes part of the picture
seen from the sea