Welcome to the workshop book for writers

A masterclass at Chesworth Arts Farm, Horsham with  Peter and Ann Sansom of The Poetry Business

The first writing workshop I went to was at South Hill Park arts centre in Bracknell in the 1980s. It was led by acclaimed Irish poet and children's writer Matthew Sweeney, with occasional sessions led by poet Peter Pegnall. Once a week a small group of us were introduced to some of Matthew's favourite poets. Here I discovered Selima Hill, Charles Simic and James Wright as well as the astonishing work of American undertaker poet Thomas Lynch, among others. At the end of the course, I read my poems in public for the first time and I had work accepted by a magazine that immediately folded. But that meant the first poems I had published were in an iconic small magazine, The Echo Room, produced by another Irish poet, Brendan Cleary who's become a great friend. In the workshop book, I'm sharing my experience of more than 20 years running workshops with people who write because they want to be better. I'll focus on the basics of running a workshop - what works and why. I'll deal with different settings like business, working in the community and schools. I'll share pitfalls, hilarious moments and risks. I'll look at workshops that last an hour...half-days, full days, masterclasses, weeklong workshops, weekends. I'll reflect on work with musicians and artists, work in galleries, with orchestras, with arts and business leaders, with young refugees and homeless men, with young people who cannot speak and young people in a secure unit.  This is the start.