The Poetry School Renga workshop

With a nod and thanks to Alec Finlay for his inspiration
and superb renga book: shared writing: renga days


Slug and Lettuce renga
(to be printed after publication)


Renga Sabaki: Alan Summers

participants:

• June Hall
• Libby Houston
• Donald Gibson
• Linda Saunders
• Be Mattingly
• Lynette Rees
• Karen Hoy

Nijuin Renga
A renga is a series of very short verses, linked into one long poem, composed collaboratively by a group. 'Nijuin' means a 20-verse renga created by 20th Century renga master Meiga Higashi. He considered the Nijuin renga to be the shortest form that could be both contemporary yet capture some of the classic feel of renga.

There are three movements in Nijuin Renga: a four verse section; a twelve verse; and another four verse section. We started in Spring going through the seasons, as well as writing love, and moon verses, to end back in Spring.

The intrepid rengaistas get their first few verses down:



Reflective rengaistas*
(*Alec Finlay's term for renga poets)



More thinking and working out a verse
that has to both link and shift!



Renga fun moments!
Although we look serious and reflective at times,
there was a lot of fun too, especially with the 'love verses'.



Action renga!



Last verse!
Then some of us went on to Yen Sushi,
it's a hard life for rengaistas!

.

Haiku & Senryu

Well, we had our first Asian Forms workshop last Saturday, on haiku & senryu, and a lot of fun it was, and quite a few really good haiku & senryu came out. I hope to see some of the poems appear later this year in haiku publications.

Click here for the remaining Asian Poetry Forms of tanka, sedoka, sijo, jueju, & renga workshops: workshops

Click here for the venue: Workshop venue page


For bookings, and information:
Julia Bird, Programme Co-ordinator

The Poetry School
81-83 Lambeth Walk
London
SE11 6DX

Tel: 0845 223 5274
Website: CLICK HERE

Julia is in the office on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays

Also we are fortunate enough to have Dorothea Smartt as the School's new administrator - she can be reached at:administration@poetryschool.com.

The Poetry School 2008 courses

I'm giving the following Poetry School courses in 2008:

Haiku & Senryu
Activity: Writing Feedback Exercises
Study Mode: One Day Workshop
Venue:
Slug and Lettuce - Bath
5/6 Edgar Buildings, George Street
Bath BA1 2EE
Slug & Lettuce weblink: Slug & Lettuce
Date: 23 February, 2008
Day: Saturday
Time: 10.30am-4.30pm

Participants will learn the ‘real rules’ of these ultra-compact forms and consider their relevance to modern British poetry.

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Korean, Japanese & Chinese Forms
Activity: Writing Feedback Exercises
Study Mode: One Day Workshop
Venue:
Slug and Lettuce - Bath
5/6 Edgar Buildings, George Street
Bath BA1 2EE
Slug & Lettuce weblink: Slug & Lettuce
Date: 29 March, 2008
Day: Saturday
Time: 10.30am-4.30pm

This workshop introduces the forms of Sijo, Sedoka, Tanka, and Jueju. Participants will learn how these forms are still active today.

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Renga
Activity: Writing Feedback Exercises
Study Mode: One Day Workshop
Venue:
Slug and Lettuce - Bath
5/6 Edgar Buildings, George Street
Bath BA1 2EE
Slug & Lettuce weblink: Slug & Lettuce
Date: 26 April, 2008
Day: Saturday
Time: 10.30am-4.30pm

This workshop introduces the shared writing linked verse form of renga (both haiku and senryu originate from renga). Through group activity we will aim to complete a twenty verse nijuin renga by the end of the day.

For the renga workshop, if you have never written renga, then there is no need to bring work, just bring yourself!

The purpose of these three workshops is to examine and practice, through group discussion and participation, both the traditions and contemporary possibilities of various classic Asian poetry forms. Participants will aim to have finished poems at the end of each session and are invited to bring work-in-progress as well (16 copies of each poem).

Each workshop fee: £35, £25 concs

The School office in London is staffed part-time, so if you don't catch them in, please leave a message and they will get back to you as soon as they possibly can:
Phone: 0845 223 5274
Email: programme@poetryschool.com

USEFUL WEBLINKS

The Poetry School weblink: The Poetry School

Slug & Lettuce, Bath weblink: Where to find the Slug & Lettuce, and contact details