RENGA: "splicing spontaneity into your writing" with Alan Summers

photograph by Mike Keville

RENGA: splicing spontaneity into your writing 
with Alan Summers

THURSDAY MAY 20th 6.30pm-8.30pm 
Mr. B's Emporium of Reading Delights

This event is part of the 2010 Bath Japanese Festival 

Renga is first of all, great fun!

It's a type of joint group activity where we all get involved in writing a poem with haikulike verses called 'links'.  

Each verse is not so much poetry in the usual sense, but captures snippets of everyday ordinary plain speech and language that we easily forget is just as magical as formal poetry.

It's really easy, and gaining huge popularity all the time: for instance the Bath 1000 Verse Renga (book coming out soon) was so popular with both the public and writers that we actually received more than 1000 verses! 

BBC article weblink:
BBC article: Bristol poet leads giant verse


You don't even have to know what renga is, or its "starting verse" - better known as haiku - to get involved.

Not only is it fun and accessible, it's a great way to bring out the ingenuity of the writers involved, and boost self-confidence in your own writing.

It also provides an extra tool for novelists; poets; and non-fiction writers to help maintain spontaneity in their own writing!

It's really as much the inter-play between writers that makes this both fun, and highly productive to your own writing; as it acts as a real tonic for the writer in isolation
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Alan Summers is founder of With Words, an organisation that exists to promote the love of words. Alan is the Literature Director of the Bath Japanese Festival, and a Japan Times award-winning writer for Haiku and Renga.

Alan Summers
With Words: www.withwords.org.uk
Festival: www.bathjapanesefestival.com

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HOW TO BOOK

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Cost £24 (con £22)  with wine

BOOKING NOW OPEN with WRITING EVENTS BATH:

www.writingeventsbath.co.uk

Renga webpage: 

www.writingeventsbath.co.uk/14/FUTURE-EVENTS.html

Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights Bookshop: 'How to write a Haiku Journal'

SOLD OUT!



photo by Paul Gillis
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The first in a new journal writing series:
'How to write a Haiku Journal'
with Alan Summers
Japan-UK 150 haiku poet-in-residence


Wednesday 15th July 2009
6.30-8.30 pm
upstairs at Mr B's fabulous Bibliotherapy Room

This workshop is directed at ALL writers.
Novelists, non-fiction writers, short story writers, diarists, journalists
and poets, this workshop can be useful to you, as well as great fun.

"There is absolutely no difference between revising long poetry, novels, short stories, or haiku. The word count doesn't make any difference, it's the choice of words that counts."

A haiku is more than a mere 'snapshot' poem: it's carefully composed distilled writing conveying more than the sum of its words on a page.

A haiku journal is more than a 'day/date/time, where, why, when' notebook: it's a unique shorthand method capturing a day.

This workshop is suitable for beginners right through to advanced writers. The two hours will include two exercises and group discussion/Q&A
with a FREE complimentary “Haiku Journal” notebook for everyone.

Wine is also being provided I hear from the very kind and excellent
Writing Events Bath organisers Alex and Jude!

ALAN SUMMERS blurb:
Alan Summers is a Japan Times award-winning writer with an M.A. in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University (2007-2008).

He's also 'Japan-UK 150 haiku poet-in-residence' and an experienced workshop leader.

His book 'Selected Haiku Poems 1992-1999’ will be published next year, while his pamphlet 'The Haiku Camera’ is due out later this year.

Cost £22 (concessions £20). Places limited, and filling up fast!
Please book as soon as possible.
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For enquiries please contact Writing Events Bath
writingeventsbath@gmail.com

Click onto their website for information
as well as other exciting events and competition!
Webpage: http://www.writingeventsbath.co.uk/.

Comments from the very first Writing Events Bath event:

"I look forward to attending future events particularly the session
on journal writing." Julia S, Bristol

"I am looking forward to the journal writing series in the autumn
as I kept a journal last year while I was travelling & found it very rewarding." K and P

Bibliotherapy Room images at Mr B's Emporium:

Bibliotherapy Room images©Mr B's Emporium

Mr B's bookshop: homepage
Mr B's location: map

Mr B's are the largest stockist of good haiku poetry books including the internationally award-winning Snapshot Press series of haiku poetry anthologies including "Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku" and "The New Haiku".

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Brief CV:
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Qualifications:
M.A. in Creative Writing, Bath Spa University 2007-2008
Diploma in Creative Writing, University of Bristol 2001

Selected Awards:
The Japan Times award for haiku and renga
Ritsumeikan University of Kyoto Peace Museum Award for haiku

Selected Publications:
'The Haiku Camera' pamphlet collection Forthcoming
'Selected Haiku Poems 1994-2010’ (2010)

Poetry Editor:
'The Poetic Image - Haiku and Photography'
National Academy of Writing/Birmingham Words Pamphlet (2006)

Co–Editor
'Parade of Life: Poems inspired by Japanese Prints'
ISBN: 09539234-2-8 (2002)
"Parade of Life is very impressive." Hiroaki Sano, Japanese Embassy

Japanese newspaper publications:
Yomiuri Shimbun (14 million readers); Mainichi Shimbun;
The Japan Times; and The Mie Times.
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