Poetry Course 
 with
Ruth Padel

Poetry Course 
 with
Kate Newmann

Sept 24 Sept 28

In a setting of outstanding natural beauty, an opportunity to spend time creatively; word spinning, story writing, myth making.  A chance to write, to be inspired, to travel within and explore beyond; to dream deeply and take the dream further. For just a few weeks each year, arts and travel organisation World Spirit is dedicated to exploring the world of Poetry and Writing within the inspiring natural resource of South West Crete - one of the most beautiful parts of Europe.  The village of Loutro is intimate, ancient, friendly, and tranquil - equally good whether alone or in company.  Loutro and it's surrounding environment serves as our centre.  Bounded by this positive, nurturing energy, our writing courses bring together people, experts, ideas and artistic creativity.

MIMI KHALVATI is the founder of The Poetry School and a Royal Literary Fund fellow at City University. Her Carcanet collections include Selected Poems (2000) and The Chine (2002). She received a Cholmondeley Award in 2006 and her latest collection, The Meanest Flower, was published in 2007.

TOBIAS HILL was born in London. He has published four collections of poetry and one of short stories, as well as three novels: The Love of Stones, Underground and The Cryptographer. He is one of Britain’s Next Generation poets, and his novels have been published worldwide. Set in Greece, his fourth novel, The Hidden, will be published by Faber in 2008. He has also just finished writing a book for children with Michael Foreman. He expected himself to grow older and wiser, but now finds himself only odder, and wider.

 


RUTH PADEL one of Britain’s most distinguished poets, has also written a travel memoir, Tigers in Red Weather, set in Asian tiger jungles, and two poetry best-sellers on reading modern poems, 52 Ways of Looking at A Poem and The Poem and the Journey.

DAVID SWANN was raised a few doors up the street from his childhood neighbour, the author Jeanette Winterson. His stories and poems have won many awards, including four successes in the Bridport Prize. His debut short story collection, ‘The Last Days of Johnny North’ was published by Elastic Press in 2006. He now teaches Creative Writing and English at the University of Chichester.

For absolute beginners or seasoned writers, this course will explore how we can give hidden voices their chance to stir up our everyday world. Using mystical symbols, myths, memories, dreams and wild imagination we will explore the art of making the invisible visible on the page. Start recording your dreams now and bring them with you.

KATE NEWMANN is a graduate of King’s College Cambridge. She has two collections of poetry, The Blind Woman in the Blue House and Belongings, and a CD, How Well Did You Love? She is writer-in-residence at the Louis MacNeice Centenary in Carrickfergus, County Antrim and is Co-Director of the Summer Palace Press.

What is my story? is a question that every writer struggles with. This course is designed to help you catch the initial sparks that might fire a piece of great prose and turn them into stories that grip the imagination. Our daily workshops will help you identify your strengths, develop and explore your unique writer’s voice, set narrative goals and help clarify recurring images or themes in your work that can be crafted into fiction. Suitable for beginners and more experienced writers.

Course based, feedback and work in progress sessions lasting one to two hours take place each evening, perhaps not on one of the middle evening's of each course.  At the discretion of the course leaders, short private tutorials may be offered. Within these arrangements World Spirit fully supports whichever way a tutor conveys their ideas, whether highly structured, or deeply intuitive.

Evenings are leisurely and sociable, with course participants tending to meet up at various of the local restaurants and bars.  At the end of each course, we often arrange a night time boat trip to a nearby bay for readings of course work, food, wine, moon, stars etc...

The course dates and contents offer maximum flexibility for those staying for two weeks.  You can choose between Poetry and Poetry, Writing and Writing, Poetry and Writing or Writing and Poetry. For those booking two consecutive courses, there is a £50 discount payable on completion.

Apart from an occasional windy cool day, there is a 90 - 95% chance of perfect weather with highs of 27-33° in both June and September.  Evenings and nights can be cooler in June, for which jackets, sweaters and scarves might be appropriate.