Poetry Course 
 with
Sean O'Brien

'What Does The Poem Want From The Author'

Poetry Course 
 with
Ruth Padel

'Taking Your Poems Forward'

Sept 22 Sept 29

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.

Martin Lucas arrived at the world of haiku after initial studies in literature and Zen. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Stepping Stones: a way into haiku. He holds a PhD from Cardiff University for his study of haiku as creative writing, and since 1996 has been the Editor of the haiku magazine Presence.

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.

Sean O’Brien is a multiple award-winning poet, an experienced writing tutor and Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University. His six individual collections of poetry have all won awards, most recently The Drowned Book, which won both the 2007 Forward and T S Eliot Prizes, the first time a book has won both awards in the same year.

Meaghan Delahunt is a short story writer and novelist. Her first novel ‘In the Blue House’ (Bloomsbury, 2001), set in Mexico City with Trotsky, Rivera & Kahlo, won various awards. ‘The Red Book’ (Granta, 2008), which analyses spirituality & politics in post disaster Bhopal India, was shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews.

Jeffrey Wainwright’s sixth collection of poetry is Clarity or Death!, (Carcanet 2008). His critical writing includes book on the purposes and styles of poetry, Poetry the Basics (2004) and Acceptable Words: Essays on the Poetry of Geoffrey Hill, (2006). He has translated plays by Péguy, Claudel, Corneille and Bernard- Marie Koltès. He taught English for many years at Manchester Metropolitan University UK where he helped found the Writing School.

For writers who want to explore ways of fictionalising their autobiographies or animating their fiction with insights and details from their true-life experiences. Not intended as a writing therapy course, it is designed to be a series of workshops to help writers identify interesting, unusual and compelling
events in their lives and to use these as the foundations of their work.

Tolstoy stands on his doorstep in a short early 20th century film clip declaring “Just do what is right!” A character’s search for fulfillment, for the truth of their own life, for a sense they are living right, lies at the heart of great fiction. Immersing oneself in character requires an honesty and openness right at the heart of the writing process. The attitude and disposition of the writer are crucial. Whilst looking at the way that characters are taking shape in your works in progress, we will exercise our imagination through working on some unlikely subjects and through various Zen based mind awareness techniques’.

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.