Further Poetry Exploration with the Young Writers
Our most recent Young Writers workshop aimed to expand our knowledge of poetic forms. We began with a group discussion, creating a list of as many forms as we could think of, and discussed the conventions within each form
Our most recent Young Writers workshop aimed to expand our knowledge of poetic forms. We began with a group discussion, creating a list of as many forms as we could think of, and discussed the conventions within each form.
We invited our writers to make a list of things they had brought with them, physically and metaphorically speaking, and then read Ian McMillan’s poem Ten Things Found in a Shipwrecked Sailor’s Pocket. Over time, our understanding of poetry has expanded so that someone can create a poem from the simplest of lists. We also gave the writers a chance to share their list poems with the person next to them.
Another way in which we introduced playfulness was using a clip of Taylor Swift and her producer Jack Antonoff developing her song Getaway Car. Connecting with others and sharing ideas is a vital part of expanding any writer’s skill set, and we hope to continue in this direction as our group progresses.
We followed this video with a haiku exercise on the theme of getting away or escaping, before introducing the shadorma form of poetry. Some sources consider this form to be Spanish in origin. It comprises six lines per stanza, following a strict pattern of syllables.
First line – 3 syllables
Second line – 5 syllables
Third line – 3 syllables
Fourth line – 3 syllables
Fifth line – 7 syllables
Sixth line – 5 syllables
Given that our workshop loosely focused on the theme of love (in many forms) I invited the group to consider who or what offers them light when they need it.
We then moved into a discussion of Wendy Cope’s classic poem The Orange and drew on our own food-based memories to create a poem reflecting on a memorable meal or food experience.
The writing began with sense-based sentence stems:
I can see
I can hear
I can smell
I can touch
I can taste
We then removed them as we continued the process and created a group poem that we simply called Life.
In our March Young Writers workshop, we will explore the craft of short stories, with a focus on dialogue.
The March Young Writers Group will be held on Saturday 14th March 2026 between 10:00am and 1:00pm at The Writers’ Block.
Booking information can be found here.
