Dawn Gorman believes poetry should be everywhere - puts it on beermats, uses it to
work with people with memory loss, facilitates writing workshops, organises poetry
events and runs international poetry competitions. She is widely published, and has
performed in New York, Paris, London - and lots of smaller places in between.

“Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way of life. It's an empty basket;
you put your life into it and make something out of that.” Mary Oliver

Past Events

19th July 2015

Poets in the sculpture garden consider one of the exhibits during the workshop.

Poetry Workshop with tutor Philip Gross

19th July 2015, 11:00am - 4:00pm, The Swan Hotel, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1LN

A day with award-winning poet Philip Gross, writing poetry inspired by exhibits at this year's Bradford on Avon Arts Festival Sculpture Garden in its glorious hillside setting. The poets were then invited to return to Bradford on Avon in September to perform their resulting work alongside Philip at the Swan Hotel.

The poems that grew out of the workshop can be seen alongside the sculptures that inspired them on the Bradford on Avon Arts Festival website:
http://www.boaartsfestival.com/past-events/2015-2
(with thanks to Trisha Waters for putting together this wonderful PowerPoint).

Feedback about the event included the following comments:

Dear Dawn,
Fabulous workshop and so beautifully conducted, very relaxed and creatively free-ing. Lovely setting full of works to inspire - and I only saw two-thirds of it! Hope to go back.
Thanks so much for organising it - it was a hugely enjoyable and productive day. Please do pass on my thanks to Philip, who was an extremely genial and supportive workshop leader.
I can come on the 18th and very much look forward to another evening with fellow sculpture-writers!
Caroline Heaton

Dear Dawn
I enjoyed the day hugely, and the garden was magical with an exciting range of artwork.
With love and thanks,
Linda Saunders

Thank you Dawn,
Thanks... for organising all of these opportunities to write, hear and read poems. I really appreciate it and it is a great contribution to the community.
John Waite

I can't imagine anything significant about it that could have been better, Dawn. You had the Coach House so nicely set aside for us all to feel part of each other's presence through the day. Philip Gross was masterly in establishing the spirit in which he wanted us to work - levelling us all up to that rather serious, relaxed, contemplative frame of mind from which such good work came. The Swan looked after us very well. Their young friendly staff create a really nice atmosphere in the bars. The weather was benign. The sculpture garden was truly fascinating, a really rich opportunity for all of us to explore things in the whatever way suited us best. You and Philip allocated the right amount of time to the tasks. And there was that extra spur of looking forward to sharing the work again in September, which had a really energising effect on the day. I was very glad that Trisha was in the room to make that next stage seem so real.
with love
Sue Boyle

Philip Gross is a poet, a playwright, librettist and writer for children. He won the T.S.Eliot Prize 2009 with The Water Table, and Wales Book of The Year 2010 with I Spy Pinhole Eye. Recent collections Deep Field and Later dealt with his Estonian refugee father's final years and loss of language. Philip leads the MPhil/PhD in Writing programme at the University of South Wales.

This event was brought to you by Words & Ears, in conjunction with the Bradford on Avon Arts Festival and supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

The full collection of photographs from the day can be seen on photographer Graham Jones' website:

http://photocreation.co.uk/#/gallery/poetsgallery/gjj0125-2/