From John Cooper Clarke to John Betjeman, last Friday’s Feed saw a handful of our writers, friends and fellow creative minds get together at Espressini for a morning of poetry, coffee and inspiration.
Run by wordsmith extraordinaire Luke Wright, the Feed masterclass started with a close-up look at just what makes pop poems work. From metre and scansion, to comedy and rhyme, we heard Luke (with a little help from George Formby) perform a handful of poems then work with us to break them down, focusing on how and why they connected with us.
By understanding and unpacking the impact of alliteration, repetition, surprise and expectation in poetry, we began to see how the same techniques and skills can engage readers whatever the subject matter and style.
Then it was our turn. Encouraged by Luke, everyone in the masterclass had a go at writing a pop poem using the classic AAAX form.
The results were impressive. From indifferent cats to Facebook updates, a papiermache stag’s head to wedding parties, topics were varied, humour was free flowing and some serious skills were on display.
As an opportunity to look at writing and creativity from a fresh perspective, take time away from our desks and spend a morning being inspired by one of the country’s top contemporary poets, it was a perfect Feed experience.
We hope everyone there enjoyed it too. Here’s to Feeding together again soon…