Reading & Writing Poetry

Guided by Lyn Hejinian’s essay ‘The Rejection of Closure’ (1983), this 5-week course has been designed for those with some experience in reading and writing poetry. During the term you will explore ‘form that provides an opening’ and interrogate what Hejinian herself has located as ‘the ethics of meaning’.

By way of close reading and their own experiment, participants will expand their practice to include open and generative verse forms. They will also have the opportunity to submit their poetry to the class grouping for discussion to aid revision and develop critical discourse. Most importantly, participants will experience the challenge and energy of a collaborative course. 

About the tutor

Natasha Cuddington was born in Saskatchewan, Canada and holds a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature and an MA in Irish Studies. A writing facilitator with experience in a variety of contexts, her translations, poetry, essays and reviews have appeared variously on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2017, she was announced as the recipient of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary. Her début poetry collection, Each of us (our chronic alphabets) was published by Arlen House (2018). With Ruth Carr, she co-edited Her Other Language: Northern Irish Women Writers Address Domestic Violence and Abuse (Arlen House, 2020).