I used to think that if you thought about it for long enough new poems (or at least ideas for them) would arrive. Now I have been writing for a bit I see that thought power often needs some encouragement, and that is where the workshop comes in. Of course not everybody responds well to these things; the very word makes me think of dusty church halls, sitting in a circle, listening to a perfectly decent poem being savaged by an unhappy soul. And that is where The Guardian comes in.
Every month the paper runs a poetry workshop. A poet – and it is a different one each time - writes about an aspect of poetry then sets an exercise. You can send in your finished poem and, if the poet likes it, it will be published in the paper along with an appraisal. Or you could just do it at home. For fun.
