Join The Poetry Society for a workshop with Clare Shaw exploring the poetry of restoration and repair. Nature can be brutal – but even Philip Larkin had to admit that it is in a state of constant renewal. Whilst nature poetry reflects our struggles, it can also guide and inspire our own ongoing journeys towards healing and recovery.

Contemporary eco-poetry reflects the interconnectedness of humans and our environment: in this workshop, you’ll discover, read and write poetry exploring the intersection of ecological restoration and personal recovery. Guided by Clare, you will engage with poems that hold damage and renewal in tension, considering how landscapes inner and outer can be sites of rupture and resilience. Drawing on a range of contemporary voices, you will be supported to create your own new poems of restoration and repair.

Clare Shaw has four poetry collections with Bloodaxe. Their fourth collection – Towards a General Theory of Love (2022) – was a Poetry Society Book of the Year; their fifth collection – I Saw What I Know – will be published with Bloodaxe in 2027. Clare is a regular tutor for Wordsworth Grasmere, the Writing School, the Royal Literary Fund and the Arvon Foundation. With a passion for ecology and a background in mental health and education, Clare is a keen advocate for writing as a medium of social change, ecological restoration, and personal recovery. 

We’re able to offer 2 bursary tickets to this workshop for those facing financial difficulty. Please email info@poetrysociety.org.uk to request one of the places. No proof of financial difficulty is required.

This workshop will take place on Zoom. You will receive the Zoom link the working day before the workshop. Please note that this workshop will be recorded. This workshop is intended for an adult audience.

Tickets are £17 for members and £27 for non-members.