Join us for the day exploring writing to commission with acclaimed poets and writers Rob Gee and Cathy Grindrod.

Registration starts at 10.00 am when complimentary light refreshments will be available with the main event beginning at 10.30 am.

Celebrating the launch of the writing ambitions- Commissioning Project there will be opportunities to learn more about writing to commission and the writing ambitions Commissioning project working with members of Festivity, the arts festival forum in Derbyshire.

So what is a commission? How do they work and what makes a successful response to writing to commission? With interactive exercises, examples of successful commissions and a chance to network with fellow writers and poets the day will finish with a Q&A session.

Booking essential, the event will be held in the Lecture Theatre at Chesterfield Library. Tea and coffee will be provided throughout the day. Please note that lunch is not provided.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with the project and you have not already done so please register to receive the Arts Derbyshire writers’ newsletter by visiting https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDCC/subscriber/new

Please email any project enquiries to Marie Timbrell at lovelitderbyshire@hotmail.com

This project is supported and funded by Arts Derbyshire, Derbyshire County Council and Arts Council England.

About Rob Gee

Rob's live act uses a heady combination of poetry, comedy, storytelling and theatre to explore the world of chaos and adventure that lurks behind the veneer of everyday life. He also works in the areas of education and mental health. Having extensive experience of writing to commission , some of Rob's poems can be viewed on his website https://www.robgee.co.uk/

Based in Leicester, he's performed over three thousand shows and regularly appears on BBC Radio. Rob has also performed The Glastonbury Festival, The Sydney International Poetry Festival, The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word and The Austin International Poetry Festival. He performed the Edinburgh Fringe for seven consecutive years and regularly performs on the North American Fringe circuit. He's shared stages with numerous personalities, including Harold Pinter, Jo Brand, Sue Townsend, Jimmy Carr, Omid Djalili, Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard, Sarah Millican, Kate Tempest, Scroobius Pip and John Cooper Clarke.

About Cathy Grindrod

Cathy Grindrod is an award-winning Derbyshire writer, formerly Derbyshire Poet Laureate, and author of five published poetry collections. Cathy is also an accredited Coach for Writers and experienced mentor, and runs a unique programme of writer support, The Writer Highway, which provides tailored support for writers at all levels. Cathy also write memoirs and plays (most recently, Just Cuckoos, produced by New Perspectives in July 2016, and Swing, performed at Create Theatre, Mansfield, in Spring 2015). In 2008, she wrote the libretto for More Glass Than Wall, an oratorio in collaboration with composer James Redwood, which was shortlisted for a BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Year Award.

She also works as a writing facilitator, particularly with those who may have little experience of writing creatively and to improve mental health and wellbeing, work for which Cathy was awarded an Honorary Masters degree by Derby University in 2014.

http://www.cathygrindrod.co.uk/index.html