This course, delivered by multi-award-winning poet Suzannah V. Evans, will consider how we can bring place alive through creative writing.
Taking inspiration from the sights and sounds of Underfall Yard in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, this on-site poetry course will allow us to explore place and local waterways up close. We will think through how creative writing might connect us more deeply with our environment and craft new poems responding to our surroundings.
By the end of the course, you will have experimented with new poetic forms and techniques, read and analysed a variety of poems, and responded thoughtfully to the writing of other participants. The day will include a tour from Underfall Yard Trust, as well as some time for independent exploration.
This is an intermediate course, suitable for those who have some experience in writing poetry, although any curious writer is welcome to attend. Suitable for ages 18+. Participants should bring a notebook and a pen. For more information about how to get to Underfall Yard, see https://underfallyard.co.uk/visit/location-and-opening-hours/
Dr. Suzannah V. Evans is a poet, researcher, and educator. Her debut poetry collection is Under the Blue (Bloomsbury Poetry, September 2025). She is the author of Brightwork (written about Underfall boatyard in Bristol’s Floating Harbour) and Marine Objects / Some Language, and the editor of All Keyboards are Legitimate: Versions of Jules Laforgue (Guillemot Press). A chapter of her work appears in Carcanet’s anthology New Poetries VIII. Her poetry has been awarded the Ivan Juritz Prize for Creative Experiment and a Northern Writers’ Award, performed at international festivals, and broadcast on BBC Radio. https://suzannahvevans.com/
