Sappho-Inspired Writing Workshop with Moth

EVENT SUMMARY

The work of Sappho has long been held close by queer poets and historians as proof that we have always existed, and it is not alone. Stories like these litter the ancient world, such as Gilgamesh and Enkidu in Babylonian mythology, Achilles and Patroclus in Homer's Iliad, and Iphis and Ianthe in Ovid's Metamorphosis. All of these works are found in fragmentary forms, be it clay or papyri, and have been collected together to form a canon of work. Modern day poets and authors have taken to other forms of textual erasure, or censoring, to build a deeper connection with the written text and it's origins, such as Ronald Johnson's Radi Os, and Jen Bervin's Nets.

BIO

Moth McGowan (she/they/moth) is a poet and writer based in Aberdeen. She is the current vice president of Aberdeen University's Creative Writing Society, where she leads workshops on storytelling development and poetic form with the next generation of writers. Moth's spoken word poetry has been performed locally at Speakin’ Weird and Spotlight events, as well as across Scotland. Their academic research focus is on queer narratives and phenomenology. She is one of the key organisers of Aberdeen University’s LGBTQ+ Symposium (2026), and moth has presented academic work at the BFE/RMA conference (2021) and the LGBTQ+ Music Study Group (2021).