Speaking to the Shelves: in-person Creative Writing Workshop with Peter Spa

The Leeds Library continues its Speaking to the Shelves programme with a new series of creative writing sessions available at the library or online.

When the programme’s curator Becky Cherriman asked established writers and workshop leaders to design writing activities around texts they considered part of the literary canon, she expected some surprises. The writers did not disappoint. Sign up to deepen your knowledge of a much-adored Classic, discover a book you haven’t yet read, see what we can learn from the canon and expose problems within it. Sign up to write creatively. Together you will climb onto the shoulders of these powerful giants, notebook and pen in hand.

Peter Spafford delves into the Leeds Library’s digital sound recording archive to take you on an epic adventure of your own, using Simon Armitage’s BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer. Explore the heights and depths of a shifting world of magic and monsters. Scale the heights, sound the depths, and weave stories of your own. You will be welcome to write in any genre of writing of your choice.

Peter Spafford is a playwright, poet, musician and broadcaster. Radio credits include 7 Afternoon Dramas for BBC Radio 4. He is Director of Words at Chapel FM Arts Centre where he curates the weekly Love The Words podcast and the annual Writing On Air festival. He has two poetry collections, Quick (Valley Press) and Frisk (Yaffle). As a songwriter, he has just written 7 songs for Unsung Sports, a city-wide project celebrating lesser-known sports in Leeds.

This workshop is also available online via Zoom; link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/speaking-to-the-shelves-online-creative-writing-workshop-w-peter-spafford-tickets-338112141517?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

The in-person workshop runs 1-3 pm with the option to stay from 3-4pm to receive input from the writer on how to develop your work.

Further workshops in the programme can be found here: https://www.theleedslibrary.org.uk/events

The programme is supported by funding from Leeds Inspired, part of Leeds City Council.

Curator Becky Cherriman is a Yorkshire writer, workshop leader and performer. She works part-time as Co-leader of the Creative Writing pathway at The University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Centre. Published by Seren, Mslexia, New Walk, Envoi, Mother’s Milk, Bloodaxe, Well Versed, Moving Worlds and The North, she was resident poet for Morley Literature Festival in 2013 and lead artist for Altofts Festival In A Day 2016. ‘Echolocation’, her first poetry pamphlet, and first collection ‘Empires of Clay’ were published in 2016 by Mother’s Milk and Cinnamon Press respectively. Her agnostic poem Jesus Lives was highly commended in the Forward Prizes 2017 www.beckycherriman.com