Synopsis:

Through reading, play, experimentation and writing, poems will be broken down to their essential elements and rebuilt. The results will be compelling new work from the participants, a confident and fun approach to the reading of poetry in the future, an ability and willingness to share and critique the work of colleagues and an awareness of a range of poets and poetry styles. In the writing component of the workshop, participants will be encourages to examine words, explore their versatility and use imagination to expand the meaning of words. For example "red" can blind, stain, burn, and woo; it can be approached using the five primary senses and memory. The process will also involve the exploration of globally relevant themes. Lateral thinking and creativity will be key skills in use for this workshop and it will help build confidence and develop problem-solving abilities.

This workshop is suitable for young writers 12-14 years old.

Trainer: Nii Ayikwei Parkes
A 2007 recipient of Ghana's ACRAG award, Nii Ayikwei is a writer, editor and socio-cultural commentator. Having lectured or held visiting positions at several universities, he is a generous and adaptable mentor to many young writers. He writes for children under the name K.P. Kojo, and spends his time in Europe – where he is the senior editor for flipped eye publishing – and in Ghana, where he was the founding director of the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing in 2017. He is currently working on a crowd-funded collection of short stories, The City Will Love You (Unbound, 2018).