Slow Poetry: Writing through Hibernation workshops with Cara Thompson
What can nature teach us about the creative value of slowness? How might our writing evolve when we decentre productivity? How can we embrace and even celebrate slowness as a vital part of our creative lives?
Across three online workshops – curated and led by Wasafiri's Writer in Residence Cara Thompson – participants will explore how the earth’s natural rhythms can nurture a softer, more sustainable writing practice and directly inspire the works that we create.
Workshop 1: ‘Resting in Poetry’
As the new year begins and winter holds us in its quiet, how might our writing offer a space to gently hibernate? What possibilities open up when we release productivity-driven resolutions to make room for creative rest-olutions instead?
Drawing on images and examples of natural dormancy and hibernation, we’ll experiment with restorative, unhurried writing that embraces slowness as a creative companion.
When: Tuesday, 13 January, 7 - 9pm GMT
Where: Online
Tickets: £35 (Concessions available), £95 (Workshop pass to attend all three workshops)
Workshop 2: ‘Nesting in Poetry’
As the world begins to thaw and stretch, how might our poetry become a nesting place: somewhere warm, spacious, and slow for us to unfurl?
By responding to examples of sheltering, cocooning, and quiet preparation in the natural world, we’ll explore how writing can offer comfort, steadiness, and a sense of inner refuge during the final stretch of the season.
When: Tuesday, 17 February, 7 - 9pm GMT
Where: Online
Tickets: £35 (Concessions available), £65 (workshop pass to attend workshops 2 and 3), £95 (Workshop pass to attend all three workshops)
Workshop 3: ‘Renewal in Poetry’
As the first signs of spring appear, we’ll gently re-awaken our writing. By responding to examples of natural emergence and early growth, we’ll reflect on what the winter months have taught us about slowness and how these lessons can accompany us into the brighter season ahead.
When: Tuesday, 17 March, 7 - 9pm GMT
Where: Online
Tickets: £35 (Concessions available), £65 (workshop pass to attend workshops 2 and 3), £95 (Workshop pass to attend all three workshops)
Cara Thompson is a writer, performer, and artivist based in Nottingham, UK, and Nottingham's first Nature Poet Laureate. A proud descendant of Jamaican migrants who came to Britain as part of the pioneering 'Windrush generation', Cara's work explores the richness and complexities of her Caribbean-British heritage while inviting audiences to unpack our shared histories and humanity. Cara's poetry has been featured and commissioned by Penguin Random House, Huffpost, Oxfam, the NHS Leadership Academy, UNESCO, Simon and Schuster, and more. In 2021, Cara won UNESCO Cities of Literature's international slam poetry competition Slamovision with her poem 'Island Screams (Where Are You From)'.
Outside of poetry, Cara is also a musician, facilitator, programmer, and an active member of Nottingham's creative community. Since 2023, Cara has been an Assistant Director of Nottingham Poetry Festival. In 2024, Cara became an Assistant Producer for the Nottingham based poetry collective, GOBS, co-directing their development programme and live showcase 'Earth' at Nottingham Playhouse. Cara is also a founding member of the Nottingham Black Creatives Network, and hosted the group's debut residency at Saltbox Presents throughout April 2024.
To find out more about Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature and the Nature Poet Laureate, please visit the City of Literature website.
Photo by Teslariu Mihai on Unsplash