Description

Have you always been a reader? Have you ever fancied having a go at writing creatively but haven’t yet devoted time to it? Perhaps you are an experienced writer looking for a new form to explore or need some good old-fashioned inspiration.

Our Spring Speaking to the Shelves creative writing programme continues with Matt Abbott: performing spoken word  on Sunday 1st May,10am-12pm. Tickets are £13. Matt will be running this workshop in-person at The Leeds Library at 1.00pm. See separate booking link. 

Matt Abbott is a poet, educator and activist from Wakefield. His début collection ‘Two Little Ducks’ (Verve) explores the working-class Leave vote, against the backdrop of his experiences volunteering at the Calais Jungle refugee camp. His début collection for children ‘A Hurricane in my Head’ (Bloomsbury) challenges societal stereotypes, channels playful rebellion and explores modern life struggles for prepubescent kids.

He is an ambassador for Eureka! The National Children’s Museum and Trinity Homeless Projects. He programmes Chelping at The Leeds Library, fronts alternative band Skint & Demoralised and runs a spoken word record label called Nymphs & Thugs.

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.

Becky Cherriman curates this series of creative writing workshops, which generally run on the third Saturday of the month at The Leeds Library. Each workshop deals with a particular aspect or genre of writing. Guided by established writers, you will draw inspiration from the library’s collections to write and then receive feedback on your work in this stimulating environment. Workshops will draw on Dewey Decimal themes such as History; Social Problems and Social Services; Customs, Etiquette and Folklore; Life Sciences; History, description, critical appraisal of more than two literatures;

Becky Cherriman is a Yorkshire writer, workshop leader and performer. She works part-time as Creative Writing Community Development Officer for The University of Leeds. 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.