On Saturday May 7th, I visited Alderman Peel High School in Wells to take part in the Annual Wells Poetry Festival. I attended a workshop led by Ruth Padel to help improve my poetry skills. Ruth Padel is a immensely talented poet whose works have won many awards. She has produced many poetry collections including Rembrandt Would Have Loved You and The Solo Leopard. Her most recent collection Learning to Make an Oud in Nazareth was shortlisted for the T.S. Elliot Prize. During the workshop we analysed poems by other poets, to look for recurring techniques used in poetry. Then after being given a brief we had 20 minutes to write a poem which we then read to the rest of the people in the workshop (there were 10 people in total.) I was very nervous reading my poem but it was an informal environment. I received advice on which areas I could improve on in my poetry for example, showing – not telling (this basically means the reader infers a certain piece of information from the poem instead of you telling them, e.g. the peppermint green instead of the lurid green.) I found the workshop very useful and I have come away with many useful techniques to use in my poetry, as well as a wide range of new poets to read. It was amazing to meet a greatly talented poet like Ruth Padel and be able to learn from her. The whole thing has really helped encourage my love of poetry.
The logo of the festival
The Wells Poetry Festival originated in 1997 when John Colridge came up with the idea that an annual poetry festival on the North Norfolk coast would benefit the area and be a good addition to festivals in King’s Lynn and Aldeburgh. With the help of Kevin Crossley-Holland (poet and children’s author.) You may have read his fantastic Arthur trilogy, if not I definitely recommend it. Other lovers of poetry and promoters came together to form a committee. The poetry festival aims to invite the best poets and speakers to Wells to help spread a love of poetry and secondly to take poets into local schools to inspire a next generation of poets.