The quality of stillness – workshop

MOSAIC POETRY WORKSHOP

Wednesday 19th September at 7.30 pm
The Castle Pub, Colchester

I would like to explore the quality of stillness in a poem.
The simplicity of nothing, the halt on a journey,
waiting for someone or something, when time is suspended.
Silence.

We will close read two poems together – I’ll bring copies.
But I invite you also to bring along a short poem from the cannon
with that quality of stillness to share.

We’ll spend some writing too.

Please do come along!

Anne Boileau.

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2018 Stanza Poetry Competition – open!

A reminder that the closing date for the Stanza Poetry competition is Monday 10 September..

Mosaic Poetry

The 2018 Stanza Poetry Competition theme this year is TRADITION. It’s free to enter but you must be a Poetry Society member (if you’re not a member join here) who is also a member of a  Poetry Society Stanza – but you can join any time before the competition closes.

https://poetrysociety.org.uk/membership/poetry-society-stanzas/competition/

Send up to two poems, max 40 lines per poem (not including title). Closing date is Monday 10 September 2018 and the winners will be announced on National Poetry Day, Thursday 4 October 2018. Judge: Penelope Shuttle.

Have a look at the rules before you enter.

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Against the Grain single poem competition – open

The Poetry Shed

Prizes – First prize – £100, Second prize – £50, Third prize – £25

We are looking for a competition winner‘s poem we like enough to submit to the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. First, second and third prize winners will be invited to read at an ATG event. Winning poems will be published on our website.

Closing date – 30th November 2018

Cost – submit up to two poems for £5 or up to five poems for £10

Judges – Abegail Morley, Jessica Mookherjee and Karen Dennison (ATG editors).

Abegail is author of four poetry collections and two pamphlets. Her debut collection was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. She has judged a number of poetry competitions including the Frogmore Prize, Sentinel Quarterly, Canterbury Poet of the Year, Roundel and Paper Swans pamphlet competition.

Jessica is author of two pamphlets, including Joy Ride by Black…

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Mindfizz – call out for poems!

Mindfizz.org are a mental health and wellbeing website whose mantra is “Writing.Talking.Living.” One of their founding members is a Mosaic member, Dawn Vincent.

Mindfizz are currently seeking submissions of poetry and articles on the topic of mental health/wellness for publication on their website. Please email your name, social media/website info and any work you would like to submit to info@mindfizz.org if you would like to be considered for this.

Mindfizz are also hosting an event as part of the Essex Poetry Festival on the 10th October at Colchester Library from 4pm – 5.30pm. If you would like to read or attend then please use the same email as above.

Mosaic workshop Wednesday 18th July

Our meeting on Wednesday will be a workshop run by Judith Wolton on The Power of Lost Items which sounds like a fascinating and inspiring subject. We hope to see lots of you there – Wednesday 18th July at 7:00 for 7:30pm at our new venue the Castle Inn Colchester.

Creative Writing and Art – Shadow Puppets Day with Juliet Lockhart, Saturday 23rd June

Please see details below of a workshop being run by www.thewriterscompany.co.uk

Enter the world of shadows.  During this one day workshop we will explore the possibilities that shadow puppets can bring to a story.

We will begin by looking at shadow puppets as characters. We will then work on a piece of writing, a short story or a reworking of a traditional tale.  In the afternoon we will make shadow puppets that bring the writing to life.  There will be the opportunity to try out the puppets with a shadow screen.  By the end of the day you will have made at least one puppet to take away and have the beginnings of a story.

​This exciting new course will take place at the Nottage Institute, in Wivenhoe. Starting at ten am and finishing at four pm, this day long course includes a tasty vegetarian lunch, as well as coffee and biscuits in the break. As all our classes and events are interactive, places are limited to twelve. This course costs £80. To book your place or contact us at contact@thewriterscompany.co.uk or ring Petra on 07913255442.

Mosaic Meeting tonight – Wednesday 16th May

We are looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday 16th May at 7:00 for 7:30pm at our new venue the Castle Inn Colchester. As we are not being charged for this room there will be no fee for the meeting but we strongly encourage you to arrive in time to buy a drink of any description!  The room we will be using is separate to the main bar and has its own door from the outside seating area at the side of the pub. Parking is available nearby at the Greyfriars car park or Priory Street. There is a drop off point outside the Castle gates.

Mosaic has received the following exciting invitation to take part in an exhibition commemorating the end of the first World War  which will be held at First Site from September to January.

We are working with internationally renowned Delhi-based artists Raqs Media Collective on an ambitious co-commission with 14-18 NOW entitled ‘Not Yet At Ease‘. 14-18 NOW is a five-year programme of extraordinary arts experiences connecting people with the First World War. ‘Not Yet At Ease’ will explore the history of psychological disorders resulting from conflict and the stigmas attached to them.  This major artwork will rework letters, photographs and documents dating back to the First World War to create an innovative video and sound installation that tells the story of the condition known at the time as ‘shell shock’. Alongside the exhibition, we are programming an energetic public programme of events – a “Theory Opera” – that will take place alongside the physical gallery installation from 30 September 2018 to 20 January 2019. These events will bring together academics, poets, writers and local groups to create meetings of minds that engage in the interlinked histories of war, poetry and mental health.

We are keen to engage local groups in presenting a poetry performance, or public reading of extracts of literature associated with the subject of the exhibition. Along with Raqs, we are currently culminating a list of poet’s works and other literature that we would love local groups to bring a vividness to through performance. We are also open to new poetry being created and performed in response to the themes explored within the exhibition or any of the poems/books Raqs have taken inspiration from – happy to share this list when required. 

We will be using Wednesday’s Workshop meeting to explore possible ideas and stating points. The workshop will be jointly led by Tess Gardner and Sheena Clover.

If any of you have any memorabilia from the First World War we would appreciate you bringing it to this meeting when there will be an opportunity to share its history and personal significance.

We would also encourage an early start for this meeting so that members can informally share any artefacts before we start writing.