Lampeter Writers' Workshop
University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus,
Lampeter
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We are a group of writers living in and around Lampeter. We meet every Tuesday evening, from 7-9pm, during University term-time. Meetings are held in the Wolfson room in Old Building.
Becoming a member of the Writers' Workshop is an opportunity to be part of a community of local writers. We provide feedback and support for each other, at whatever stage we are at in our writing career. Many of our members are poets, but several of us are committed prose writers, whether of fiction or creative non-fiction.
Our chair is Gillian Clarke, the National Poet of Wales. Because Gillian has a very busy schedule, she cannot always chair our meetings, but she keeps in touch with the group by email and attends when she is able. In her absence, the meetings are chaired by one of the other members, taking it in turns. Several of us are published writers, others are students, whether of Creative Writing or otherwise, at the University.
Our meetings are usually structured as follows: for the first half-hour we look at a published poem that one of us has chosen to examine in more detail. This might be a favorite poem that we wish to share with the group, or it might be a poem we think doesn't work for some reason.
After we have discussed the poem, we move on to the main part of the evening, where we workshop the work of one of the members. This is a very useful way of gaining group feedback on one's work. Sometimes there are many things we can suggest to make the work stronger, or there might be little that needs to be done to the work to make it of a 'finished' standard. Either way, we all find it a valuable experience to get the opinion of other experienced writers who know the trials and tribulations, as well as the joys inherent in the creative life!
For the final part of the evening, we read out some work we have brought along. This is usually on a topic agreed in advance, but does not have to be. Some of us are rather less good at managing to do this than others!
Membership of the Lampeter Writers' Workshop is £20 per term, but is FREE to full-time students.
