BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Creative Future - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Creative Future
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Creative Future
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/London
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20250330T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20251026T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20260329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20261025T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20270328T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20271031T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260408T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260429T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T173731
CREATED:20260325T120045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T101330Z
UID:10000040-1775671200-1777492800@www.creativefuture.org.uk
SUMMARY:Poetry Studio: Spin the Decks!
DESCRIPTION:About the course\nAcross four online sessions\, we will explore how to experiment effectively and take bold\, creative risks in your poetry and writing practice. The series will focus on the editing and development of poems in progress through in-depth discussion and collaborative feedback. \nTogether\, we will engage with a broad range of contemporary poetry to inspire and expand your practice\, pushing your imagination into new\, brave\, and playful territory through close readings of recently published work. We’ll also use music\, sound & image as creative stimuli to get our poetry juices flowing\, spinning our tracks in unknown and eclectic directions on the page! These sessions are designed to encourage a punky\, playful and surrealist approach to poetry while helping you refine and strengthen your writing. \nBy the end of the four sessions\, you will have greater confidence in experimenting with poetic form\, developing your voice\, and challenging the boundaries of what is possible in your work as a poet/maker/artist. \nThis series is primarily aimed at those with some prior experience in writing poetry; however\, writers at all levels are welcome. \nAbout the tutor\nJess Murrain (she/they) is a queer\, interdisciplinary creative of British-Caribbean heritage working across live art\, performance\, film\, and poetry. This year\, she’s resident poet and writer-in-residence at Bethlem Gallery in association with Creative Future. Jess is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of Art Wife\, an experimental live art company whose most recent project\, NEUROQUEER\, was commissioned by Bradford 2025 City of Culture and came to fruition as an experimental sound work and self-published zine in collaboration with Loose Associations Mixed Media Collective. \nHer work has been recognised through several awards\, including the Ledbury Poetry Prize (2021) and the Out-Spoken Prize in Poetry and Poetry-Film (2023)\, with poetry/essays appearing in Callaloo\, The Poetry Review\, bath magg and Magma. She’s an alumnus of Southbank New Poets Collective\, and her poetry pamphlet ‘One Woman-Horse Show’ is published by Bad Betty Press.  \nWho is it for?\nAll underrepresented writers—those who face barriers to opportunities due to mental health issues\, physical health/disability\, sensory impairment\, learning disabilities\, neurodivergence\, substance misuse\, survivors\, carers\, working class backgrounds\, and those from the LGBTQIA+ community\, Black\, Asian\, traveller\, mixed heritage or other global majority backgrounds. \nDates & Time:\nWednesdays: 8 – 29 April \n6-8 pm \nThis course takes place online via Zoom. Links will be sent seven days prior to the first session\, and again the day of the first session.  \nAccess:\nYou can see our full access commitments here. \n\nWhen you book\, you can let us know about any access needs you have and we will do our best to accommodate them.\nWorkshops will not be recorded\, as we wish to ensure a safe and open space for all participants attending.\nPresentations and course handouts will be provided.\n\nCost:\n£50 / £25 concessions  \nIn order to make our resources stretch further\, we have to subsidise some workshops with nominal fees well below most online courses. The more who book at full price\, the more we’ll be able to offer.  \nConcessionary places are available for those on benefits\, pensioners\, unemployed/underemployed or on low wages. We do not ask for proof that you qualify.   \nIf concessionary spaces are unavailable and/or the course is fully booked\, we can add you to the waiting list if you e-mail info@creativefuture.org.uk.  \nOther workshops\nWe are offering as many workshops and as many places as our resources allow—they are heavily subsidised by our limited funding.   \nYou might also want to have a look at other workshops on offer elsewhere.  \nPlease subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on our other workshops.
URL:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/workshop/poetry-studio-spin-the-decks/
LOCATION:Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Jess-Murrain-headshot-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260511T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260518T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T173731
CREATED:20260325T120041Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T101314Z
UID:10000042-1778522400-1779134400@www.creativefuture.org.uk
SUMMARY:Lyric Essays (2)
DESCRIPTION:About the course\n\nIn this workshop\, we will explore the hybridity and fluidity of the lyric essay\, planting the seeds for our own creative experiments. We will look at various possibilities for the construction of lyric essays\, including epistolary forms and fragmentary approaches\, and we will consider how we can sustain a longer form while maintaining the musicality and intensity of the language we use. \n\n\nDrawing inspiration from writers such as Jennifer S. Cheng and Nina Mingya Powles\, we will find ways of using the lyric essay as a space of wonder and creative liberation. With the aid of generative exercises\, we will begin to stitch together our own startling and transformative pieces. \n\nAbout the tutor\nNatalie Linh Bolderston is a Vietnamese-Chinese-British poet. In 2020\, she received an Eric Gregory Award and co-won the Rebecca Swift Women Poets’ Prize. Her poem ‘Middle Name with Diacritics’ came third in the 2019 National Poetry Competition and was shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. She is an alumna of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective\, the London Library Emerging Writers Programme and the VanThanh Productions Development Programme. \nIn 2024\, she was Creative Future’s writer-in-residence for Stoke-on-Trent\, her hometown. Her pamphlet\, The Protection of Ghosts\, was published by V. Press in 2019. Her debut full-length poetry collection\, Divinations on Survival\, will be published by Liverpool University Press in April 2026. \nWho is it for?\nAll underrepresented writers—those who face barriers to opportunities due to mental health issues\, physical health/disability\, sensory impairment\, learning disabilities\, neurodivergence\, substance misuse\, survivors\, carers\, working class backgrounds\, and those from the LGBTQIA+ community\, Black\, Asian\, traveller\, mixed heritage or other global majority backgrounds. \nDates & Time:\nMondays: 13 + 20 April \n6-8 pm \nThis course takes place online via Zoom. Links will be sent seven days prior to the first session\, and again the day of the first session. \nThis set of workshops is running twice. If places are full for these dates\, please see availability for the same course running Mondays\, 13 + 20 April. \nAccess:\nYou can see our full access commitments here. \n\nWhen you book\, you can let us know about any access needs you have and we will do our best to accommodate them.\nWorkshops will not be recorded\, as we wish to ensure a safe and open space for all participants attending.\nPresentations and course handouts will be provided.\n\nCost:\n£25 / £12.50 concessions  \nIn order to make our resources stretch further\, we have to subsidise some workshops with nominal fees well below most online courses. The more who book at full price\, the more we’ll be able to offer.  \nConcessionary places are available for those on benefits\, pensioners\, unemployed/underemployed or on low wages. We do not ask for proof that you qualify.   \nIf concessionary spaces aren’t displayed below\, they are fully booked. We can add you to the waiting list if you e-mail info@creativefuture.org.uk. \nOther workshops\nWe are offering as many workshops and as many places as our resources allow—they are heavily subsidised by our limited funding.   \nYou might also want to have a look at other workshops on offer elsewhere.  \nPlease subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on our other workshops.
URL:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/workshop/lyric-essays-2-2/
LOCATION:Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CROPPED-Natalie-Linh-Bolderston-HEADSHOT-2023.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260601T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260622T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T173731
CREATED:20260325T120019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T101303Z
UID:10000043-1780336800-1782158400@www.creativefuture.org.uk
SUMMARY:Poetics of Discovery: Spontaneity\, Improvisation\, and the Living Poem
DESCRIPTION:About the course\n‘Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights\, but you can make the whole trip that way.’ — E.L. Doctorow\,  \n‘Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves.’ — Viola Spolin  \nThis workshop invites you to move beyond the inner critic and step into a space of movement\, play\, and discovery. Over four sessions\, we will explore poetry as a living process—where rhythm\, memory\, and observation collide to create something unexpected. \nWe will experiment with how poems emerge from the natural world\, the productive ‘chaos’ of chance\, and the visual energy of the page. By drawing inspiration from poets such as Mary Oliver\, Anne Carson\, Zaffar Kunial\, Fiona Benson\, Niall Campbell\, Sarah Howe\, and others\, we will discover how to balance wild spontaneity with the hidden coherence of language. \nSession 1: Nature and Coherence \nDiscover how patterns and small wonders in the natural world can become a rhythmic map for your poems. \nSession 2: The Architecture of Chance \nUse improvisation and creative play to bypass the inner critic and spark surprising turns in your writing. \nSession 3: Memory & Metaphor  \nExplore how memory and metaphor can be used not as static records\, but as active engines for creativity and discovery. \nSession 4: Visual Poetry and Line Breaks \nExperiment with the page’s white space. We will use line breaks and visual arrangement to control the tension\, silence\, and movement of your poems. \nYou will leave the workshop with a portfolio of fresh drafts\, a toolkit of generative techniques\, and the confidence to let your poetry evolve organically through play\, attention\, and curiosity. \nAbout the tutor\nRomalyn Ante FRSL is an award-winning Filipino-born British poet\, novelist\, and editor. She is based in the Midlands and currently sits on the editorial board for Poetry London.  Romalyn was born and raised in Lipa\, Philippines\, and writes in English as her second language. Her debut collection\, Antiemetic for Homesickness (Chatto\, 2020)\, was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize\, and was named as one of The Poetry School’s Best Poetry Books of 2020. Her second collection\, AGIMAT (Chatto\, 2024)\, was awarded the Society of Authors’ Arthur Welton Award and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and Observer Poetry Book of the Month. Her debut novel\, The Left-Behind Child\, will be published by Penguin in August 2026. \nWho is it for?\nAll underrepresented writers—those who face barriers to opportunities due to mental health issues\, physical health/disability\, sensory impairment\, learning disabilities\, neurodivergence\, substance misuse\, survivors\, carers\, working class backgrounds\, and those from the LGBTQIA+ community\, Black\, Asian\, traveller\, mixed heritage or other global majority backgrounds. \nDates & Time:\nMondays: 1 – 22 June \n6-8 pm \nThis course takes place online via Zoom. Links will be sent seven days prior to the first session\, and again the day of the first session.  \nAccess:\nYou can see our full access commitments here. \n\nWhen you book\, you can let us know about any access needs you have and we will do our best to accommodate them.\nWorkshops will not be recorded\, as we wish to ensure a safe and open space for all participants attending.\nPresentations and course handouts will be provided.\n\nCost:\n£75 / £37.50 concessions  \nIn order to make our resources stretch further\, we have to subsidise some workshops with nominal fees well below most online courses. The more who book at full price\, the more we’ll be able to offer.  \nConcessionary places are available for those on benefits\, pensioners\, unemployed/underemployed or on low wages. We do not ask for proof that you qualify.   \nIf concessionary spaces are unavailable and/or the course is fully booked\, we can add you to the waiting list if you e-mail info@creativefuture.org.uk.  \nOther workshops\nWe are offering as many workshops and as many places as our resources allow—they are heavily subsidised by our limited funding.   \nYou might also want to have a look at other workshops on offer elsewhere.  \nPlease subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on our other workshops.
URL:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/workshop/poetics-of-discovery-spontaneity-improvisation-and-the-living-poem/
LOCATION:Online
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Romalyn-Ante-headshot.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260625T154000
DTSTAMP:20260429T173731
CREATED:20260415T132436Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T132436Z
UID:10000046-1781172000-1782402000@www.creativefuture.org.uk
SUMMARY:One-to-One Writer Surgeries
DESCRIPTION:Want to know more about poetry\, writing careers\, get feedback and more? Sign up for a one-to-one with Jess Murrain\, Creative Future’s 2026 Writer in Residence at Bethlem Gallery. \nIn these free solo sessions\, you can get advice on: \n\nExploring poetic forms\, including ‘film-poetry’/ moving image poetry\nGet feedback on 1-2 of your poems\nHow to enter writing competitions\, get an agent and get your work published\nFunding for your writing and how to sustain a career\nWorking across mediums & interdisciplinary approaches\nSupport for the neurodivergent writer\, including ideas on alternative approaches to writing processes\nTips and advice on trauma informed practice and artist wellbeing (self-care and access; for example\, how to begin writing an access rider)\n\nPlaces are limited\, so book your slot now! \nPresented in partnership and hosted by Bethlem Gallery. Established in 1997\, the gallery provides a professional space for high-quality artwork and fosters a supportive artist-focused environment. Bethlem Gallery’s vision is an equitable society where art and mental health are a valued part of every day\, and works with artists to lead change in health and society. \nAbout the tutor\nJess Murrain (she/they) is a queer\, interdisciplinary creative of British-Caribbean heritage\, working in live art\, theatre\, film and poetry. She is also the co-founder/Artistic Director of Art Wife\, an experimental live art company\, whose latest project\, NEUROQUEER\, was commissioned by Bradford 2025 City of Culture. She is the winner of the Ledbury Poetry Prize\, Out-Spoken Prize in Poetry and Film\, and a Creative Future Writers’ Award. Her poetry and essays have appeared in bath magg\, Callaloo\, Magma and The Poetry Review. She is an alumnus of Southbank New Poets Collective\, and her poetry pamphlet One Woman-Horse Show is published with Bad Betty Press. \nWho is it for?\nAnyone interested in writing\, poetry\, and writing careers—whether just starting out or experienced. \nCreative Future supports all underrepresented writers: those who face barriers to opportunities due to mental health challenges\, physical health/disability\, sensory impairment\, learning disabilities\, neurodivergence\, substance misuse\, carers\, survivors\, working class backgrounds\, those from the LGBTQIA+ community\, and people of Black\, Asian\, Traveller\, mixed heritage or other global majority backgrounds. \nDates & Time:\nThursdays 11 and 25 June \nSix individual slots are on offer on each day (please do not sign up for more than one): \nSlot 1: 10am – 10.40am \nSlot 2: 11am – 11.40am \nSlot 3: 12pm – 12.40pm \nSlot 4: 1pm – 1.40pm \nSlot 5: 2pm – 2.40pm \nSlot 6: 3pm – 3.40pm \nAccess:\nYou can see our full access commitments here. Please add any additional requirements when booking. \nPlease get in touch if you have particular needs we can try and accommodate on info@creativefuture.org.uk or 01273 234 780 (Tuesdays only or voicemail). This can include: \n\ndisabled access\nhelp with travel costs\nhelp with childcare costs\n\nYou can also contact the Gallery directly at info@bethlemgallery.com or 0203 228 4101 \nCost:\nFree \nOther workshops\nWe are offering as many workshops and as many places as our resources allow—they are heavily subsidised by our limited funding.   \nYou might also want to have a look at other workshops on offer elsewhere.  \nPlease subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on our other workshops.
URL:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/workshop/one-to-one-writer-surgeries/
LOCATION:Bethlem Gallery – Studio\, Bethlem Royal Hospital\, Monks Orchard Road\, Beckenham\, London\, BR3 3BX\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.creativefuture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Jess-Murrain-headshot-2.webp
GEO:51.3832057;-0.0292143
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bethlem Gallery – Studio Bethlem Royal Hospital Monks Orchard Road Beckenham London BR3 3BX United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Bethlem Royal Hospital\, Monks Orchard Road:geo:-0.0292143,51.3832057
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR