Oxford Poetry Library

Getting Started With Poetry: Dreaming
2023-08-14 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
This month’s workshop is themed around dreaming. We’ll be thinking about how dreamscapes in poems can free us up to write about the knotty and unclear.
Tell us you’re coming by booking a ticket here.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please do contact us in advance if you have specific requirements. You can email us about this or with any questions about the workshop at oxfordpoetrylibary@gmail.com

The Poetry Door: Protest & Resistance
2023-08-12 13:30 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
In these workshops, we will consider how poetry can be a tool for self-expression and social justice, for empathy, and empowerment.
Everyone has something valuable to express and poetry can help us process our own experiences and learn about the experiences of others. Through readings, interactive exercises, group writing games, and generative prompts, we will explore the power and joy of writing together. We’ll be working in a variety of forms, inspired by a diverse set of voices and themes. Looking forward to collaborating with you all and seeing your beautiful words!

These sessions will be led by Serena Alagappan. Serena is a writer and researcher interested in the impact of creative writing on society. She has studied at Princeton and Oxford Universities and published her work in literary journals across the US and UK.

This workshop is for anyone aged 13+. No experience with poetry is required, and all materials will be provided.

The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please contact us in advance if you have any access needs so we can accommodate those for you. You can email us on oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com or use the contact form below.

LIT Reading Group - August in Person
2023-08-07 19:30 - 21:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
This is the event for our August in person session. There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to turn up!

Drafting Table: workshop session
2023-08-05 13:00 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Welcome to this new poetry writing group, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. If you feel you’d like to join us, please bring along at least one unfinished, unpublished work-in-progress that you’re willing to share with the whole group. We are normally able to hear and give feedback to around 6 or 7 poets per session.
Regular attendance is encouraged, to help us build a trusting and collaborative community. Due to the popularity of these sessions please book in advance here: https://DraftingTable.eventbrite.com
Feel free to email queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com
We meet:
1-3pm
First Saturday of every month at The Community Works

21 Park End Street OX1 1HH

This Is Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2023-08-01 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space.
Slots are 5 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served! Performers entry is free!
This month, the theme of the evening is THE FUTURE. Jetpacks and cryogenic freezing? Climate crisis dystopias? Hopeful utopias? What you’re having for breakfast tomorrow? We want your visions of the future, whatever that means to you.
Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage is Owen Collins. Owen is a performance poet who believes in socialism, love at first sight, and not having to pay to use the toilet at major railway termini. He has shouted his poetry in pubs, at punk nights and on picket lines, been support act for both Madness and a member of the House of Lords, and his work has been taught in schools from Chichester to Hamburg. He finds this as surprising as you probably do.
All very welcome to just come and listen. This event is non-ticketed, with entry £5 on the door (£2 concessions/Patreon patrons).
Doors at 7.30pm (performers advised to arrive a little earlier, from 7pm!)
There will be a bar at this event, so it is no longer BYOB!

Drafting Table: performance session
2023-07-30 13:00 - 15:00 | Gulp Fiction, Covered Market, Oxford, OX1 3DU, United Kingdom
All are welcome to this new poetry writing group, where we will share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. There are no minimum requirements for joining, poets of all abilities and backgrounds can attend, just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback!
Once a month, we will invite a published poet to join us at Gulp Fiction bookstore. There will be a short public reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share our work with each other. July’s poet is Vanessa Lampert. Vanessa had her first poem published in 2019 at the age of 55. So excited by this was she that she kept at it and has since won the Café Writers prize, the Edward Thomas prize, the Sentinel prize and the Ver Poetry prize twice and come second in the Fish, Yeovil, Oxford Brookes, Ware, and Kent & Sussex prizes. She was commended in the National Poetry Competition 2020 and listed in 2021. She co-edits The Alchemy Spoon magazine and has taught children in schools and for Learn with Leaders in India. She has run workshops for Hive, South Yorkshire, Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, Poetry School London and Stanza groups nationwide. Her first full collection ‘Say It With Me’ was published by Seren in April 2023 and is nominated for The Forward First Collection prize.
Please note that workshops are limited to 20 attendees in the upstairs space, so get there early to avoid disappointment. Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

The Hip Crowd open mic session
2023-07-28 11:30 - 13:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Hey! The rumours are true. It’s…
The Hip Crowd Open Mic!
Oxford Poetry Library and Makespace Oxford bring you Oxford’s newest Open Mic event especially for folks with babes-in-arms, but also open to all and everyone.
If you’re feeling like daytime is the right time for you to entertain or be entertained, join us at The Community Works on the last Friday of every month. The action begins at 11.30am, but performers please do arrive from 11am to sign up for your turn on the stage.
We welcome poetry, music, storytelling, comedy and whatever else you think might dazzle in a 5-minute slot.
The entire event will be baby friendly and baby welcoming, with lots of floor space at the front, changing facilities, buggy parking area outside, and clear walkways to exit the performance area easily if needed. There will also be that most beautiful and warmly appreciated of gifts: free tea and coffee provided.
The event is non-ticketed, but costs £5 to spectate (£2 for concessions) and is totally free to performers. Cash only (there are nearby cashpoints)!
Be there or be square.

LIT Reading Group- July Online
2023-07-17 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
This is the event for our July online session. There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to join us on the zoom link here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85006693701?pwd=[REDACTED]

OPL @ Oxford Indie Book Fair
2023-07-16 | Magdalen College School
We will be popping up with our big purple cargo bike at the Oxford Indie Book Fair offering at the Oxford Festival of Arts Family and Community Day on Sunday 16 July from 11am-4pm! We’ll be in the Magdalen College School Grounds on The Plain – drop by and say hi, all welcome and all for free.
Let’s dive back into the rich world of fairy tales by following in Little Red Riding Hood’s footsteps and taking our revenge on the bloodthirsty wolf with the Waterperry Opera troup and their take on Roald Dahl’s wit. Music will also be in the air, and not just any kind: the bagpipes of the Scots Guards join us to enchant and thrill, while Highland dancers set the tone. And that’s not all! Don’t forget to venture under the marquee, transformed for the occasion into an Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders: the Oxford Indie Book Fair (oxib) will welcome you along with publishers, local authors and historians, professional illustrators and poets, Environmental Oxford and the Oxford Children’s Book Group, to share an entertaining and instructive moment. Let yourself be surprised by the dazzling beauty of Poetry Slams and pop-up storytelling!
This is also the day to discover your artistic talents and strategic skills with butterfly craft, among other art workshops, as well as a chess tournament. Participants’ identities will remain confidential, according to your wishes: masquerade costumes and face-painting will be on hand. The whole event will be wrapped up in songs for everyone to sing along to and the Story Museum’s Talking Throne will be waiting for Queens and Kings to honor!
Find out more here!

Getting Started With Poetry
2023-07-10 19:00 - 20:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
Tell us you’re coming by booking a ticket here.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please do contact us in advance if you have specific requirements. You can email us about this or with any questions about the workshop at oxfordpoetrylibary@gmail.com

The Poetry Door: "Disability Justice & Signed/Deaf Poetry"
2023-07-08 13:30 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
In these workshops, we will consider how poetry can be a tool for self-expression and social justice, for empathy, and empowerment.
Everyone has something valuable to express and poetry can help us process our own experiences and learn about the experiences of others. Through readings, interactive exercises, group writing games, and generative prompts, we will explore the power and joy of writing together. We’ll be working in a variety of forms, inspired by a diverse set of voices and themes. Looking forward to collaborating with you all and seeing your beautiful words!

These sessions will be led by Serena Alagappan. Serena is a writer and researcher interested in the impact of creative writing on society. She has studied at Princeton and Oxford Universities and published her work in literary journals across the US and UK.

This workshop is for anyone aged 13+. No experience with poetry is required, and all materials will be provided. Let us know you’re coming by booking a ticket HERE.

The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please contact us in advance if you have any access needs so we can accommodate those for you. You can email us on oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com or use the contact form below.

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This Is Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2023-07-04 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space.
Slots are 5 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served! Performers entry is free!
This month, the theme of the evening is METAMORPHOSIS. We’re thinking about changing states, shifting and morphing, becoming something else – either literally or figuratively!

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage is Matilda Leyser. Matilda grew up in Oxfordshire, in a family of eccentric academics. She read English Literature at King’s College, London and then ran away to join the circus. She trained as an aerialist, working up a rope, collaborating with dance and theatre companies, making her own work, and performing in diverse venues, including the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Royal Opera House. After ten years in the air, she decided to come down to earth and take up the far more dangerous act of writing on the ground. She has two children, and is the founder and director of an international movement for creative mothers and carers called M/Others Who Make. She also works as an associate director with Improbable a world-renowned theatre company. No Season but the Summer is her first novel.
All very welcome to just come and listen. This event is non-ticketed, with entry £5 on the door (£2 concessions/Patreon patrons).
Doors at 7.30pm (performers advised to arrive a little earlier!)
There will be a bar at this event, so it is no longer BYOB!

LIT Reading Group- July in Person
2023-07-03 19:30 - 21:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
This is the event for our July in person session. There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to turn up!

Book Launch: The New Poets’ Prize 2023
2023-07-02 17:00 - 19:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join us as we celebrate the launch of the Poetry Business New Poets’ Prize pamphlets 2023. This years’ winners are Serena Alagappan, Tom Branfoot, Chloe Elliott and Beth Davies, chosen by judge Anthony Anaxagorou.
This is a free event but registration is recommended, by booking here!
The New Poets Prize is a pamphlet competition for writers between the ages of 17 and 24 established in 2016 by The Poetry Business. Previous winners include Phoebe Stuckes, Sarah Fletcher, Jay Gao and Gboyega Odubanjo.
Serena Alagappan’s Sensitive to Temperature seeks out the precariousness and sensitivities of language, as well as the fragilities of the world it represents. These are eco-poems that experience time on a human and non-human scale, from the movements of rock to the sources of rivers.
Chloe Elliot’s Encyclopaedia is playful and visceral, exploring boundaries of identity and the search for meaning in poems that delight with richly tactile language. Formally varied, these poems are unflinching in their physicality.
Tom Branfoot’s This is Not an Epiphany examines inner and outer landscapes that have become inhospitable; where people are ‘burnt / by business as usual’. This collection is attentive to shifting landscapes where warehouses spring up on empty land, and the incremental austerities that constitute our living; its lyric absorbs the shocks and crises of survival within them.
Beth Davies’ The Pretence of Understanding explores loss, not just of loved ones but of youth and adolescence. In these poems where time can stand still or run backwards, the reader finds themselves caught in longing moments of looking back at childhood; they remind us to run in the snow while we get the chance.

Drafting Table: workshop session
2023-07-01 13:00 - 15:00, 2023-06-03 13:00 - 15:00

The Hip Crowd open mic session
2023-06-30 11:30 - 13:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Hey! The rumours are true. It’s…
The Hip Crowd Open Mic!
Oxford Poetry Library and Makespace Oxford bring you Oxford’s newest Open Mic event! It’s designed especially for folks with babies under one, but open to those without babies too.
If you’re feeling like daytime is the right time for you to entertain or be entertained, join us at The Community Works on the last Friday of every month. The action begins at 11.30am, but performers please do arrive from 11am to sign up for your turn on the stage.
We welcome poetry, music, storytelling, comedy and whatever else you think might dazzle in a 5-minute slot.
The entire event will be baby friendly and baby welcoming, with lots of floor space at the front, changing facilities, buggy parking area outside, and clear walkways to exit the performance area easily if needed. There will also be that most beautiful and warmly appreciated of gifts: free tea and coffee provided.
The event is non-ticketed, but costs £5 to spectate (£2 for concessions) and is totally free to performers. Cash only (there are nearby cashpoints)!
Be there or be square.

Drafting Table: performance session
2023-06-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Gulp Fiction, Covered Market, Oxford, OX1 3DU, United Kingdom
All are welcome to this new poetry writing group, where we will share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. There are no minimum requirements for joining, poets of all abilities and backgrounds can attend, just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback!
Once a month, we will invite a published poet to join us at Gulp Fiction bookstore. There will be a short public reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share our work with each other. June’s poet is Tina Sederholm. Tina has travelled a curious career path from International three-day event rider to renowned poet, theatremaker and podcaster. Creator of five spoken word theatre shows, including Till Debt Us Do Part and Everything Wrong With You Is Beautiful, she is a veteran of seven Edinburgh Fringes and has performed everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall to garden allotments and an aquarium. Her latest show, book and podcast are all conveniently called, This Is Not Therapy.
Please note that workshops are limited to 20 attendees in the upstairs space, so get there early to avoid disappointment. Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

LIT Reading Group- June Online
2023-06-19 19:30 - 21:30
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
This is the event for our June online session. There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to join us on the zoom link here:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75902921249?pwd=[REDACTED]

Finding the Words: Creative Writing for Wellbeing
2023-06-17 13:30 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Doing something creative and expressive is great for our sense of well-being, and creative writing is a wonderful way to express ourselves. It can help us make sense of our experiences and find new and helpful ways of seeing things.
From January to June 2023 Oxford Poetry Library will be running creative writing for well-being workshops on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 1.30 to 3pm.
The workshops will offer time and space to enjoy creative and expressive writing in a safe, relaxed and supportive setting. There will be an engaging theme for each workshop, and we’ll use a variety of writing exercises and prompts to help words flow.
The workshops will be facilitated by Mary Mountford, one of the volunteer librarians at Oxford Poetry Library. Mary is currently studying for a master’s degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. She is also a Registered Nurse and works at Maggie’s Centre in Oxford where she runs a creative writing for well-being group and other supportive groups for people with cancer. She says, “I’ve used writing most of my life to help me think things through and express my thoughts and feelings. I enjoy writing alone and in groups. It’s a great way to learn about myself and to connect with other people.”
These workshops are suitable for anyone over the age of 16 and no previous experience of creative writing is needed.
The workshops are free. Pens, pencils and paper will be provided but please feel free to bring your own notebook if you wish.
We have space for 15 people to participate so please check availability and book a free ticket here.
You’ll be very welcome to come and discover the joys and benefits of writing. We all have a story to tell.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible and inclusive space, but do email us in advance if you have any specific needs on oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com. You can use this same email for any questions you have about the workshops.

Getting Started With Poetry
2023-06-12 19:00 - 20:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
Tell us you are coming by booking your free ticket here.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please do contact us in advance if you have specific requirements. You can email us about this or with any questions about the workshop at oxfordpoetrylibary@gmail.com

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The Poetry Door: "Racial Justice"
2023-06-10 13:30 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom

This Is Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2023-06-06 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space.
Slots are 5 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served! Performers entry is free!
This month, the theme of the evening is MEMORY. We’ll be gazing into the past and thinking about memory: short-term to long-term, from yesterday to decades ago. Bring us your tales from years gone by, or just reflections on the idea of memory in general… False memories, real memories, what you remember or how you will be remembered!
Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage is Mohamad Kebbewar. Mohamad was born and raised in Aleppo. Immigrating to Canada at age 19, Kebbewar earned a degree in history from Concordia University before becoming a graphic designer. He recently published a chapbook with Grey Borders Books entitled Children of War.
All very welcome to just come and listen. This event is non-ticketed, with entry £5 on the door (£2 concessions/Patreon patrons). Cash only!
Doors at 7.30pm (performers advised to arrive a little earlier!)
Note: we have a bar available on the night courtesy of Lula’s Ethiopian Cuisine, so this event is no longer BYOB!

LIT Reading Group- Pride Extravaganza!!
2023-06-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Jolly Farmers, 20 Paradise Street, OX1 1LD
Join us for an extra special PRIDE THEMED session at the Jolly Farmers! Featuring writing games and relaxed hangout vibes in the downstairs room. Perfect for a wind down after the pride weekend or for those who can’t make the parade but still want to celebrate.
There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to turn up!
About LIT Reading Group
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.

Drafting Table: performance session
2023-05-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Gulp Fiction, Covered Market, Oxford, OX1 3DU, United Kingdom
Welcome to this new poetry writing group, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Once a month, we invite an established/published poet to join us at Gulp Fiction bookstore. There will be a short public reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share their work with each other. May’s poet is the wonderful Savannah Brown.
Savannah is an American writer and poet based in London. She’s the author of two novels (Penguin Random UK) and three poetry collections dealing with themes of existence, vulnerability and intimacy in the digital age. i-D called her ‘the poet articulating your deepest existential fears’. Savannah has acted as a judge for the National Poetry Day competition, patron for the Foyle Young Poets Prize, and has performed for the Oxford Union.
BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL: https://DraftingTableMay.eventbrite.com
Please note that workshops are limited to 15 attendees in the upstairs space, which may be difficult for some people to access.
Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

Finding the Words: Creative Writing for Wellbeing
2023-05-20 13:30 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Doing something creative and expressive is great for our sense of well-being, and creative writing is a wonderful way to express ourselves. It can help us make sense of our experiences and find new and helpful ways of seeing things.
From January to June 2023 Oxford Poetry Library will be running creative writing for well-being workshops on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 1.30 to 3pm.
The workshops will offer time and space to enjoy creative and expressive writing in a safe, relaxed and supportive setting. There will be an engaging theme for each workshop, and we’ll use a variety of writing exercises and prompts to help words flow.
The workshops will be facilitated by Mary Mountford, one of the volunteer librarians at Oxford Poetry Library. Mary is currently studying for a master’s degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. She is also a Registered Nurse and works at Maggie’s Centre in Oxford where she runs a creative writing for well-being group and other supportive groups for people with cancer. She says, “I’ve used writing most of my life to help me think things through and express my thoughts and feelings. I enjoy writing alone and in groups. It’s a great way to learn about myself and to connect with other people.”
These workshops are suitable for anyone over the age of 16 and no previous experience of creative writing is needed.
The workshops are free. Pens, pencils and paper will be provided but please feel free to bring your own notebook if you wish.
We have space for 15 people to participate so please check availability and book a free ticket here.
You’ll be very welcome to come and discover the joys and benefits of writing. We all have a story to tell.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible and inclusive space, but do email us in advance if you have any specific needs on oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com. You can use this same email for any questions you have about the workshops.

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LIT Reading Group- May Online
2023-05-15 19:30 - 21:30
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host twice-monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
This is the event for our May online session. There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to join us on the zoom link here:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75902921249?pwd=[REDACTED]

Getting Started With Poetry
2023-05-08 19:00 - 20:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
The theme of this month’s workshop is Naming Feeling. We’ll be working out how to honour the big feelings in our poems, how we might characterise them and what we want to say with them.
Tell us you are coming by booking a free ticket here.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please do contact us in advance if you have specific requirements. You can email us about this or with any questions about the workshop at oxfordpoetrylibary@gmail.com

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Drafting Table: Workshop session
2023-05-06 13:00 - 15:00
All are welcome to this new poetry writing group, where we will share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. There are no minimum requirements for joining, poets of all abilities and backgrounds can attend, just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback!
Regular attendance is encouraged, to help us build a trusting and collaborative community. No need to book in advance and attendance is free, just turn up!
Feel free to email queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

We meet:
1-3pm
First Saturday of every month at The Community Works

21 Park End Street OX1 1HH

This Is Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2023-05-02 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space.
Slots are 5 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served! Performers entry is free!
This month, the theme of the evening is FRAGMENTS. Bring along fragments of yourself, parts of you lost or found, parts that you’re still searching for…fragments of your imagination, dreams, moments that pass you by.
Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage is Memoona Ahmed. Memoona is a young British-Pakistani poet and writer. She won University College Oxford’s ‘Univ’s Next Novelist’ competition in 2019, and her poetry has featured in the Word Association’s 2020 anthology ‘Words to Live By’ (Bite Poetry Press). Her debut poetry collection ‘once-joined pieces’ is set to be released in April 2023 with Bite Poetry Press.
All very welcome to just come and listen. This event is non-ticketed, with entry £5 on the door (£2 concessions/Patreon patrons).
Doors at 7.30pm (performers advised to arrive a little earlier!)
Note: we have a bar available on the night courtesy of Lula’s Ethiopian Cuisine, so this event is no longer BYOB!
