Visit from the Poet Laureate
Monday 28th November 2005
The Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, is used to receiving commissions of all kinds. Even for him though, his mission when visiting Alton College for the morning on Wednesday 23rd of November 2005 - to talk about writing poetry, to read from his own work, and to bring in Philip Larkin, William Blake and Thomas Hardy - was quite a challenging one. He succeeded superbly.
Andrew Motion began with a memory of his own schooldays when his English teacher, Mr May, as he put it, "walked into my head and turned on all the lights". He then moved on to tell of how discovering the power and range of poetry in his A level years was something that really did change his life. He read from a new prose work about his childhood and gave the packed audience of students and staff in the College's Forum building a strong taste of his new collection, to be published next year. The audience was impressed with the way he skilfully worked in references to other writers, including Philip Larkin, whom he knew as a friend. "The way he effortlessly linked in to Hardy's work", said English student Louise Trillwood, "was fascinating".
The crux of the day for the students though, was to hear and see a poet at work, and to realise that poets are not always beings to be summoned up from old parchment. They live and breathe, have experiences and turn them into poetry.
Pictured above: Andrew Motion with the students who were fortunate enough to attend his poetry workshop.
After his lecture, Andrew Motion went on to do a poetry workshop with 20 lucky students.
"Their entry ticket was simply to express an interest in the process of writing poetry. Stimulating their imagination with a few postcards, Andrew skilfully guided their efforts to produce a poem in the session, hearing a few excellent pieces at the end, and giving sensitive, complimentary yet constructive advice about how to turn life into art. The students realised that it is delicate business".
David Kinder (Head of Faculty for English and Media)
All poetry comes from personal experience, but as English Literature student, Mary Horgan, put it, "The workshop made me understand how important structure is in poetry and how it is necessary to avoid making a poem too personal, if it is intended for the enjoyment of others." Alan Forbes, studying English and Drama, recalled Andrew Motion's wonderful insight that most good poetry comes to you when walking, because of the rhythm of moving your feet.
Now the challenge is out for the students: to write a poem for the Alton College 2005 Poetry Competition (1st prize £50 and a signed copy of "Public Property", Andrew Motion's most recent collection). "We expect great things!" said David Kinder.