About

Focusing on experimental poetry, Writers Forum Workshop offers a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere for poets to share new work that pushes the boundaries of their art. Attendance is free. The workshops currently run in London and online:

  • London in-person workshops, 2.45pm-4.45pm on the first Saturday of each month, at Pimlico Library, 133A Lupus Street, Pimlico SW1V 3EN.
  • Virtual workshops, 3.30pm-5.30pm on the third Saturday of each month, via Zoom.

Please see the above links for how to join the in-person and virtual workshops.

What happens at the workshop?

Poets take turns to perform or present recent work to the group. The meetings are lightly chaired, with participants reading as and when they feel ready. The atmosphere is that of a co-operative poetry reading where everyone has a chance to contribute. Unlike many creative writing workshops, there is no exchange of critical feedback after each piece, as this could discourage creative risk-taking. Brief compliments are fine, though, and the workshop remains a good learning experience, letting authors discover how their work sounds and feels when performed to a group. A silence often follows the applause after each reading; this quiet should be taken as a space to reflect on the poetry, not as lack of appreciation for the reader. When everyone who wants to present has had a turn, time permitting, those with extra material may be invited to read again. Once the workshop has finished, there is usually chance to socialise further.

What sort of work should I bring?

The emphasis is on the experimental end of the poetry spectrum, but this encompasses a wide range of practices, including (but not limited to) visual poetry, sound poetry, conceptual writing, permutation poems, documentary poetry, and linguistically innovative work. Crossovers between poetry and other forms such as performance art, theatre, visual art, music, film, computer programming, fiction and the essay are all welcome, as are translations of innovative poetry, innovative translations of traditional poetry, and writing in non-English languages. See the excellent introduction at poet Peter Philpott’s website www.modernpoetry.org.uk for more background on experimental poetry. If you are unsure whether your writing will fit in, a sensible assumption is that the answer will be yes – the wider the variety of styles encompassed by the workshop, the better!

Ideally, the material presented will be work-in-progress, or otherwise new and unpublished. However, if you would like to take part but do not have recent writing to hand, it is fine to perform an older piece, or even something by another writer whom you feel deserves attention.

In terms of length, 5 minutes’ performance time is a good guideline for an upper limit, but there is often room for exceptions, and there is sometimes chance for participants to enjoy a second slot.

What are the origins of this workshop series?

Writers Forum Workshop operates in the tradition of the Writers Forum workshops that were founded in the 1950s by the concrete poet Bob Cobbing and were run by him for several decades, until his passing in 2002. Many regulars at the present workshops had the privilege of taking part in Cobbing’s events.

In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic made in-person workshops temporarily impossible, meetings began to be held online as an alternative, via Zoom. This arrangement proved a popular way to include poets who, due to geography or other obstacles, would not have been able to attend in-person meetings in London. The virtual workshops have therefore continued after the resumption of in-person workshops, held on separate dates.

Who’s running this?

Writers Forum Workshop nowadays operates on collective, co-operative lines, based on the philosophy that the participants are the workshop. Organisational decisions (when needed) are made during discussions at the workshops, and by email via a Google Group that participants can request to join. All are welcome to have a say, without hierarchies supervening. Any tasks are allocated on a voluntary basis, including the role of chairing each workshop.

The following volunteers are currently taking a lead on different aspects of co-ordinating and promoting the workshops:

  • In-person workshops: Geneviève Grant and Peter Philpott.
  • Virtual workshops: Peter Philpott.
  • Website: Matt Martin, with additional content by Geneviève Grant, Chris Gutkind, Andrew Nightingale and Verity Rowsell.
  • Writers Forum Workshop e-zine editor: Michał Kamil Piotrowski.
  • Social media: Khaled Nurul Hakim, mendoza, Peter Philpott and Verity Rowsell.

Who has attended the workshop?

Some poets who have regularly attended incarnations of the workshop over the years include Bob Cobbing (the founder), Gilbert Adair, Jeremy Adler, Andrés Andwandter, Sean Bonney, cris cheek, Paula Claire, Adrian Clarke, Wayne Clements, Ollie Evans, Amy Evans Bauer, Patricia Farrell, Clive Fencott, Patrick Fetherston, SJ Fowler, Ulli Freer, Lily Greenham, Clive Gresswell, Bill Griffiths, Martín Gubbins, Khaled Nurul Hakim, James Harvey, Ralph Hawkins, Paul Ingram, Antony John, Doug Jones, AW Kindness, Frances Kruk, Matt Martin, Gerda Mayer, mendoza, Hugh Metcalfe, mjb, Geraldine Monk, montenegrofisher, Stephen Mooney, Maggie O’Sullivan, Chris Paul, Peter Philpott, Jennifer Pike Cobbing, Betty Radin, Nat Raha, Will Rowe, Robert Sheppard, Philip Terry, Scott Thurston, Stan Trevor, Lawrence Upton, Aaron Williamson and Johan de Wit, among many others.

Who can attend?

The workshops are open to all, regardless of identity or past experience. We recognise that, in the past, the workshop has not always reflected the UK’s diverse population; we want to change that, so please join us and help make Writers Forum Workshop more representative of society.

The only people unwelcome are those who would harass or marginalise other participants. Likewise, writing or behaviour that expresses bigotry (including on grounds of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, trans status, age, religion, disability or neurodiversity) is not welcome.

Our in-person venue in London has step-free access. If you have any queries or needs regarding access, please contact us here.

We ask that any under-16s are accompanied by an adult (age 18 or over). Please note that much of the poetry shared will not be oriented towards child audiences, and some may include mature themes or coarse language.

Do I have to perform?

No, you are welcome simply to attend and listen to the other participants. However, please do consider sharing your writing. Alternatively, if contributors bring work that requires more than one voice to perform, feel free to join in and assist them.

Are you associated with other groups using the name Writers Forum?

El Foro de Escritores (in Santiago, Chile) and Writers Forum North West (in Manchester, England) are both inspired by Bob Cobbing’s workshops. Each has had some crossover of participants with the Writers Forum workshops in London, and both are seen as cohorts of poetic comrades. We have no objections to workshop series elsewhere using the Writers Forum name and methodology; please get in touch with the good news if you decide to do this.

Bob Cobbing ran a little press, also called Writers Forum, in parallel with his workshop series. The press was later steered by fellow poet Lawrence Upton after Cobbing passed away, and has been in abeyance since Upton’s own sad passing in 2020. Writers Forum Workshop claims no ownership of the press or its publications, though many participants are influenced by the poetics that the press represented, and some were published by it. A few titles from Writers Forum press have been reissued in facsimile by Veer Books (works by Sean Bonney, Bob Cobbing, Bill Griffiths, Maggie O’Sullivan and Jennifer Pike Cobbing) and Distance No Object (work by Lily Greenham).

Writers Forum Workshop has no connections to:

All these projects postdate the founding of Bob Cobbing’s workshops, but appear to have been named independently.