Colour photograph of Sheep Craig, with narrow neck of land called Whills joining it to the main island. Sheep Craig is a chair-shaped cliff-edged feature with a grassy top.

26/01/2025, by aezcr

Islands and Islandness: a Poetry Workshop with Charlotte Eichler

Photo of a poetry book cover called 'Swimming Between Islands' by Charlotte Eichler. The Title is in red capital letters on a blue-grey background of a bosy of water stretching to a line of trees with mountains behind.On Thursday 20th February Charlotte Eichler, the Ragna’s Islands poet in residence, will be running an online poetry workshop with an ‘islands’ theme!

The workshop is aimed at beginners and experienced writers alike, as well as the merely curious. It will be a friendly and relaxed session with plenty of writing time and the chance to meet people with a shared love of writing and islands, nature and place.

Photo of a woman sitting on grass next to a low stone wall. She is dressed warmly with a woolly hat and making notes in a notebook.

Charlotte in Fair Isle

There will be writing exercises and prompts designed to kickstart new poems, and an opportunity to share and discuss your work with the group (if you would like to).  In this workshop we’ll look at poems that explore islands and islandness, especially the islands of northern Scotland.

We will take inspiration from poets writing today, such as Jen Hadfield, Christie Williamson and Niall Campbell, as well as poets of the Viking Age whose works survive in The Saga of the Earls of Orkney, and many others in between. If you have previous island poems that you’ve written and would like to share with the group, please do bring these along. Equally, if you’d prefer to just listen without sharing work, that’s fine too.

Date and time: Thursday 20th February, 7:30-9:00 pm (online)

To book a slot or if you have any questions please email charlotte.eichler@gmail.com

Photo of Charlotte EichlerCharlotte Eichler is a poet based in West Yorkshire, UK. Her first collection, Swimming Between Islands, was published by Carcanet in February 2023 and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney First Collection Poetry Prize. As poet-in-residence for the Ragna’s Islands project, she is working on new poetry inspired by the islands of North Ronaldsay, Papay and Fair Isle.

Posted in ActivitiesFair IsleIslandsNorth RonaldsayPapa WestrayPoetryPoetrySaga of the Earls of OrkneyTalks and eventsUncategorized