Booking a place in a workshop
Q: What confirmation will I receive when I pay for a place in a workshop?
A: You will receive an email containing the link for the workshop.
Q: What if I accidentally delete or mislay that email?
A: You will automatically receive a second, reminder email, including the link, for the workshop – usually either the day before for a morning workshop or in the morning on the same day as an evening workshop.
Q: How do I qualify for a concessionary place for a workshop?
A: Concessionary places are intended for students, retired people, full-time or part-time carers, or those who are unable to work for another reason.
Q: How do I qualify for a bursary place for a workshop?
A: Two bursary places are available per workshop for writers from communities that are underrepresented and/or marginalised in contemporary poetry spaces, or those who are experiencing financial hardship. If you are within one of these categories and would like a bursary place, please email workshops@poetrybusiness.co.uk.
Q: What if I subsequently won’t be able to make a workshop that I’ve booked for?
A: Please email workshops@poetrybusiness.co.uk as soon as you can before the workshop and we will give you a refund via the same payment method with which you booked your place. The earlier you are able to notify us, the earlier we will be able to re-sell/re-allocate that place to another poet.
Q: Will I automatically receive the materials which the tutor will use in the workshop?
A: Not automatically, no; it is up to each individual tutor as to whether they want to share their materials in advance. If they do want to, then the materials will be emailed to you before the workshop.
During the workshop
Q: How many other people will be in the workshop?
A: There will usually be one tutor and up to 19 other participants (plus one member of the Poetry Business team in the background to assist the tutor in case of any issues).
Q: I haven’t used Zoom before so will it be difficult to navigate?
A: Zoom is easy to use. There are buttons for you to control whether you have your pc/laptop/phone camera and microphone on. It is usually the case that while you and other participants are writing, your microphones will be muted so that there are no distractions. A crib sheet on how to use Zoom is available here.
Q: Will the workshop be recorded?
A: No, it won’t be.
Q: Will I be expected to read back any poem that I’ve drafted in the workshop?
A: There is no requirement to do this. Some participants may be happy to do so, while others may not – either is fine. As workshops usually last for an hour and half, there won’t in any case be much, if any, time for reading back, and you will be writing first drafts so nobody will expect you to have written a fully-formed masterpiece – though great if you have!
After the workshop
Q: Will I automatically receive the materials which the tutor uses in the workshop?
A: Not automatically, no; it is up to each individual tutor as to whether they are happy to share their materials, because some tutors may, for intellectual property reasons, not want them shared beyond the confines of the workshop environment. However, it is sometimes the case that the tutor provides them for circulation afterwards, in which case they would be emailed to you.
Q: How can I give feedback after a workshop?
A: If you have any experience, good or not so good, or any suggestions, which you wish to share with us, please email workshops@poetrybusiness.co.uk.