Other Creatures, Other Lives
At a time of unprecedented species’ loss, this workshop focuses on ways of writing poems about animals, exploring a range of perspectives (historical/cultural/environmental; totems and talismans; the value of the more-than-human). Beginning with word games and warm-ups that remind us about the importance of the five senses, the sound of language, the power of metaphor, and the primacy of words themselves, we will investigate the vital links between humans and animals, finding ways to give voice to other creatures, or to write from other creatures’ perspectives. In the process, we will read a range of animal poems for inspiration, some translated from African languages, some by writers such as Ted Hughes, Mary Oliver, Les Murray and Elizabeth Bishop. By the end of the workshop, participants will have made notes, drafted and shared their own poem, and discussed how to further edit and polish these poems.
Participants need to bring a notebook and pencil or pen.
Please note, if you withdraw within a week of the workshop, you are entitled to a 50% refund of the workshop fee. If you withdraw within 24 hours, there is no refund.
Adrienne Eberhard is the author of five collections of poetry. Both The Voice of Water (2019) and Chasing Marie Antoinette All Over Paris (2021), were longlisted in the 2022 Tasmanian Literary Awards. Others were awarded 2nd place in the Anne Elder Prize and longlisted and shortlisted in the Victorian Premier’s Prize and the Tasmania Book Prize. She has collaborated with artists and scientists, and in 2019, worked with painter, Sue Lovegrove, creating an artist’s book, a collection of miniature paintings and poems based on the ephemeral freshwater lagoons of the east coast of Tasmania. Her poems have been widely anthologized, most recently in Being (ed. Jen Webb, Uni of Canberra, 2024) and Fishing for Lightning (ed. Sarah Holland-Batt, UQP, 2021). Adrienne has tutored at university, run workshops for writers and teachers, been the Poetry Editor at Island magazine, and taught English and Creative Writing to school students. She lives on the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, south of Hobart, and is currently completing a collection that is a series of poems/letters between Marie Antoinette and Marie Louise (Louis) Girardin who sailed in Tasmanian waters in 1792/93, disguised as a man.
