The Poetry Society Poetry Surgery - with Kona Macphee
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This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss your poems on a one-to-one basis with poet and tutor Kona Macphee.
Next sessions:
- Saturday 3 December 2011 * SOLD OUT *
- Saturday 28 January 2012 - 1 slot available - BUY ONLINE
Each session lasts 1 hour. £30 for Poetry Society members, £40 for non-members.
To book: click on the link next to the available date to book online, OR send a cheque made payable to the Poetry Society, OR call with your credit card/debit card details.
Once your booking has been confirmed, you will be asked to send your poems (up to 6 poems, or 150 lines maximum) no later than 2 weeks before the event, plus a brief accompanying note describing why you write poetry, what you hope to do with your writing and what you hope to gain from the Surgery.
Contact: Paul McGrane 020 7420 9881 or membership @ poetrysociety.org.uk .
Each session will take place at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh.
Kona Macphee was born in London and grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where she flirted with occupations including composer, violinist, waitress, motorcycle mechanic and computer scientist. She now lives in rural Scotland, and provides poetry tutoring and critiquing for the Poetry Society, HI-Arts and The Poetry School. Kona received an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry in 1998. Her debut collection Tails was published by Bloodaxe in 2004, and her second collection Perfect Blue, won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for poetry. Website at www.konamacphee.com and blog at www.thatelusiveclarity.com.
'Cholera', from Perfect Blue, was chosen as The Saturday Poem in The Guardian, 27 February 2010
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Kona Macphee Perfect Blue Bloodaxe or Amazon UK or Amazon US £7.95 paperback, 64pp ISBN: 978 1 85224 866 6 Available from 25 February 2010 Read extracts and listen to audio recordings at http://pb.konamacphee.com/index.php |
Feedback from Kona's previous sessions:
I enjoyed the poetry surgery with Kona immensely; she offered very good constructive comments on my work, and pointed me in the right direction as far as my poetry is concerned. Very good value for money and I would pay for it again! Kona made me feel very welcome and comfortable, and didn't criticise my work but just offered her own point of view, which was invaluable. Craig Gilbert, Kircaldy
I had a very productive session with Kona, who had clearly given a lot of thought to the poems sent and was able to give really helpful advice, in a way which did not seek to impose her own views. I would certainly recommend this service to others and consider it excellent value for money, since I had a full hour." A C Clarke, Glasgow
I was delighted to receive Kona's astute and perceptive feedback; it gave me invaluable food for thought, a different, fresher, perspective, and a clearer way forward for the poems-in-progress I sent her; I wasn't expecting to receive so much! Helen Thompson, Kent
It was great value for money. Kona was concrete in her feedback and provided that balance of critique whilst being encouraging. She made clear suggestions for me to consider and gave reference to a useful book on poetry form. I have come away with specific things to work on and a renewed sense of focus. This face to face feedback plus the anonymous poetry prescription have been a really useful way of giving a strong focus for the development of my writing. Much appreciated. Michael Hough, Glasgow
I thoroughly enjoyed the Surgery (great venue as well). Kona is a very companionable person but at the same time she adopts a pretty rigorous approach. I learnt how to employ metaphor more effectively, and keeping to the essence of poem. While my poems are not particularly deep, I was pleased that Kona knew exactly what I was describing. She had clearly done a lot of work beforehand which meant we made full use of the time. I will certainly see her again. And good for the Poetry Society (and Kona) in rip-off Britain for the low cost. You could I'm sure, charge another £5/10 and no-one would quibble. Nevertheless I hope you keep your prices on the low side as it's good for poetry. Les Holloway, Durham
I had a great session with Kona. It was good value for money to have an hour of Kona's time and constructive comments. It was particularly useful to receive not only critiques of each submitted poem, but thoughtful feedback on the questions and issues which I'd raised in my introductory comments. I also have some useful lines to follow up re other poets who live in my area and networking sites which Kona suggested. Overall, I'd say the greatest value was in the confidence in my own writing which Kona gave me. Lindsay Macgregor, Cupar, Fife
I was quite happy with the value for money side of things but then I did need a lot of help! I would recommend future events to friends. I actually spent 5 days in Edinburgh and really enjoyed the venue. I would love the chance to visit other places as an excuse for a weekend or few days away. I would also be interested if the Poetry Society ran a summer school of some sort. Nick Hall, Cambridgeshire
I thought that The Poetry Surgery with Kona was brilliant. Kona struck exactly the tone I wanted with very practical and reasoned suggestions. I am very grateful to her. I would definitely recommend it to any friends who wanted serious and balanced feedback on their writing. One hour of somebody talking exclusively about my writing! It’s never happened before. I liked it. It was value for money – an hour of professional time. Simon Maclaren, Edinburgh
It was very useful. An hour felt about right and Kona was friendly, practical and extremely attentive to detail in any comments she made. The SPL was a good venue, allowing privacy from the main public space. Glad I noticed the advert. Mary Wight, Edinburgh
Really great meeting with Kona. She is such a nice person. She must truly be Superwoman, with all that she does and a family too! She gave me what I realistically expected and that was a thorough and constructive critique of the poems I submitted; she also gave me some very useful insights into the art and science of poetry construction. John Anstie, Sheffield
I thoroughly enjoyed my session with Kona. She was very well prepared and had clearly given careful attention to my work. Her assessment and advice was very clear and also vey legibly written allowing me to think it over on my own at home. I found the whole experience very helpful and encouraging. It is a very good idea to hold these outreach Surgeries. I did indeed think it was definitely good value for the money and would have no hesitation in recommending it to my friends. Vincent Cuddihy, Glasgow
I really enjoyed Kona's Surgery. The Scottish Poetry Library feels like a pretty "safe zone" to me! I'm glad you changed the sessions to a full hour. It felt just about right to me - we had time to discuss everything I wanted, without feeling rushed, but it did fill the time. I was very impressed with the care Kona had taken in her comments on my poems, and they were all helpful. We also discussed some issues I had raised in my notes, and that too was very helpful. As for the cost, I personally would find it hard to afford much more, but for an hour of individual attention I would guess it's a bargain. I would certainly recommend it. Robert Moffat, Edinburgh
The fact that Kona is someone whose work is respected and who took the process seriously is important, but, also, I think the benefit of paying for the session is that you don't feel you are imposing your work on someone, asking them to do you a favour, which is great. Pauline Beaumont, Newcastle
It was nice to get the chance to have this type of session north of the border - I should think that other areas would feel the same. Aileen Lobban, Edinburgh
I very much enjoyed the Poetry Surgery with Kona. The Scottish Poetry Library was an ideal venue, I felt, as one can wander around beforehand. The room provided was private and suitable for the purpose – there were no disruptions. I do think the Surgery was very good value for money. Her comments were very helpful and perceptive. The Surgery was excellent, as there was the feeling of coming away with more than her comments on my poem. So I’d definitely recommend the Surgery to other people. Anne Ryland, Northumberland
I felt that the session with Kona was a wonderful experience. I thought her feedback and encouragement was excellent and overall it was an inspirational session for me. So thanks again for making it available. Jane Aldous, Edinburgh
Thank you so much for the session. I was relieved that you quickly got on with the detail. The points you made were spot-on; especially regarding tenses, imagery and the need to achieve overall coherence and meaning. Alan Gay, East Lothian
Kona is a sensitive and articulate reviewer & I enjoyed meeting her and gaining insights into her view of poetry. Sue Spencer, Newcastle
For the six poems which I submitted, the timing was about right. I think we both benefitted from the discussion and both of us learned something from the analysis of the poems. It's good to have a stranger read your work with a fresh eye. Angela Blacklock-Brown, Edinburgh
I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s Surgery. I found Kona very welcoming and it was a helpful session. I have no regrets at attending and I did find it useful, so yes, I would recommend them. Warren Glover, Edinburgh
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