Masterclass: Poetry with Nick Laird

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Tutor

Nick Laird

Date Friday October 6th 2023, 11:00-13:00 BST

Location Online

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The poetic term ‘tone’ is borrowed from the expression ‘tone of voice’: it implies something spoken aloud. In written poetry, intonations are established by the writer through a variety of techniques. Award-winning poet Nick Laird leads a masterclass on how poets establish a range of intonations in the written word. You’ll look at how the reader infers the writer’s tone, and by that tries to discern the speaker’s many attitudes towards a subject, and to themselves.

The tonal range is vast, nuanced and sometimes difficult to determine – is the poem aggrieved, beseeching, curious, determined, elevated, furious, grim, happy, ironic, or many of these things at once? A poem often shifts and develops a variety of shadings in its movement from beginning to end. Combining a close reading of poems with generative writing exercises, this masterclass will explore one of the most elusive and important poetic topics. As Robert Frost says, “It’s tone I’m in love with; that’s what poetry is, tone.”

The Masterclass will be delivered via Zoom webinar, so you can take the session at your own pace, without the pressure of having your video or camera on. Sessions are also recorded so if you are unable to attend live, you will have access to the recording for a month afterwards.

Tutor

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Nick Laird

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Nick Laird was born in County Tyrone in 1975 and is the Seamus Heaney Professor of Poetry at Queens’ University, Belfast….

Online: £35

Concessions: £17.50

As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, a limited number of half-price concessions are available for this course at checkout. There are a limited number of free subsidised places for those who cannot afford the concession price.

We are committed to making our Arvon at Home programme accessible to as many people as possible.

Across all of Arvon at Home

All sessions will have auto-generated captioning.
During sessions we will have a text version available via screen share.
There is a Chat facility to ask any questions.

Masterclasses and Online Writing Day

A recording of the Masterclass will be available to view for one month after it is aired live.
There is a Chat and Q & A facility to ask any questions.
Zoom webinar format (your video and audio will remain off throughout, & your name will not be visible to other participants so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).

How I Write

There is a chat and Q&A facility to ask any questions.
Zoom webinar format (your video and audio will remain off throughout, & your name will not be visible to other participants so it is a ‘relaxed’ event).

Online Writing Weeks / Weekends

Courses have much smaller groups than Masterclasses and How I Write events, and are also more interactive with your fellow course participants and tutors, so cameras and audio are usually on (though both are completely optional). If you would prefer your camera and audio to be off, it would be helpful to let your course host know this in advance.

Subject to funding/permissions (please contact us for more details)

Recording of Writing Weeks and Weekends.
Downloadable transcripts.
BSL interpretation.
Live captioning.

If you have any access issues that we have not covered here, please contact us on access@arvon.org

See here for more access information.

"These zoom opportunities are really helping to open my world and keep me inspired to write."

— Masterclass participant

"Arvon at Home creates a model to participate in inspirational tutoring for writers, at a distance. The feeling of attending to my writing life in an excellent fashion, and still having a half-day for my work and caring responsibilities at home, felt like a good balance."

— Masterclass participant

"It was an absolutely brilliant session and very very useful. And it made me realise how much I’ve missed this kind of workshop because of having children and family that I can’t leave. Now we’re all in the same boat the online stuff is truly transformative."

— Masterclass participant