Could you do with time out from your normal routine to concentrate on honing your poems? A poetry retreat can encourage us in the process of developing our craft, invigorating our writing, and helping us shift it to another level. You may feel a little stuck and be unsure of how best to proceed. Or you could be looking for different perspectives to energise your poems, or simply want engaged responses to your work. In an enabling and encouraging atmosphere, this retreat will offer a balance between input, time to write, and the stimulating company of other poets. Working closely with poets Carola Luther and Rebecca Goss, you will receive constructive, one-to-one support, helping you to discover vitality in your poems and feel confident about your next steps. There will be no workshops: instead, you will have the opportunity for focused redrafting time, two masterclasses, and one-to-one meetings with tutors. Their aim will be to help you move your poetry forward through thoughtful feedback, and attentive reading of submitted work.
Whether you are new to writing poetry or have been writing for some time, this retreat will provide a chance for you to put a spotlight on your poems, and see how they can shine. Please send up to 4 pages of drafts of poems that you would like to focus on in your tutorials to totleighbarton@arvon.org by the 26th February 2024. It is helpful if you can write in the body of the email exactly what you would like Rebecca and Carola’s help with and please make sure the poems are drafts that you would like to redraft, rather than finished poems. We encourage you to send different poems to each tutor. For any queries or questions about this, or just some reassurance that you are on the right track, please email eliza.squire@arvon.org.
*Please use the expandable links below to reveal timings and further details of the course schedule.
Tutor
—
—
Carola Luther’s most recent collection On the Way to Jerusalem Farm was published by Carcanet Press in September 2021….
Tutor
—
—
Rebecca Goss’s second collection Her Birth (Carcanet, 2013), was shortlisted for the 2013 Forward Prize for Best Collection, the…
Guest
—
—
Jennifer Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong and now based in the UK. She studied English at Oxford University…
Band A rooms: £960
Band B rooms (bathrooms accessed via covered pathway): £895
Concessions: Band A Room £672
Concessions: Band B Room £626.50
As part of our effort to increase participation in the arts, we offer limited concessionary places at a 30% reduction. You can select this option at checkout if available.
Physical Access at Totleigh Barton:
We do not currently recommend this house if you are a wheelchair user. Totleigh Barton is a sixteenth-Century manor house and has many steps and tight corners. In the future we hope to redevelop the property to provide level access. For additional detailed information on physical access in bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, shared spaces and the grounds please visit our dedicated access page.
General Access Information for Residential Writing Weeks:
Available on all courses for those who are Deaf, Partially Deaf or who have significant hearing loss
We provide BSL interpreters on some courses. If you require this please check whether the course you are interested in offers this facility. Or get in touch on our dedicated access email: access@arvon.org
Available on all courses for those who are blind, partially sighted or who have significant sight loss
Available on all courses for those who have Dyslexia
There’s no need to worry about spelling, grammar or handwriting on our courses, the focus is on creativity.
Available on all courses to those who identify as Neuro Divergent
Arvon is committed to providing a supportive and welcoming environment to all.
If you need to take some time out to rest, or be alone, you’re welcome to do so. Participation in any activity is entirely at your discretion.
Our grants scheme may be able to cover a portion of your course fees. Disability costs and additional living/support costs are taken into account when considering your grant application. You may also be entitled to concession pricing on selected courses.
For additional detailed information on how we can support people with learning difficulties, mental health issues, and those with special diets and allergies, please see our dedicated access page.
If you have any questions or concerns and want to chat to a member of staff prior to booking please contact us on access@arvon.org
Totleigh Barton, the first ever Arvon centre, is a 16th-century manor house in one of the most peaceful and idyllic parts of Devon.
Totleigh Barton is a thatched manor house with single occupancy rooms and shared bathrooms. The house offers many comfortable lounge and spaces to relax and write throughout the house and a renovated barn offers a comfortable space for evening readings. Mobile and Wi-Fi signal is limited. We invite you to think of a retreat to this beautiful old house as a full ‘digital detox’ – a chance to make real progress with your writing with no distractions.
All your meals are provided, locally and sustainably sourced wherever possible. Help yourself to breakfast, our team will prepare lunch, and dinner is prepared in groups each evening using the delicious recipes and ingredients provided.
Totleigh Barton lies two miles from the village of Sheepwash, with walks along the River Torridge nearby. There is a beautiful and productive garden and quiet spaces on-site for writing.
See here for more information on Totleigh Barton.
“I arrived at the beginning of the week wondering whether I might be a writer or even if I could write. But when I left, not only did I feel I could write, I knew that’s what I was going to do next.”— Piers Torday
“It is invaluable to writers at an early stage to have this feedback on their work. Many people on my course said that they wished that they had received this type of input earlier in their career – that it might have borne fruit and improved their success. It also provides time to think – in an over complicated world it is hard to carve time for yourself against the requirements of work, family, and daily chores. Arvon was a breath of fresh creative air.”— Penny Clark
“Both courses I attended have had a massive impact on my writing, and been part of the motivation and encouragement I needed to begin working professionally as a writer.”— Participant, Residential Writing Week
Monday
15.30-16.30: Arrival of participants. We’ll welcome you, show you to your room and offer light refreshments.
16.30: Cream tea in the dining room – a chance to meet other course attendees and staff.
17.00-17.30: The group meets in the dining room for an introductory talk from a member of our hosting team. Please make sure you arrive in time for this session as it will include vital information about the week, a tour of the house, and the opportunity to introduce yourself to other participants.
18.30: Dinner. Our hosting team will serve the evening meal.
20.00-21.00: The first group session of the week. The tutors will introduce themselves and share their plans for the week in detail. You will have the chance to outline what you’d like to achieve and discuss your projects as a group.
Tuesday
10.00—11.00: 1-1 tutorials.
11.15-12.45: 1-1 tutorials
13.00-14.00: Lunch. Our hosting team will prepare and serve lunch – everyone must wash up and put away their own things after meals.
14.00-15.00: 1-1 tutorials
14.30-16.00: Group Masterclass with one of the tutors.
16.00: Three or four members of the group, today’s cooks, begin to prepare the evening meal and wash up for everyone afterwards.
16.00-18.30: Free time for reading, writing, or exploring!
18.30-20.00: Dinner.
20.30: Both tutors read from their work and take questions about their writing practice.
Wednesday
10.00—11.00: 1-1 tutorials.
11.15-12.45: 1-1 tutorials
13.00-14.00: Lunch. Our hosting team will prepare and serve lunch – everyone must wash up and put away their own things after meals.
14.00-15.00: 1-1 tutorials
14.30-16.00: Group Masterclass with one of the tutors.
16.00: Three or four members of the group, today’s cooks, begin to prepare the evening meal and wash up for everyone afterwards.
16.00-18.30: Free time for reading, writing, or exploring!
18.30-20.00: Dinner.
20.30: Guest reading from this’s week guest writer
Thursday
10.00—11.00: 1-1 tutorials.
11.15-12.45: 1-1 tutorials
13.00-14.00: Lunch. Our hosting team will prepare and serve lunch – everyone must wash up and put away their own things after meals.
14.30-16.00: 1-1 tutorials.
16.00: Three or four members of the group, today’s cooks, begin to prepare the evening meal and wash up for everyone afterwards.
16.00-18.30: Free time for reading, writing, or exploring!
18.30-20.00: Dinner.
20.30: Free evening
Friday
10.00—11.00: 1-1 tutorials.
11.15-12.45: 1-1 tutorials
13.00-15.00: Lunch
14.00-15.00: 1-1 tutorials
15.30-16.30: 1-1 tutorials.
16.00: Three or four members of the group, today’s cooks, begin to prepare the evening meal and wash up for everyone afterwards.
16.00-18.30: Free time for reading, writing, or exploring!
18.30-20.00: Dinner.
20.30: Group reading. A time to look back on the week just gone and celebrate the work of your fellow writers.
Saturday
Breakfast, goodbyes, and departure. We ask everyone to have stripped their beds, washed up and put away breakfast things ready to vacate the building by 10.30, but you can leave as early as you wish.
Dec 8
Online
Exploring the canon of Black Caribbean poets with Jason Allen-Paisant
Dec 11-16
Totleigh Barton
Taking your work-in-progress to the finish line
Dec 11-16
The Hurst
Taking time for yourself
Jan 8-13
Totleigh Barton
Playing with form
Jan 8-13
The Hurst
On the write track
Jan 8-13
Lumb Bank
A cross-genre feast to feed your poems
Jan 8-12
Online
Transformation and magic
Jan 10
Online
Q&A and Reading
