I went to an online Arts Catalyst workshop last week called Listening to the Fern Owl: Poetry as Field Recording. It was hosted by Nastassja Simensky and Mina Gorji who created a warm, welcoming and inquisitive space on a chilly evening. We were encouraged to consider the art of listening, through writing. We listened to a number of sound recordings, including the Fern Owl and wrote about what we heard. We also wrote about what we could hear around us that evening. With participants from all over the world it was a very evocative exercise to share. It has given me a new insight into the sensory elements of my writing.
Read my Fern Owl poem on Rough Hewn – my creative writing Substack.
After the workshop I looked up Mina Gorji’s work and promptly bought two of her collections and some of her recommendations from the wonderful World of Books. I was absolutely thrilled to come across Charango which shares my interest in carapaces.
“protective carapace
Charango, Mina Gorji. Read the full poem here
prized for resonance.”
Anna Kime 