Microchimerism, Loss, & Connection: Writing Absence &  Attachment in Parenthood 

Explore how poetry can convey lasting attachments to children or parents following their absence.

* This course will take place on the video-conferencing platform ZOOM *

Microchimerism is the neurobiological idea that during pregnancy, cells are exchanged between the mother and baby that remain in the bodies of both for decades after the birth, potentially forever, leading to an enduring connection even if the baby is not carried to term. 

In this session, we will explore how poetry can convey lasting attachments to children or parents following their absence, whether by death or a transition such as leaving home. 

We will use prompts by writers including Sharon Olds, Denise Riley, Victoria Chang, Carrie Etter, and Wendy Pratt to investigate how loss and attachment can co-exist in poetry. Inspired by these writers’ use of innovative voice and form, – from lyric to prose to concrete poetry – we will write our own poems about connectivity . 

1-off Zoom session at 10.30am – 1pm (BST on Sunday 13th September)

Concessions & Accessibility

To apply for a concession rate, please send relevant documentation showing your eligibility for one of our concessions to [email protected]. Conditions of eligibility are detailed here.

What to Expect

This course is part of The September Sessions: 10 Years of the MA in Writing in Poetry, a series of Zoom workshops celebrating 10 Years of our MA in Writing in Poetry programme. Check out the full line up here.

More information about how our Video Courses work can be found on the Video Courses page. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the waiting list of a sold-out course, please email [email protected]. 

Image Credit: Clément Proust

About Sam Szanto View Profile

Sam Szanto is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net-nominated author. Her poetry pamphlet This Was Your Mother was published by Dreich Press in 2024 and Splashing Pink (a Poetry Book Society Choice) by Hedgehog Press in 2023. She has won the Wirral Festival Poetry Prize, the Charroux Poetry Prize, the First Writer Poetry Prize, the Shooter Flash Prize and the Mum Life Stories Prize. Her poems appear in journals including Rialto,  The North,  Dust Poetry,  Northern Gravy,  Ink Sweat and Tears,  The Madrid Review,  The Poetry Lighthouse and The Storms.  She is working on a practice-led PhD on attachment and absence in parenthood poetry at York St John, where she has taught creative writing to undergraduates. Prior to this, she was awarded an MA with distinction in Writing Poetry from Newcastle University / The Poetry School London. Sam also writes short stories and her collection If No One Speaks was published by Alien Buddha Press in 2022. Originally from East Sussex, she now lives in Durham with her family and works as an English tutor.  

"It’s a very safe space to experiment, the feedback is very thoughtful which points to how work can be developed going forward. The course will continue to have an impact on my writing and wider creative work."

- Spring 2026 Survey Response