A Life on the Edge: Hinterlands and Homelands
Most of us have grown up made our homes in the suburbs, those small towns, hinterlands and no-places on the ‘edge of the ordinary… cast between what is and what might be’ (Gallery Press on Alan Gillis). But where are ‘the’ suburbs? For many of us our memories are made of these spaces, places that walk a tightrope between urban and rural, dramatic and tedious, often tucked into the corner of larger conurbations, unsure how much of local identity remains. On this course we will explore half-hidden areas of our homelands, their edges and contradictions, peeking under the hood of the overlooked and almost everyday. We will learn from poets who thrived in small towns, suburbs and the bits beyond ring roads and found poetry in allotments, railways, brownfield sites, empty business parks, run-down markets, landfills and driveways. We will also be influenced by those who chaffed in against their surroundings, trapped on the brink of Metroland and the wilds. Taking a lead from poets including Kay Ryan, Glyn Maxwell and Fiona Dowling, we will create our own poems and investigate the secrets of where we have all once lived.
This is a private group. To join you must be a registered site member and request group membership.