Hear folk tales in the landscape with London Park City Ranger Chris Collier followed by a workshop with Wild Thing Poetry Collective

This writing workshop combines humour, surrealism, ecology and the folk-tale tradition to send our narratives in unexpected directions, and deepen our relationship with the natural world.

Beneath many traditional folktales lies an animistic worldview, in which trees, plants, rivers and stones are alive with presence and intention. On a guided walk through the Horniman Gardens and Nature Trail, Christopher Collier will explore this lore, sharing tales of enchantment, uncanny encounters, and the importance of respectful relations, inviting participants to consider different ways of knowing and relating to the living world around them.

After the break, the group will be invited to write their own folk tale or poem, responding directly to species found in the landscape. There will be prompts from experienced poet facilitators from Wild Thing Collective William Wyld and Jess Grynfeld, encouraging experimentation with characterisation and language. We will look at example poems from writers including Richard Scott, Sharon Olds and Hannah Copley, to explore how we invest nature with meaning and agency to understand our experiences, and also as a way of developing poetic voice and emotional truth. The workshop is for anyone aged 13 and up with all levels of writing experience.

Description supplied by the event organiser.