A creative writing workshop inspired by Intertidal, exploring the places where the sea finds its way into Plymouth.

Where do you find the sea when you’re not at the beach?

Inspired by Intertidal and the idea that the boundary between land and sea is more porous than we might think, we’ll explore the less obvious ways the sea is part of life in Plymouth.

We might start with a place, a memory, a sound, a journey or something we’ve noticed on an ordinary day: a seagull in a supermarket car park, a street that floods at high tide, a ferry crossing, a hidden river or a family memory.

Through a series of playful creative writing exercises, we’ll create our own pieces of writing and contribute these creative reflections to a collective map of Plymouth.

The map won’t just show where the sea is. It will show where we remember it, notice it, imagine it and encounter it in the city.

You might contribute a sentence, a memory, a drawing or a poem. There’s no need to consider yourself a writer, and no previous creative writing experience is needed.

Come and spend some time looking at Plymouth differently, and see where you find the sea.

All ages and levels of writing experience welcome.

Accessibility

This workshop takes place in the Mills Bakery building at Royal William Yard, which is a listed building. There is one small step down into the workshop space. Ramps are available, and if it would help, we can move the session to a larger, step-free space nearby. If you have any access requirements, please tell us when you book or get in touch before the event, and we will do our best to make sure you can take part comfortably.

Email: ellen@plymouthculture.co.uk if you have any access queries.

About Dr Rosemarie Corlett:

Dr Rosemarie Corlett is an Anglo-French author and educator. She was Plymouth’s Poet Laureate (2023–2025) and is an English teacher at Plymouth City College. Her debut poetry collection Flightless Bird was published with Shearsman Books in 2022, and her poems have appeared in publications including Guardian Faber, Poetry Wales, Tears in the Fence and Iota.

Rose develops participatory literature projects that bring together writing, place and community. She has collaborated with organisations including Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Literature Works, Plymouth Culture, Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Box, Plymouth Racial Equality Council, Plymouth Centre for Cultural Diversity and The Children’s University.

Recent projects include The Phoenix Fountain (2026), a permanent public artwork in the city centre inscribed with one of her poems, and Letters to the Sea (2026), a digital anthology of community writing conceived, curated and edited in partnership with Literature Works and the University of Exeter.

Rose lives by the sea with her daughter, Ella, and their cats, Marmite and Rhubarb.

Intertidal is a commission by artist David Cotterrell, created as part of Sea for Yourself, Plymouth Culture's cultural programme connecting people with Plymouth Sound National Marine Park through creativity, imagination and new ways of experiencing the sea.

Description supplied by the event organiser.