As the summer draws to a close, we are reflecting on our work so far this year and looking to our new programming for the Autumn.
The Charles Causley Trust was set up to provide access to literature and the arts, so that everyone, no matter their age or background can feel their voice matters and they have the right to be heard. Charles chose to share his voice through poetry, not simply to amuse or allow space to ponder, but above all, to empower. We at the Charles Causley Trust wish to ensure that his legacy lives on.
Over the next few months, we will be running a in person and digital events that will support the future of different areas of our work, including:
*The preservation of Cyprus Well, Charles Causley’s home of 50 years
*The development of arts and creative activities for aspiring writers
* The development and nurturing of writers through annual residencies
* The development of students and their professional portfolios through internship placements
By attending these events, you will help ensure this work can continue. Take a look at what’s happening below:
Becoming a Poet with Katrina Naomi – Wednesday 20th September, 7pm
Come and join us on Wednesday 20 September at 7pm (UK time) for a digital reading and talk from the award-winning poet Katrina Naomi. Katrina Naomi is fresh from performing at the Keats-Shelley Museum in Rome, after winning the Keats-Shelley Prize for Poetry. Katrina Naomi will read a selection from her wide range of collections, including Wild Persistence (Seren 2020), along with a couple of brand-new poems. Plus she will give a talk on how she makes a living as a poet. This will be a unique insight into the delights and the difficulties of earning money from poetry. And there will be plenty of time for your questions on poetry. Katrina will aim to get through as many of your questions as possible in the hour. So don’t be shy, if you’ve always wanted to know how poets make a living, this is your chance to ask.
Secure your ticket, here
A Causley Halloween, Friday 27th October
Join us this spooky season at our Halloween event at Launceston Town Hall! The evening will feature a display of ghostly poems written by school pupils, music from Launceston Folk Club, a ghostly town walk from Paranormal Investigator Karin Beasant, readings of Charles Causley’s ghostly poetry and a short talk and reading from Horror writer Polly Hall. Tickets cost £10 which includes a complimentary drink
Secure your ticket here
Horror Writing Workshop with Polly Hall, Saturday 28th October
Polly Hall, the award-winning author of The Taxidermist’s Lover, invites you to exorcise your inner demons via pen & paper in this fun horror writing workshop. We will create monstrous characters, conjure up spooky settings, evoke atmosphere through descriptive writing, visit horror tropes such as the haunted house and the isolated moorland. Come prepared to splurge your deepest fears and grotesque thoughts onto the page…
No previous experience required. Bring a pen, notebook and your wicked imagination! This workshop will involve some subjects that may cause offence. It’s the horror genre, after all! If you are of a sensitive disposition this may not be the workshop for you. 18+ attendees only.
This event will take place at a Launceston town centre location (tbc). All ticket holders will be contacted with venue details. Secure your ticket, here.
How to Write a Mystery Novel – Digital Workshop with Greg Mosse, Wednesday 8th November, 7pm
Join us from 7-8pm on Wednesday 8th November for a one-hour workshop on Writing a Mystery Novel, led by ‘writer, and encourager of writers’, Greg Mosse. Starting from a dramatic location at a dynamic moment in time, together we will spend 60 minutes plotting an (as yet) unwritten whodunnit. Secure your ticket, here.
Poetry Masterclass with Cahal Dallat, Wednesday 22nd November, 7-9pm
A chance to be part of a one-off, limited-numbers online poetry masterclass with poet Cahal Dallat (long-standing reviewer on BBC Radio 4 arts programmes and in TLS, Guardian and literary journals) who runs the popular Between the Lines critical workshop series for Coffee-House Poetry .
Participants, once booked, will submit their poem a week before the online workshop: in the session Cahal will take each poem on-screen in turn giving his detailed critique and opening up group discussion of the poem itself and of his analysis and advice. A real opportunity not just to have your poem explored but to hone your critical approach to poetry in general and to polish your self-editing skills. Secure your ticket, here.
*Once you have purchased your ticket, you will be contacted about where to email your work ahead of the masterclass
Winter Gifts with Anthony Capildeo, Wednesday 6th December, 7pm
The seasons are turning, and together we’ll settle down into a winter Cornwall of the mind. What tales will we enjoy at the bright fireside? What gifts will accompany us home, through the cold and dark? The 6th of December marks the Feast of St Nicholas, patron saint of children and sailors, and origin of our ‘Santa Claus’. Charles Causley brought his generous gift of creativity to his whole life, from music in schoolrooms to adventure on the high seas. Causley’s fondness for this December season, when at the low point of the Old Year we journey towards the New, also expressed itself in his verse play, The GIft of a Lamb…much overdue a community revival. At the Causley Trust, we believe in the life-giving spirit that the arts can breathe into communities. Anthony Vahni Capildeo will read a selection of Causley’s poems, their own work, and other tales of unexpected gifts, small and tender creatures, and haunting winter. We’ll stop to share stories and reflect on what we’re hearing. We’ll leave nourished and warmed. Secure your ticket, here.
