The Festival is almost upon us! Click HERE for further details, links to tickets, and a digital programme.
We're delighted to be hosting a full day Ballad Writing Workshop here at Southgate Arch, offices of The Charles Causley Trust, in partnership with the WEA. Follow the link to find out more. You can book online for by calling 0300 303 3464 quoting course reference C3530463.
Sponsored by Patrick GaleIn celebration of the work of the Cornish poet Charles Causley, the Young People’s Poetry Prize 2019 aims to encourage and enable young writers to have a go at writing poetry themselves. Charles wrote prolifically for adults and for young people and much of his inspiration came ... Read More
The 2019 Writer in Residence Programme LaunchThe Charles Causley Trust is pleased to announce two more residency opportunities at Cyprus Well, in Launceston, Cornwall (the poet’s former home owned by the Trust). These residencies, co-funded by Literature Works, will follow in the footsteps of such writers/poets as Alyson Hallett, Isobel ... Read More
After months of anticipation, we can finally reveal that the winner of the 2018 Charles Causley International Poetry Competition is Judy O'Kane from Ballymena in Northern Ireland with her poem entitled 'Tasting Notes'. Congratulations to Judy who wins £2,000 plus a 1-week residency at Cyprus Well, Charles Causley's former home.
Judy ... Read More
Dear Charles,
I keep thinking about a poem I drafted a couple years ago – never did anything with it – it began "God, I love sweeping/it's how I imagine the perfect death." I sort of abandoned it because it took a big swerve, as poems do – but I do ... Read More
Dear Charles,
It's been a busy few days. I had mum and dad up and they asked a lot of questions about you and your poetry. I recited "Who" to them, which I've just about got by heart now – looong pauses between verses, though, which made it almost feel as ... Read More
We now have a link to the excellent film 'Cornwall's Native Poet: Charles Causley' by Jane Darke and Andrew Tebbs. This is a pay-per-view link but at £1.43, hopefully it won't break the bank. With archive footage and interviews with Charles himself, it means that you will be able to ... Read More
Poet Jen Hadfield is the current Writer-in-Residence at the Charles Causley House. Her three collections of poetry are published by Bloodaxe Books and Picador, of which her second Nigh-no-Place won the T.S.Eliot Prize in 2009. She is an experienced facilitator of creative writing workshops for all ages. She loves how ... Read More
We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2018 Charles Causley Young Person's Poetry Competition. Pictured above are the winners with their goodie bags of prizes which were presented at the North Cornwall Book Festival in October. The prizes included the Charles Causley book of Collected Poems for Children, ... Read More
Fancy something a little different this Halloween? What about this unique opportunity to attend a FREE poetry workshop with our award winning Writer in Residence, Jen Hadfield? The event will take place in Launceston Library and will be followed by an open mic session. See below for full details.
Dear Charles,
Thanks for letting me borrow your house. Honestly it feels like you'll be back any moment! I know I said I came with a cat; I'm sorry I didn't bring him after all. He looked so settled where he was, I couldn't bring myself to uproot him. And I ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust and Literature Works are delighted to announce their next Writer in Residence for 2018, Jen Hadfield, who has arrived all the way from Shetland to live at Cyprus Well, home of the late Charles Causley and now a retreat for writers and artists, managed by The ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust was delighted to welcome HRH the Duke of Kent to Cyprus Well on 18 September 2018. The Duke met local dignitaries before being shown around Cyprus Well by Trust Chairman, Ian Tunbridge. He was introduced to Trust staff, partners, benefactors, volunteers, poets, artists, and local school ... Read More
Like leaving, departure is as much concerned with beginnings as it is with endings.
I feel sad to leave this quiet house, but I’m lucky to be beginning a relationship with North Cornwall, The Charles Causley Trust, and Causley’s work, and I’m going to be back in a number of capacities ... Read More
Every September some 40,000 volunteers across England organise 5,000 events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. It's your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences - all of which are FREE to explore. We're delighted to announce that the Charles Causley Trust will be participating in ... Read More
To navigate a place is to traverse it, to propel oneself through it, to make one’s own way. It requires agency and decision-making as a path is chosen (often around and between obstacles and boundaries). Navigation involves weaving and intermingling with place; forking and delineating. Originally the word was used ... Read More
If you thought Cyprus Well was just for writers, think again...Launceston artist, Karen Howse, spent 14 days at Cyprus Well as Artist in Residence during Charles Causley’s 100th birthday year and was present during the birthday celebrations on 24th August 2017.
Click the button below to read Karen’s fascinating blog and ... Read More
We are delighted to share the publishing success of Angela Readman, the 2014 Charles Causley Poetry Competition winner. Angela's poem 'The Incredible Mrs Fox' has been included in a new anthology of animal poems entitled 'Some Cannot Be Caught', published by The Emma Press and edited by Anja Konig and ... Read More
As part of my time in Launceston College, I had to apply somewhere for work experience. I remembered having an encounter with the Causley Trust before in late 2016, during a Charles Causley Festival, where I spoke to Jen McDerra. I’d always been interested in poetry and writing in general, ... Read More
I’m now three weeks in to this three-month residency and have been sufficiently immersed in the places and the stories about the places to at least be orientated – to have found my bearings. Orientation is the beginning of a journey – a looking eastwards for the sunrise. It is ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust have appointed their first Writer-in-Residence for 2018 as part of their Arts Council England, Cornwall Council and Literature Works funded Fuelling The Flame project.
David Devanny will spend three months living at Cyprus Well, home of the late poet, Charles Causley, immersing himself in the same town ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust are celebrating after securing a further round of funding from Arts Council England to continue to celebrate and promote the legacy of Charles Causley, as well as promote poetry and writing in the community and region where he lived, was inspired and worked. Causley may have ... Read More
Still rocking at 80 years old, Roger McGough - Mersey poet, 60's pop star and longstanding presenter of the BBC's 'Poetry Please' - is the star of this year's Charles Causley Festival. The festival headliner was a friend and student of Causley’s back in the day and is delighted to ... Read More
To celebrate the work of Charles Causley and to encourage young writers to follow in his footsteps, the Charles Causley Trust is again organising this popular annual prize for 2018. It’s free to enter and is open to all young people, aged 5-18, living in Cornwall.Often described as ‘the greatest ... Read More
Join the Poetry Society and the Charles Causley Trust at Cahal Dallat's Centenary Lecture, Charles Causley: the Sounding Heart
Wednesday 31 January 2018, 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Poetry Society, London
Tickets £7.00 full price / £5.00 Poetry Society members & Concessions
Cahal Dallat, Charles Causley Trust centenary writer-in-residence, explores the lasting work and influence of ... Read More
The grand finale of the centenary year .....
On Saturday 25th November, the Lustleigh Society presents an evening of Film and live music to celebrate the life of the poet Charles Causley. Not only will the feature length film be introduced by the director Jane Darke, Jim Causley, a distant relation of the poet, will also be present to sing some ... Read More
Come and hear Charles Causley's libretto with an original score by Stephen McNeff and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra ensemble – Kokoro.
The opera tell the story of the prophet Elisha and the raising of the boy from the dead after he has been struck down in the field by the heat of the sun. The source ... Read More
Come and listen to the former Archbishop of Canterbury and current Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge reveal how Charles Causley inspired his career as a poet.
Saturday 9 December 2017 at 7 30
Launceston Town Hall
Tickets from Launceston TIC
£10, under 18 and unwaged £8
On Monday 30 October 8pm, Charles Causley, Troubadour.
Experience an evening with John Mole, Alyson Hallett, Rory Waterman, Cahal Dallat, Bernadette
Reed & Jim Causley
Join our Causley-Trust/Coffee-House Poetry words&music 100th-birthday
bash for Charles Causley (1917-2003), one of the century's most popular
poets whose modern ballads, subversive wit, & odes to everyday
experience, captured the imagination ... Read More
Jane Darke's film, Cornwall's Native Poet Charles Causley. Showing on BBC FOUR on Sunday October 1st at 8pm. And then available on BBC iPlayer
Liz Breslin was the 3rd prize winner in The Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2016 with her poem ‘Walk A Mile/ Stepping Out’.
As a child in the UK, Liz Breslin memorised Charles Causley’s poems sitting in the bath. She now lives in Hawea Flat, New Zealand and writes ... Read More
Joanne Key was the 2nd prize winner in our Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2016 with her brilliant ‘The Year You Turned Into A Fish’.
Joanne lives in Crewe in Cheshire where she writes poetry and short fiction. Her poems have appeared in various places online and in print including ... Read More
Jack Thacker was the winner of The Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2016 with his fantastic poem ‘The Load.’ Judged by Sir Andrew Motion with the exciting prize of £2000, and the added prestige of the backdrop of Charles Causley’s centenary year, the standard of entries was fantastically high.
Jack ... Read More
Not so much putting poetry in its place, or keeping poetry in its place, but speculating, at the end of a poetry ‘placement’ in what has become, over the months, one dear perpetual place (to quote WB Yeats) on the possible interconnectedness of inspiration and location, location, location.
Living in Cyprus ... Read More
Tomorrow night (Thursday 13th July) we will be gearing up for the latest Centenary celebration in the form of a musical and poetry event called ‘Charles Causley: A Musical Celebration’. Our writer in residence Cahal Dallat had this to say about what to expect from tomorrow evening:
“Having spent 3 ... Read More
I was born on an Irish sea of eggs and porter,
I was born in Belfast, in the MacNeice country,
A child of Harland & Wolff in the Iron forest.
My childbed a steel cradle slung from a gantry…
‘HMS Glory’: Charles Causley
Home and AwayIn earlier musings (and in a Literature Works interview last ... Read More
On 18th June at 2pm we will be celebrating 100 years since Charles Causley’s birth with poetry readings and tea in Launceston’s Victoria House. The event is hosted by Les and Margaret Baker with any donations collected being given to The Charles Causley Trust and St. Thomas Church. A ... Read More
The eighth Charles Causley Festival is approaching, running from 1st-10th June, with particular focus on the weekend of 3rd/4th June. A variety of events from exhibitions, walks, music, poetry, film and literature will be taking place, and here at The Trust we are excited to share with you the events ... Read More
No ideas but in things (William Carlos Williams) .
A cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces,
An airline ticket to romantic places…
‘These Foolish Things’ (Holt Marvell & Jack Stracey)
Thinking of ThingsNot that I’ve spent 4 weeks of my 3 months in Charles ... Read More
Several weeks ago we announced a rare opportunity to visit an ancient Cornish garden on Sunday, May 21, when Penheale Manor at Egloskerry, near Launceston, will open its gates. Penheale house and garden were renovated in the 1920s under the direction of Colonel Norman Colville and offer a unique insight ... Read More
There are two podcasts left to share with you, and they are both readings by the 7*******s writers. Over the last three months during Andrew’s residency and my own involvement with the Charles Causley Trust we have shared many conversations, poetry group meetings, workshops and come to discuss our own ... Read More
We are delighted to announce that our incoming poet-in-residence Cahal Dallat has won the Keats-Shelley Poetry Prize 2017. The winners were announced by the Prize Chair, Baroness Floella Benjamin, at the Royal Society of Antiquaries on 24th April. Cahal’s poem ‘Giant’ took first place in the poetry category, fighting ... Read More
Life at sea demands an economy of language…
Skylark (afterword) from Hands to Dance and Skylark – Charles Causley
– In A Glass of Salt Water – his introduction to the 1979 edition ... Read More
The Last Week of Residency and Bowden DerraAlthough another blog and podcast will appear here next week, last Friday was officially the end of my mentoring residency with Andrew Fentham and The Charles Causley Trust. We had the great pleasure of facilitating a poetry workshop with the residents at Bowden ... Read More
Here at The Charles Causley Trust, we are excited to announce that our next resident of Cyprus Well will be Cahal Dallat. Cahal will be with us from May to July, under the kind sponsorship of Literature Works, and we are excited to share his plans with you via a ... Read More
The Keats-Shelley Memorial Association has recently announced the shortlist for their prestigious Keats-Shelley Prize 2017. The prize was established in 1998 and is an annual competition for poems and essays on Romantic themes. This year the theme is ‘To a Friend’ in order to commemorate the 200th anniversary of ... Read More
I’ve listened to a lot of solo piano music over the last few months while wondering if I can imagine Charles Causley’s interest in and appreciation of the piano – an instrument that for centuries has been so beautifully composed for and often so beautifully played. I wonder as ... Read More
We are pleased to announce that beginning on Monday 17th April and lasting until the following Sunday, Sarah Cave will take part in a short residency at Cyprus Well in Launceston.
Sarah is currently studying for an MA in poetry at Royal Holloway. She has had poetry, reviews and stories ... Read More
The latest Podcast begins with a series of poems and piano pieces arranged by Marcelo and Mac. The first poem is “Tabacaria” written as an homage to the Portugese poet Fernando Pessoa, who wrote under the ‘heteronym” Alvaro de Campos, a fictitious character who lived in Tavira where Marcelo ... Read More
Translate, I hear you say. Translate.
‘Sorel Point’ – Charles Causley
– William Jay Smith – reviewing Secret Destinations: Selected Poems in 1990 – praised Causley as cool and chaste – perhaps untranslatable to the omnipresent and overestimated baroque buffoonery of Smith’s contemporary American scene ... Read More
We are thrilled to present the first in a special series of podcasts to celebrate and share the work that is being created and showcased at Cyprus Well.
The series begins with Mac Dunlop, who is currently Mentor to our young Poet in Residence, Andrew Fentham. In the first ... Read More
When I began working for the Charles Causley Trust in September of last year, I was also beginning the third and final year of my degree in English and Creative Writing at Plymouth University. I was attracted to what was initially billed as a ten week internship because I ... Read More
Dunheved / Devon
DOOMSDALE gaol
Lanstefan / Launceston / Lanson
// North Gatehouse // DOOMSDALE // G Fox & Friends
// DOOMSDALE where even at noonday
Cuthbert Mayne cannot see his own hands //
IN MANUS TUAS DOMINE //
MARIA OPTIMAM PARTEM ELIGIT
| MARY | MAGS | MARY | MAGS |
| ... Read More
We can now share with you our final two of five highly commended poems from the Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2016. Our highly commended winners were selected by our head judge Sir Andrew Motion as having strong potential as poets. They will be offered a virtual mentoring session with ... Read More
We are delighted to begin sharing with you the first three of our five highly commended poets in the Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2016. Our head judge Sir Andrew Motion singled out these poets as having signs of strong potential in their writing. They will have the opportunity to ... Read More
Liz Breslin is the 3rd prize winner for this year’s Charles Causley International Poetry Competition. Her winning poem is ‘Walk A Mile/ Stepping Out’ and was selected by our head judge Sir Andrew Motion.
As a child in the UK, Liz Breslin memorised Charles Causley’s poems, sitting in the bath. She ... Read More
The winner of the 2nd prize in the Charles Causley International Poetry Competition is Joanne Key with her poem ‘The Year You Turned Into A Fish’.
Joanne lives in Crewe in Cheshire where she writes poetry and short fiction. Her poems have appeared in various places online and in print including ... Read More
Several months ago the Charles Causley Trust was delighted to announce the beginning of a fifth writer’s residency in the New Year. This particular residency is somewhat special, catering specifically for a young writer with ties to Cornwall, either by birth, study or residence. The interest and responses we received ... Read More
It was a fitting prelude to Charles Causley's Centenary year in 2017 that a Causley poem should feature in the world renowned “Carols from Kings” service, along with poems from Rowan Williams and U A Fanthorpe in addition to bible readings.
The other two poets can both be linked to Charles ... Read More
Two thirds in at Charles Causley’s house in Launceston, Cornwall on my residency. I’ve been here since the end of September, and I go just before Christmas Eve. This has been a turning point. Every day I have to make the choice to make something, be it stabs at poems ... Read More
ConvoyThis week being Remembrance week got me thinking about Causley’s war poems, apart from everything else… One which has always struck me as packing a particularly visual punch is ‘Convoy’. I just made a preliminary sketch to try and work out some sort of composition. There are lots of decisions ... Read More
There are so many sides to procrastination. I have explored most of them. Eating. Not eating. Bad relationships. Good relationships. Going to the pub. Sleeping. Watching very important things on the internet which then turn into hours of drivel in what I call internet vortexes — leaving nothing finished ... Read More
Launceston College WinnersHaving announced the winners of our Causley Trust Children’s Poetry Competition several weeks ago, we are now thrilled to begin sharing the winning poems with you. Inundated with talent from these young budding poets, the words they have created are inspiring and a tribute to the enduring legacy ... Read More
South Petherwin Primary School WinnersHaving announced the winners of our Causley Trust Children’s Poetry Competition several weeks ago, we are now thrilled to begin sharing the winning poems with you. Inundated with talent from these young budding poets, the words they have created are inspiring and a tribute to the ... Read More
St Stephen's Primary School WinnersHaving announced the winners of our Causley Trust Children’s Poetry Competition several weeks ago, we are now thrilled to begin sharing the winning poems with you. Inundated with talent from these young budding poets, the words they have created are inspiring and a tribute to the ... Read More
Does the rain fall differently here? It seems like it does. Yes, it is often horizontal just as in Yorkshire, where I’m from, but there is something else. When I just went out after the rain stopped, there was that fresh smell of clean air, sky still grey but the ... Read More
Our next residency opportunity is for a young writer with strong links to Cornwall. If this sounds like you then start working on an application - you have until Monday 28th November to apply.
Friday was a special day.
North Cornwall looked resplendent in autumn sunlight as we drove from Launceston to the North Cornwall Book Festival. Our Chairman, David Fryer, pointed out the sights to our new poet and illustrator in residence at Cyprus Well, Charlotte Walker, as we passed the slate quarry and ... Read More
My first week here is already over. Seven nights gone during which I’ve established a sort of pygmy evening routine. It is shorter and more to the point than my usual one at home in Bristol, mostly due to the subtraction of family rituals of cooking, clearing, children's’ music practice ... Read More
Acclaimed novelist and short story writer, Jon McGregor, will be staying at Cyprus Well for a week at the end of April to prepare his latest novel for publication.
You can meet Jon during his residency at an event in Plymouth where he will be discussing his editorial process and reading ... Read More
‘My room is a bright glass cabin'
Saturday: My journey to Cyprus Well has been long and tiring but I arrive to find the afternoon sunlight falling in wide bands across the kitchen.On the table is a vase of blithe spring flowers and in every room a sense ... Read More
In my first week of being the Charles Causley poet-in-residence I wrote about Causley’s study: about the quality of light in the room and the level of attention provoked by its atmosphere. This hasn’t changed throughout my stay. What has changed, however, is the study’s bookshelf. The University of Exeter ... Read More
The entries to the 2015 Charles Causley Poetry Competition were of a very high standard, and in addition to the first, second and third prizes, the judges selected five poets whose work showed particular skill or promise. In addition to a small financial reward, each of these five were offered ... Read More
The Seasons in North Cornwall
-
O Spring has set off her green fuses
Down by the Tamar today,
And careless, like tide-marks, the hedges,
Are bursting with almond and may.
-
Here lie I waiting for old summer,
A red face and straw-coloured hair has he:
I shall meet him on the road from Marazion
And the Mediterranean Sea.
-
September ... Read More
We are excited to announce our next residency opportunity at Cyprus Well to follow in the footsteps of Kathryn Simmonds, Dr Alyson Hallett, and our current resident poet, Isabel Galleymore.
This three month residency for a writer is part of our larger literature project, Spark to Flame, which has been grant ... Read More
Nell Farrell
Finding the Wedding Photos
1
Someone has shaken out
a blanket full of tiny bones.
They dot the oily surface,
peg its corners, stretch it
ready for the needle.
A finger slips and lozenges
of blood float on the water.
Spidered husks of flowers skim the pond
in weightless pirouette.
She bends to stroke them
with a branch ... Read More
Russell Jones was the recipient of second prize in our most recent poetry prize for his poem 'Waggledancers'.To find out more about Russell’s work you can go to his blog.
Russell Jones.© Chrisdonia
Waggledancers
Who knew how the apple was made?
We decrypted rumours, white whiskers
of truth from the textbooks of ... Read More
As we pass signs for Menacuddle and Easy Money I take a moment to question how I’m about to react to these place names. Sitting next to me is Luke, a writer and scholar on Jack Clemo, who is showing me around some of Cornwall by car. Having grown up ... Read More
People have been asking to read the winning poems from this years competition ahead of the awards ceremony in April. Here's Claire Dyer's winning entry 'Trust and the Horse' for you.We’ll share each of the other winning and highly commended poems here every Friday in the lead up to the ... Read More
We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2015 Charles Causley Poetry Prize judged by Professor Anthony Caleshu of Plymouth University and shortlisted by a panel drawn from the English faculties of Falmouth, Plymouth and Exeter University – Dr. Kym Martindale, Dr. Miriam Darlington, and Professor Ronald Tamplin.The Winners:1st ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust have appointed a Development Officer to deliver the ‘Spark to Flame’ project which takes its name from Causley’s poem, Kelly Wood, and aims to preserve and promote the legacy of Charles Causley in Cornwall and beyond.Jennifer McDerra took up the post in September 2015 with a ... Read More
There’s something striking about a house on a hill. So many stories start with one.With some apprehension, I arrived at Charles Causley’s House on Ridgegrove Hill in the second week of January to take up my place as the next poet-in-residence. Though the house sits on the side of a ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust is delighted to announce Isabel Galleymore as their next writer in residence. Galleymore will take up the post for three months commencing in January 2016 and will be based at the poet Charles Causley’s former home in Launceston.Galleymore is a gifted young poet ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust was delighted to welcome our prize winning poets to Launceston last week for a super event in the company of Dr Alyson Hallett, Kathryn Simmonds and Jim Causley.The Trust would like to thank everyone for helping to make such a superb evening, and all those who ... Read More
2014 Charles Causley Poetry Competition Winner, Angela Readman
The Charles Causley Trust is delighted to announce the winners of the 2014 Charles Causley Poetry Competition, in aid of the upkeep and on-going programme of Writing Residencies and Literature events in the late poet’s house in Launceston, Cornwall.The competition ... Read More
Don’t miss Jim Causley & Lukas Drinkwater at Exeter Phoenix this month!
Jim and Lukas will be showcasing new material they are writing together, offering a 21st century perspective on traditional song. Five times BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Causley is renowned for his warm stage presence and his rich ... Read More
The Charles Causley Poetry Competition is closed and the winners have been informed.Many thanks and very best wishes to all the poets who entered. The field was very strong. The prize winners have been chosen and informed in person, and will be announced in the New Year on our websites.
Keep ... Read More
One of the most striking things about living in Charles Causley’s house is the quality of silence that inhabits it.It is not just the absence of noise that is remarkable, but the density of the quietness, the materiality of it. I can only put this down to the fact that ... Read More
Trustee of The Charles Causley Trust Patrick Gale is a featured writer in the 2014 South West Reading Passport. In a recently uploaded video he talks about libraries, the Reading Passport, his current projects and much more. Go Patrick!Supported by Arts Council England, the Reading Passport is a joint project ... Read More
Earlier this week I learned that John Moat, co-founder of the Arvon Foundation with John Fairfax, had died. This blog is dedicated to his memory.
What I was seeing as the car coasted down into the blue and purple wood –
shade of the valley was what we might see every moment ... Read More
The Charles Causley Trust is delighted to announce the winners of the first ever Charles Causley Poetry Competition, in aid of the continuing project to renovate the late poet’s house in Launceston, Cornwall and supporting an on-going programme of Writing Residencies and Literature events.
The competition closed in November 2013, and ... Read More