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PLEASE NOTE: Before applying for one our courses, please read our Terms and Conditions which include information about Accessibility, Bursary Spaces, Code of Conduct, Payment, Pricing and Refunds. You can also read our Privacy Policy here.

COURSE DATES: 6th September - 8th November 2026 (every Sunday, 10:30 - 14:30)

Eligibility is dependent on being able to attend at least 90% of the sessions. In applying for this course, you can confirm that you are able to commit to attending on the above dates.

LOCATION: M Shed (9 sessions) and St. Pauls Learning Centre (1 session)

PRICE: £200 (there are two bursary places at £150)

AIMED AT: All Levels (Emerging+ and Post-Emerging)

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Sunday 26th July 2026 (21:00pm)

DESCRIPTION:

Raise the Bar’s brand new Writers’ Room course, with lead tutor Caleb Parkin, is open to poets in Bristol and the South West. Candidates living outside this area are very welcome to apply but will initially be added to a reserve list.

Poets will attend weekly tutored sessions led by widely published poet, educator and practitioner Caleb Parkin (former Bristol City Poet 2020-22), as well as career skill sessions with experienced visiting facilitators (previous course guests have included Joelle Taylor, Maureen Onwunali, Cecilia Knapp). An opportunity to meet other poets, engage in lively conversations and create new work in a friendly, focused and professional environment.

As well as weekly generative writing workshops and opportunities for feedback on your new work, the guest facilitated workshops will look at publication in journals/magazines/competitions, curating a book and finding publication, contemporary poetry forms/approaches, applying for support and residencies, and more.

There are 10 spaces available on the course. Poets will be selected on the strength of their application and personal statement, as well as an example of their written work. Some spaces are reserved for Black and Global Majority poets, and writers from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds.

KEY INFORMATION:

Raise the Bar’s courses and retreats are open to anyone over the age of 18 residing in South West England, defined as consisting of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Candidates living outside this area are very welcome to apply but will initially be added to a reserve list. If we can't fill spaces from eligible candidates in the South West, we will offer spaces to suitable applicants on the reserve list.  You must be able to attend the sessions in-person.

These courses are not designed for complete beginners and experience of writing poetry is required for all applications. There is no cast-iron definition of emerging+ and post-emerging poets, but the following lists may be useful:

An all levels / emerging poet:

• Will have less than 3 years experience as a writer/performer

• Will usually be active mainly in their local area, and be seeking to expand their profile

• May regularly attend poetry workshops and courses, or perform unpaid at open mics or slam competitions

• May have minimal experience of being published in journals/magazines/competition.

• May have a pamphlet or debut book of poems published

• May have some experience performing paid support slots at poetry events

• Will consider poetry to be more than just a hobby, seeking opportunities to develop their creative practice or professional skills

A post-emerging / mid-career poet:

• Will have more than 3 years experience as a writer/performer, in a part-time capacity or as part of their profession

• Will usually make regular income from poetry-related work

• May have significant experience of being published in journals/magazines/competitions

• May have at least one full-length poetry collection, album or body of work

• May have significant experience headlining events and being paid for their work, including outside of their town/city/region

• May have performed, or been published, internationally

• May be paid to judge competitions or sit on panels

• May be paid to edit or mentor other poets’ work

• May have work commissioned by organisations on a semi-regular basis

• Will still be seeking to further their professional skills in order to become a more established poet with a full-time, or majority of their, income coming from writing/poetry-related work (including teaching, producing and facilitating)