Saturday 20th September - Ten Things You Need To Know About Poems
Come join poet and poetry activist Todd Swift for his "Ten Things You Need
To Know About Poems" workshop.  Todd combines humour and a sense of craft,
to get new poets writing, and experienced poets to get more from their work.
Sign up, bring in your work, and have it workshopped.  There'll also be a
short reading afterwards, by Todd, and some refreshments.

7- 8.30 pm Buckhurst Hill Library, 165 Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5AZ
Phone 020 8504 0810 to book a place

Saturday 27th September  - Reggae, Rap & Rhymes
Enjoy the flavour of the Caribbean with Poet Anita Marie Sackett's popular Poetry workshop for Children which uses the poet's experience of living in Jamaica, to spark the imagination.

10.30am at Prettygate Library, Prettygate Road, Colchester, CO3 4EQ
Phone 01206 563700 to book a place

Saturday 27th September
Nature walk and haiku poetry workshop at Chafford Gorges Visitor Centre, led by award-winning poets John Barlow and Matthew Paul. The workshop will explore various ways of writing haiku in English and will feature several group activities. Participants will be encouraged to write haiku on the day, and there will be the opportunity to discuss these, or haiku you may already have written, both in a group context and/or one-to-one with the poets. Whilst concentrating on haiku, the workshop may also touch upon related poetic forms such as tanka and haibun. Suitable for all ages and abilities - from those completely new to haiku to more experienced writers.
An Essex Wildlife Trust / Essex Poetry Festival event
Chafford Gorges Visitor Centre
Drake Road, Chafford Hundred , Grays Thurrock, RM16 7RG
Phone 01375 484016 to book a place

1.30 pm      Donation: £5

Tuesday 30 September - The Poem as Dialogue
with Philip Wilson
This workshop examines how a poem can show and not tell by entering into dialogue with its audience and with other poems.  Examples will be given from contemporary poetry and participants will be able to write a poem in dialogue, which they will then be invited to present to the group.  Poetry collections from Colchester Library will be available for use.

6 - 7.30pm Colchester Library, Trinity Square, Colchester, CO1 1JB
Phone 01206 245900 to book a place

Friday 3rd October - Finding Inspiration In Your Library

Your local library contains something to spark every imagination – from thrillers to art books to classic works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as Internet access to special collections all around the world. It even has a few poetry collections! In this workshop, we will write poems inspired by materials in the Brentwood Library and poet Anne Welsh will share some of the tricks of her daytime trade as a professional librarian in tracking down fresh inspiration through physical and online libraries in Essex and beyond.

7.20pm Brentwood Library, New Road, Brentwood, CM14 4BP
Phone 01277 264290 to book a place

Saturday 4th October - The Art of Poetry

A reading and workshop with Adrian Green which explores the creative relationship between poetry and other artistic forms of expression followed by a practical exercise using imagination from visual images in writing poetry."

2 - 4pm Chelmsford Library, Market Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1LH
Phone 01245 492758 to book a place  tickets 50p (includes refreshments)

 Roz Hall’s poetry workshop at Manningtree Library takes younger children into a very mixed-up farmyard where team-work eventually prevails and the pictures and rhymes get sorted out, amidst a lot of rhythm, actions and general goings-on.

Organised chaos maybe - but great fun and the kids will love it!

11am Manningtree Library, High Street, Manningtree, CO11 1AD
Phone 01206 392747 to book a place

Saturday 4th October - Wild Words

Let your creative instincts take a walk on the wildside. 2006 BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year, Derek Adams will be running a poetry workshop at the Visitor Centre. Join Derek and reserve warden, Bill Godsafe on a guided walk, then turn your wild experiences into a poem. A fantastic opportunity to come along and write poetry with an experienced poet. Bring a notebook and pen. Refreshments provided. An Essex Wildlife Trust / Essex Poetry Festival event

Hanningfield Reservoir Visitor Centre
Hawkswood Road , Downham, Billericay, Essex, CM11 1WT
Phone 01268 711001 to book a place

1.00pm - 4.00pm      Donation: £7

Saturday 4th October - Reggae, Rap & Rhymes
Enjoy the flavour of the Caribbean with Poet Anita Marie Sackett's popular Poetry workshop for Children which uses the poet's experience of living in Jamaica, to spark the imagination.

10.30am Shenfield Library, Hutton Road, Shenfield, Brentwood, CM15 8NJ

Phone 01277 225540 to book a place

Thursday 9th October - Poetry at Work
The theme of this years National Poetry Day is Work, poet Derek Adams will lead you through some poems that explore how poets have used their experience of work in their writing and inspire you to write a poem based on your own experience.

2pm Hockley Library, Southend Road, Hockley, SS5 4PZ

Phone 01702 203558 to book a place

Thursday 9th October

Tim Cunningham reads followed by a poetry workshop

7.30 pm Billericay Library, 143 High Street, Billericay, CM12 9AB
Phone 01277 624624 to book a place

Thursday 9th October - Poetry in the Round
 
Estill Pollock will moderate a discussion group at Wivenhoe Library. Participants are invited to submit up to six original poems. Selected poems will be discussed anonymously by the group, to share thoughts and opinons about the art of poetry-writing.
 
Poems should be submitted not later than 30 September as "EPF Workshop Poems", c/o Library Supervisor, Wivenhoe Library, 104/6 High Street, Wivenhoe, CO7 9AB.

7:30-9:30pm Wivenhoe Library, 104/6 High Street, Wivenhoe, CO7 9AB
Phone 01206 823123 to book a place

Thursday 9th October - Room for poetry.
Come and discuss selected poems with poetry practitioner Dorothy Turner and stay to try writing yourself.

2pm Hullbridge Library, Ferry Road, Hullbridge, SS5 6ET
Phone 01702 230868 to book a place

Thursday 9th October - Poetry Surgery

Are you a budding bard or perhaps you have been writing for some time and would like to put a polish on your poetry, either way come along to Mark Hall Library in the Stow shopping centre Harlow with your poems that are unfinshed or maybe stuck in a rut and masterclass them with poet and one-time magazine editor, John Steer at the poetry surgery (bring copies to to share)

2pm Mark Hall Library, The Stow, Harlow, CM20 3AP
Phone 01279 425533 to book a place

Thursday 9th October - The Time of my Life!
Roz Hall’s poetry workshop at Frinton library takes you on a micro-journey through your own life, inspiring you and showing you how to express so much - yet in so few words. 
Abandon the autobiography; this is far more fun! 
And if you’ve never dared to pick up a pen before, come along and find out that you, too, can write something really special.

4pm  Frinton Library, 59 Old Road, Frinton-on-Sea, CO13 9DA
Phone 01255 672581 to book a place

Saturday 18th October - Changing Places

Adrian Green will lead reading and workshop which explores the way in which poetry might respond to changes in the urban landscape, and how this may be reflected in the work of different poets.

2pm Southend Central Library, Victoria Avenue, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 6EX
Phone 01702 534100 to book a place. Tickets £2.50 (includes refreshments) .