Ink & Oak Tree has landed

For quite a while now I've been thinking of creating a separate website for my workshops, courses and mentoring work.   Since lockdown, when I hurriedly put together the Cabin Fever course, it's been clear that something like that is needed - something more organised and easy to navigate, something purpose built, where I can not only share news of new workshops and courses with you, but have more space to explain what it is I do with writing mentees, and sell downloadable workshops.

I am passionate about making writing and the processes behind it as accessible as possible; passionate about helping others find a way to live creatively.  To me, writing workshops should not all be about making you a more publishable writer (though I do teach that sort of workshop too!); sometimes what we need is something more authentic, instinctive, personal.  Thinking about that kind of creativity, and a more sustainable, authentic move of practise, is what led to the creation of Ink & Oak Tree.

On the Ink & Oak Tree website you will find information about my different mentorship packages.  If you're interested in working one-to-one with an experienced writer and editor, either on a specific project or on building a body of work, we can put together a program to suit you.  Click here for more information.

There's also a page for Wild Words, a course of four seasonal writing courses (we're currently on the Autumn course, which runs for the month of October!).  Each course works independently, and is made up of seasonal writing prompts delivered to your inbox each day for a month.  Click here to read more.

On the blog there, Notes from the Hilltop, I will be writing about topics that might be useful or inspiring to others in various places along their writing journey.  I kicked things off with a short essay In Praise of Writer's Block.

 

You will also find a link there to my new etsy shop, where you can purchase poetry cards and downloadable workshops and courses.  I'm still in the process of getting those up, but at the moment you can purchase the Cabin Fever Creative Month and the first Wild Words course, Summer.  Because they're on Etsy, they will be available to you as soon as you purchase, without waiting for me to email anything to you. 

I'll be adding more workshops and online courses to the Ink & Oak Tree site, as well as etsy - the easiest way to keep up with that is to follow me on instagram, though there is an Ink & Oak Tree facebook page too even if I moan about having to use it.

I intend to keep this website running and focused on my own writing and appearances, but I hope the Ink & Oak Tree website will help anyone wanting to sign up for workhops or courses, work with me or buy the odd poetry product - do check it out if you're inclined!

Cabin Fever!

Being isolated due to a global pandemic sounds quite interesting until it happens, and then you find out very quickly that it is extremely boring, and involves a constant background hum of stress.  Even if you haven't self-isolated, you have probably found that most, if not all of the things you'd usually be doing are cancelled.  Perhaps, like me, you have had to cancel almost everything that would have generated your income for the next couple of months.

So what will you do with all of this time?  In an effort to avoid a daily covid-19 news spiral, or vegetating in front of netflix (though that will happen too no doubt), I decided I wanted to spend some time every day doing something creative, something that would refocus my attention; something positive.

Cabin Fever Creative Month is what I came up with.  A month of creative writing prompts and exercises doled out to you one a day, so that you can spend some time each day doing something creative, inspiring, and grounding - whether for ten minutes or a couple of hours is up to you.  Cabin Fever is designed to be low pressure (we surely have enough going on), and suitable for writers of just about anything; those new to writing who would like to give it a try, and those stuck at home looking to spend some time creatively and work on a skill, those who already write but would like some fresh inspiration and a group of likeminded creatives to connect with.  There will be prompts from me, as well as some other wonderful writers!

And best of all, you can do the lot from your barricaded flat, living off cold tinned spaghetti or whatever we've all been reduced to by April.  It even comes with a fb group where you can share your work, chat, or find support.

So, if you're self-isolating, social-distancing, or just fancy spending some time exploring your creativity through writing, join the Cabin Fever Creatives for a month of creative prompts, jokes about hazmat suits, and a space to lament when you run out of biscuits.

The course will begin on the 30th of March and run for four weeks, finishing on the 27th of April.
To keep it as accessible as possible, the cost is £15 per person.

The course has already started, is it too late to join?
Not at all!  People joining after we begin will be sent all of the prompts thus far as a document, so they don't miss out on anything and can respond to them in their own time.

Questions?  Feel free to drop me an email at crhooson@gmail.com

Otherwise:

Autumn & Winter poetry cards

Last year my winter poetry cards were so popular that I've decided to do them again, this time with some new designs (and new poems!) added in for those who like to celebrate autumn too.

Each card is printed on recycled paper using environmentally sound practices, and will be sent using plastic free packaging.  They each feature original writing by me, either an extract or a whole poem, and beautiful photography by Victoria Kuzmina and the wonderful Annie Spratt (whose work you might have seen in Creative Countryside magazine).

 You can choose from five designs:

 

Wintering, Porcelain & Snow, Solstice

Autumn Stories, Blackberries

To purchase, simply add whichever options suit you to the cart below before checking out, and make
sure to note your chosen designs if you buy a pack of 3 or 5. 

Please note: I will be away from the 17th to the 23rd of November.  Any cards purchased during this period will be sent out once I'm home! 

Options

Blackberries £2.95 GBP Autumn Stories £2.95 GBP Solstice £2.95 GBP Wintering £2.95 GBP Porcelain & Snow £2.95 GBP Pack of any 3 £7.95 GBP Pack of any 5 £12.50 GBP Overseas postage £1.00 GBP

Pick your designs

Dr Rhiannon's Cabinet of Creative Curiosities

Enter the Wunderkammer and be inspired by the objects within!

A creative writing workshop with award-winning poet Rhiannon Hooson, which draws on a collection of curious, intriguing, and remarkable objects to inspire, appall, and delight.  Together we will examine wonders from the natural world, ancient pieces from the past, and objects that have inspired artists from all walks of life, and create poems based on their intriguing histories. 

Whether you are an experienced poet or a beginner, come along and be inspired!

This workshop will take place in September at Whitton Old School in Powys, but will also be available as an ONLINE WORKSHOP.

 

Online workshop

As a part of making my workshops more accessible to all, I have decided to offer selected workshops as one-off online creative toolkits that will be offered at the slightly discounted rate of £25.  This will allow you to take the same workshop as those at the day events, but in your own time, and in your own home. 

  When you preorder the online version of the workshop, you will get:

• A comprehensive and detailed breakdown of all the themes explored. 
• Inspirational prompts and creative techniques to help you get the most out of the workshop.
• A structured progression of exercises to complete in your own time, designed to guide you through the creation of several pieces of work.
• Suggested further reading and printable worksheets.

Please note, you will be sent the content of the workshop via email.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at crhooson@gmail.com

Winter Poetry Cards

Edit: these are now SOLD OUT.  Thank you all for your interest!

There was interest over on instagram in some poetry cards for christmas!  I've put together a small number of them with three different poems and designs, and they're now available to buy.

Each card is printed on recycled paper using environmentally sound practices, and will be sent using plastic free packaging.  They each feature original writing by me, either an extract or a whole poem, and beautiful photography by Victoria Kuzmina and the wonderful Annie Spratt (whose work you might have seen in Creative Countryside magazine). 

Cards

Wintering £2.75 GBP Solstice £2.75 GBP Porcelain and Snow £2.75 GBP All 3 designs £7.50 GBP Pack of 5 (please note choices in field below) £12.00 GBP

Pack of 5 choices

There are several options: each individual design, a pack of all 3, and a pack of 5 comprising whatever combination you'd like.  Just choose from the drop down menu!

Steps out of Stillness

Delighted to announce my next workshop, which will be held at the Radnorshire Arts and Crafts Foundation.  This summer I have been working on an online course that will get you writing, no matter what problems you may have encountered along the way, and this workshop is a condensed, adapted version.  So far it has proven extremely useful to those that have done it!  It consists of exercises and approaches to creativity that you will be able to apply to your own writing for years to come.

What do you do when you can't think of anything to write?  What if you have an idea, but you don't know what to do with it?  What if you have so many ideas all clamoring to be written, and you end up getting nothing finished?

Steps out of Stillness is not a five step plan to a poem or story, but rather a series of exercises that will help you find your own path, and then set you loose to blaze your own trail.  It teaches not how to write, but how to be a writer.

This workshop is designed for those who need help either breaking out of writer’s block, returning to writing after a period of inactivity, or those just starting to think about writing who would benefit from structured exercises and a thoughtful approach to exploring their own practice.  It is also suitable for experienced writers wishing to expand and sustain their creative practice.

The workshop will focus on equipping you with new strategies and techniques for generating work, leaving you more self-sufficient in your inspiration. 
Please bring with you any notebooks that you have been keeping, as we will be using them during the afternoon.

The Old School, Whitton.  1.30 – 4.30, £28 including afternoon tea.

Contact crhooson@gmail.com to book.  

Please note this workshop is now sold out.  I will be adding another date in the new year, if you would like to be put on the list for that, or on the waiting list for the November date in case of cancellation, please let me know.

A Story with a Secret

On Sunday the 26th of August, in the roar of the rain, I launched my new pamphlet Full Moon on Fish Street in the gallery at the Radnorshire Arts and Crafts Foundation.  It was a wonderful morning and a packed house!  I was thrilled when fellow poet Emma van Woerkom agreed to come and read along with me, and enjoyed every minute of her wonderful reading.

Full Moon on Fish Street is a chapbook of poems and prose that tell a story.  Put simply, it's a story about an artist and her muse.  But things are never that simple, are they?

The thing I love most about Full Moon on Fish Street is that it's a story with a secret.  I don't think the secret will be obvious on the first reading, but it is there, like a flash of silver hiding between pebbles on a beach.

If you'd like to purchase a copy, head over here to my publications page.  Full Moon on Fish Street is printed on recycled paper, and each one of the 100 copies printed has been signed and numbered by me.