Poetry retreat at Hilfield Friary

We shall be looking at the work of English-language poets of the 20th and 21st centuries who write from within or in relation to a Christian faith. We will think about how, if at all, faith informs the work of a poet, especially when the work is not overtly about that faith. Poets whose work we’ll be discussing are likely to include W H Auden (1907-1973), Norman Nicholson (1914-1987), Denise Levertov (1923-1997), Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001), U A Fanthorpe (1929-2009), Geoffrey Hill (1932-2016), Mary Oliver (1935-2019), Les Murray (1938-2019), David Scott (1947-2022), Gillian Allnutt (1949-), Philip Gross (1952-), John Burnside (1955-2024), Michael Symmons Roberts (1963-), and Rachel Mann (1970-).

In contrast to previous poetry weekends we will not be making an in-depth study of any single poet but thinking together about the connections between faith and poetry. Do they share a common impulse? Is all poetry implicitly religious? I shall bring copies of several poems to discuss but invite you, if you are able, to bring a poem that speaks to you to add to the mix.

The suggested donation for the weekend is £160 to include all food and accommodation.