Rebecca Goss at the first Liverpool Literary Festival event Monday 3rd November

The first event of the Liverpool Literary Festival is on this Monday 3rd November at the Bluecoat at 12noon. Rebecca Goss is hosting a two hour workshop over lunchtime about women's poetry, so bring a packed lunch and join other readers and writers to discuss poems that explore key stages in the life of women.

Rebecca and the group will read and discuss poems addressing key aspects in women's lives, taking in the poignant and the pleasurable. This will lead to a writing exercise, drawing on sensory experience and nostalgia.  No previous writing experience is necessary. This workshop is limited to 20 places and we still have some seats left.

Rebecca Goss taught creative writing at Liverpool John Moores University and is now a full-time poet. She reads nationwide and has work published in The Reader, Mslexia and Ambit and forthcoming in anthologies, The Poet's Perspective and In the Telling.

Rebecca recently appeared at the Chapter And Verse festival at the Bluecoat alongside Paul Durcan in a lively, entertaining and heartfelt event to a packed-out audience. Although their styles were very different, it was wonderful to see two poetry readings about personal experiences and moments brought to life in such a memorable way.

There are two other workshops at the festival:

Jorie Graham is appearing in a discussion group with poems submitted by workshop attendees, and we nearly have a full session already. Many people have submitted a wide range of poems and it is shaping up to be a very interesting group. Saturday 8th November at 10am at the Bluecoat.

Ailsa Cox will be leading a creative writing workshop on short stories, one of the most demanding and yet rewarding of forms. It’s not going to take as long as a novel but it is going to ask you to be succinct. Budding and experienced writers are invited to join Ailsa Cox for a workshop which will introduce some basic concepts and give you a chance to develop your skills. No experience necessary. Sunday 9th November at 4pm at the Bluecoat. Ailsa Cox teaches creative writing at Edge Hill University. Her stories have been published widely, and have been shortlisted twice for the Stand International Short Story competition, for the V.S. Pritchett award and The Bridport Prize. She is the author of Writing Short Stories.

Remember that students can £1 tickets for all events ... please visit our website www.liverpoollitfest.org.uk.