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Comino Poet in Residence 2024/25 (Our World, Our Futures)
APPLICATION QUESTION
Please tell us why poetry is important to you, including some detail about your own writing, what you think you could bring as a Poet in Residence on this project and how being part of this project would fit with your own career aspirations.
COMINO POET IN RESIDENCE 2024/5 – project detail
We are offering 9 ‘Poet in Residence’ bursaries of £200 for aspiring poet-educators looking to get experience of working in Greater Manchester secondary schools.
No experience is required but you must consider yourself to be a poet. You will be taking a role as Poet in Residence, so you need to be creative yourself and be confident and enthusiastic about sharing your passion for poetry to inspire young writers.
At the end of November 2024, a preparatory session for all of the successful poets will be hosted by Poetry Library staff; a chance to explore the ‘Our World, Our Futures’ theme and to prepare you for becoming a Poet in Residence. You will meet your partner schools and organisations at an event in December to plan your project, to find out about the young people you will be working with and to agree dates for your visits to the school.
Bringing poets into classrooms to model their own enthusiasm and talent for reading and writing poetry is a powerful way to empower pupils to explore their own talents. Young people are often natural poets and engaging with poetry in classrooms offers an opportunity for them to express their ideas and opinions, exploring their creativity and building confidence as they are inspired to write, perform and create.
On dates agreed between you and your partners in December, you will work with a class or smaller group of pupils in school and at a museum/library/gallery to deliver your project. You will deliver between 4-6 sessions with your teacher/partner between January/April, working towards a showcase of pupils’ work that will take place in June/July, when all projects will be exhibited in the Poetry Library and in schools.
APPLICANTS
Classroom experience is not necessary. You must have a genuine enthusiasm for writing poetry (in any form and for any audience), a desire to work with young people and a flexible and collaborative attitude.
KEY DATES
(If you are appointed, you must be available to attend all of the dates below)
Monday 28th October 5pm: optional information session for anyone wanting to find out more before applying.
Friday 1st November (midnight): closing date for applications
8th November: Interviews (in person or online at a time tba. We can be flexible with this date if it is impossible.
w/c 2nd Dec or 9th Dec (exact date tbc): a session will be hosted in the Poetry Library to explore the project theme and to prepare poets to get the most out of the launch day.
13th December: Project Launch day. This is a compulsory day for anyone involved in the project. Please put a provisional booking in your calendar when you apply.
18th June 2025: Project Celebration day (4-6pm) in person.
DELIVERY (Dates tba between Jan-March)
Each project will have a different interpretation of the ‘Our World, Our Futures’ theme, as agreed between the project partners on the December planning day. Dates for delivery will be agreed on this date, too. These are roughly split into:
- an initial ‘meet the poet’ session in school, where the poets will visit the school to meet the class or group they will be working with
- a school visit to the Cultural Partner venue, poet will work in partnership with the cultural partner, who will lead on this session.
- an optional Poetry Library visit (the poet will lead a session, supported by Poetry Library staff.
- Poets will then prepare and lead 3 or 4 sessions in school, where pupils will develop ideas explored in the earlier sessions.
- Poets will collate and curate pupils’ work to create a display that will be showcased in the Poetry Library for the June celebration day and throughout the summer.
Support will be given throughout by a poet-mentor, who has worked on this project before and by the two project co-ordinators from Comino and the Poetry Library.
Poets will also be responsible for collating and editing examples of work from each pupil that will appear in printed form in the Comino Poet in Residence report.
Sign up to attend the information session on 28th October, 2024 or contact k.tew@mmu.ac.uk if you have any questions about any of the above.
Associated Badges:
In A Nutshell...
- Collaborate... with educational professionals from schools and cultural organisations (including the Poetry Library team) to create and lead a project as a Poet in Residence.
- Share... your enthusiasm for poetry with children and young people to inspire the writers of tomorrow.
- Create ... an exciting poetry project on the theme of 'Our World, Our Futures'and devise ways to create and display pupils' work in the Manchester Poetry Library.
- Develop your skills... with support from teachers and creative practitioners who have a wealth of experience in school.
- Gain invaluable experience... working as the Lead Artist in an education setting on a project that is fantastic experience for anyone interested in community and outreach work or in going into education.
- Earn up to 300 Rise points ... which can be recognised within your degree.
Schedule
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02/12/24 to 09/12/24 - Manchester Poetry Library
Project briefing and training for successful applicants Half a day for all poets in the Poetry Library, where we will explore the project theme 'Our World, Our Futures' and prepare poets to get the most out of the Launch day, when they meet their project partners and begin to plan the project. -
10:00 to 17:00 on 13/12/24 - Geoffrey Manton or Grosvenor East - room tbc
Project planning day This is where you will meet your project partners: teachers from your allocated school and your cultural partner, who will be someone from one of the city's museums, galleries, libraries or theatres. -
06/01/25 to 14/04/25 - As agreed on planning day - a mix of work at the school, the cultural partner and at MMU
Project delivery As agreed at the planning day, this will comprise approx 7 days in total, a mix of school visits and some time at the cultural partner and the Poetry Librarynn -
16:00 to 18:00 on 18/06/25 - Poetry Library
Celebration event A gathering of all of the project partners to showcase their work. Poets will be responsible for creating a display of their pupils' work in the Poetry Library in the week leading up to this event.