Wordsmithery*
Finalist (Publishing) Kent Creative Awards 2016
Winner (Literature) Medway Culture, design and tourism awards 2015
Wordsmithery:
Making community
literary projects
CREATING
Devising and producing events for local councils and organisations such as: 'The Empty Chair Poetry Trail' (Medway Council, 2020-21), 'Welcome to Cloisterham' (Medway Council, 2021, 2022).
PRODUCING
Producing community events and projects, such as: An Assemblance of Judicious Heretics (2021, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014), Confluence: Plant; Grow; Nurture (ACE funded, 2017-18)
PUBLISHING
Wordsmithery publishes short runs of poetry and plays, plus a literary magazine, Confluence.
We also run the Rosemary McLeish Poetry Prize.
Consulting
Acting as creative project managers and literary engagement specialists for other arts organizations and projects: 'Cabbage Island' (Icon Theatre, 2018), 'Welcome Project' (Medway Council, 2022).
Wordsmithery launches Bumblebee charity anthology
You can buy A Commonwealth of Wings here.
We have put together a poetry collection in aid of UK bumblebees. Over the past century, our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct, and several others have declined dramatically.
Not only are bumblebees fun, furry, little creatures that have been muses for as long as people have been creating art; but bees are essential to crop pollination; ‘of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.’ (Achim Steiner, Executive Director UN Environment Programme)
Bumblebees play a huge role in pollination in the UK, because they have different lengths of tongue, so they can visit a larger range of flowers and crops than honeybees. There are
currently 24 species of bumblebee resident in Britain, with eight of those being the most common (the ‘Big Eight’ which illustrate the collection, the cover image is of the Buff-tailed bmblebee - bombus terrestris).
Our anthology has poems inspired by bumblebees and other pollinators by poets: Patience Agbabi, Sean Alayo, Rachel Bower, Jane Burn, Mark Connors, Zack Davies, Sarah L Dixon, Barry Fentiman Hall, Sam Hall, Maggie Harris, Sarah Hehir, Pauline Holmes, Philip Kane, Knuckles, Bill Lewis, Maria C McCarthy, John McCullough, Rosemary McLeish, Jennifer A McGowan, Jessica Mookherjee, Bridget Nolan, Sue Proffitt, Sarah Tait, Jonathan Terranova.
Proceeds from the anthology will go to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
The book is pocket-sized, and costs £8 including UK postage. For multiple copies or international orders, please drop us an email. Pre-orders are available now, and the books will be sent out from 10/12/22. A perfect Christmas present!
