Saturday 21 May 2016, 10am – 5pm

Stripe Lecture Theatre, University of Winchester

Fleur Adcock was born in New Zealand but has lived in London since 1963. She is one of Britain’s best loved poets, celebrated her 80th birthday in 2014 and her most recent book The Land Ballot was published by Bloodaxe in 2015.  Her Poems 1960-2000 was published in 2000.  In 1996 she was given an OBE; in 2006 was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and in 2008 was named Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature.

The University of Winchester is co-hosting with the University of Northampton the Fleur Adcock Symposium in honour of one of our best known contemporary  poets. The organisers are Julian Stannard and Janet Wilson, and Fleur Adcock will be at the symposium in person!

Julian is a Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Winchester and the author of Fleur Adcock in Context: From Movement to Martians (Edwin Mellen, 1997) and Janet is a Professor of English and Postcolonial Studies at the University of Northampton and author of Fleur Adcock (2007)  published by Northcote House /British Council in their Writers and their Work series.

Fleur Adcock:  Photo courtesy Caroline Forbes (used with permission)

This is a unique opportunity to take part in a one-day symposium full of poetry, critical insight, and artistic collaboration. The day will be made up of short readings, papers, an interview, a Q&A session and a range of intriguing discussions.

There will be readings by Fleur Adcock, Fiona Sampson, Susan Wicks, Stephanie Norgate, Julian Stannard and others. Janet Wilson will discuss, with the soprano Joanne Roughton-Arnold and Fleur herself, the mini-opera Iris Dreaming  about the celebrated  New Zealand poet Robin Hyde – the music is by Gillian Whitehead and the libretto by Fleur Adcock. There will be  papers on Adcock’s most recent  book The Land Ballot, the importance of place and displacement in the poet’s work generally, the New Zealand-British dichotomy,  tragicomedy in Adcock’s  poetry, the poet’s classical background and her interest in Epicureanism, an account of Fleur’s involvement  with the Group, an important vehicle for poetry in the 1960s and beyond, and it is hoped that the poet Alan Brownjohn (part of the Group) will be at the symposium, too. Susan Wicks will talk about her experience at an Arvon Course in the late 80s – ‘Postcard from Totleigh Barton’ – a course which was co-tutored by Fleur.

The experience was all-important and Susan is keen to acknowledge her debt.  And, on another note altogether, there’s a poem from Michael Longley – more about that on the day. In short, a gathering of poets, critics, writers, editors and students who will be sharing their knowledge and paying tribute to this enormously important poet. This is a fantastic opportunity to take part in a very special cultural  event. There will be a bookstall with works by Fleur Adcock and other  poets/writers attending the event.

To book your tickets, click here