About Moor Poets
Moor Poets is a community of poets based in and around the Dartmoor area. We aim to help poets of all levels of experience with the development of their work and to share our enthusiasm for poetry as widely as possible.
We run a varied programme of workshops each year, led by guest poets and Moor Poets members. Recent topics have included eco-poetry, songwriting, poetic form and presentation skills. Among our past and forthcoming workshop leaders are Roselle Angwin, Fiona Benson, Andy Brown, Graham Burchell, Caroline Carver, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Katrina Naomi, Jennie Osborne, Julie-ann Rowell, Ian Royce Chamberlain, Penelope Shuttle, Susan Taylor and Simon Williams.
As well as running workshops, from time to time we organise readings by members and publish anthologies of members’ work. We currently have four anthologies available, the most recent of which was published in 2018. See our Books page for details.
On this website you can find details of Moor Poets’ own events and publications. You can also find information about other poetry events, as well as books and poems by our members. You can find us on Facebook too.
Moor Poets' twentieth anniversary celebration
Moor Poets will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary on Saturday 8th July at 2.00 pm at the Ashburton Arts Centre with readings by guest poets Katrina Naomi and Caroline Carver and by Moor Poets members. The readings will be followed by a party. We hope you will be able to join us for this celebration of our activities.
Unearthing Dartmoor - a collaboration between Moor Poets and artists' group Contemporary Markmakers
Unearthing Dartmoor has emerged from two years of collaborative work on Dartmoor by Moor Poets members and members of local artists' group Contemporary Markmakers. The participants have created a large and varied body of poetry, artwork, prints and photographs which chronicle and reflect different dimensions of Dartmoor. This treasure-trove of poetry and art will be on public exhibition between Saturday 1st July and 29th September 2023 at the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Visitor Centre in Princetown. Entrance is free and the exhibition offers enjoyment and inspiration for those local to Dartmoor and visitors alike. The launch event for this exhibition will be held on Saturday 1st July at 3pm at the Visitor Centre and all are warmly welcome to attend.
There will be a more permanent record of the project in the form of a beautiful high-quality colour compilation of the poetry and artwork also entitled Unearthing Dartmoor. The book will be on sale for £15 at the exhibition and is available by mail order for £20 per copy (which includes £5 for postage and packing) from Jane Ellis. If you would like to order multiple copies, please contact Jane to find out the cost of postage and packing. The cost to members of Moor poets will be £10 per copy plus postage and packing.
The project is very grateful to the Duchy of Cornwall and Moor Poets for their financial support, and to the Dartmoor National Park Authority for providing the exhibition venue at the National Park Visitor Centre in Princetown.
For details of the artwork and information about the exhibition, see the Unearthing Dartmoor project website: https://markmakers.avenda.uk
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The Moor Poets Committee
Moor Poets was founded by Pat Fleming, a poet who lives on Dartmoor, in April 2003, with the aim of encouraging creative writing for people of all abilities. For a number of years Pat acted as Treasurer of the group, with Graham Burchell as Chair and Ian Royce Chamberlain as Secretary. Thanks to the hard work of this committee, and committee members before them who have contributed over the years, Moor Poets has established itself as a valuable resource for South Devon poets.
The committee from January 2020:
Helen Boyles (Joint Chair)
I've written poetry for much of my life and had poems published in reputable
national poetry magazines and journals as well as a small collection, Catching Light, published in
2016 by Indigo Dreams. My writing is inspired by nature and by human experience, creativity and history. I have tutored in literature and other humanities subjects at Secondary, Further and Higher education level, am an Associate Lecturer and Research Associate with the Open University and have just had a full length study published by Routledge: Romanticism and Methodism: the problem of religious enthusiasm. As joint Chairperson I'm thoroughly enjoying planning and participating in Moor Poets workshops, readings and other poetry-related events.
Moor Poets was founded by Pat Fleming, a poet who lives on Dartmoor, in April 2003, with the aim of encouraging creative writing for people of all abilities. For a number of years Pat acted as Treasurer of the group, with Graham Burchell as Chair and Ian Royce Chamberlain as Secretary. Thanks to the hard work of this committee, and committee members before them who have contributed over the years, Moor Poets has established itself as a valuable resource for South Devon poets.
The committee from January 2020:
Helen Boyles (Joint Chair)
I've written poetry for much of my life and had poems published in reputable
national poetry magazines and journals as well as a small collection, Catching Light, published in
2016 by Indigo Dreams. My writing is inspired by nature and by human experience, creativity and history. I have tutored in literature and other humanities subjects at Secondary, Further and Higher education level, am an Associate Lecturer and Research Associate with the Open University and have just had a full length study published by Routledge: Romanticism and Methodism: the problem of religious enthusiasm. As joint Chairperson I'm thoroughly enjoying planning and participating in Moor Poets workshops, readings and other poetry-related events.
Simon Millward (Joint Chair)
Simon has moved to Devon, after a career spent mostly in healthcare management but also including some literature promotion in the East Midands and Norwich, to spend more time on writing poetry, pursuing his love of the natural world and his interest in music and art. He runs a group teaching meditation in South Molton near where he lives. He has recently published An Invitation, a book of poems and photographs based around the glen of Balquhidder, which is the result of a long collaboration with a photographer friend in Scotland. Terry Dyson (Treasurer) details to follow Secretary - Vacant Our latest anthology, which is out now. |