Loved teaching with Helen Mort at Lumb Bank this autumn. Here’s a snap from one of our students. Many thanks Lisa Jay Photography.

It was brilliant to take a workshop at Derby Museums to celebrate the launch of their Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. I really enjoyed running a poetry workshop along side all the crafts that were taking place on the day. The exhibition is totally FREE and should be checked out!

It’s been brilliant to have been asked to have been featured on Conversations on a Bench. Many thanks to Overtone Productions for their encouragement with making the program and with letting me choose the interviewees.

All the poetry you hear has been written by me. Tune in here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001x7z

It’s been awesome to collaborate with the Derbyshire electronica project Lippy Kid. The two of us have released a single, built around my poem called ‘Sometimes the Night’. Paul is such a talented musician and great at what he does.

All the money we make from this will go to the Women’s Centre, Padley and Samartians as part of mine and Laura’s fundraiser this year.

You can listen to the track here: https://lippykid.bandcamp.com/track/sometimes-the-night

Happy National Poetry Day! I’m very proud to say that my debut collection Please Mind the Gap is in it’s second edition after being launched in December. Poetry has opened the door for me in so many ways and it’s amazing to share that with so many different people. Whether you’re a writer or a reader, I hope you have a lovely day!

My debut poetry collection ‘Please Mind the Gap is finally out! I’ve got to say a massive thank you for everyone who has helped me to create the collection. I shall be having a night to celebrate the release of the book in London on December 2nd. Find more details are here and discover more about the collection below!

Please Mind the Gap is Sophie Sparham’s debut poetry collection.

The collection features a foreword from Professor Benjamin Zephaniah: “I am delighted to introduce Sophie Sparham to the wider world through this debut collection. She has a unique and distinctive voice, and has some very important things to say. I am sure she will shine in the years to come and her talent will carry her far. I hope that you, the reader, connect with her messages, feel her flow, and find meaning in her intelligent and creative verse.”

Please Mind the Gap can be purchased via Amazon or via Paypal by sending £6, plus £1.50 postage to sophie.sparham@googlemail.com.

I’m really excited to say that after 10 years of creating audio, my first radio documentary aired on BBC Radio 4. The documentary is an half an hour piece on St Pancras’s street pianos in London. It was a pleasure working with Overtone to create this and I’m excited for people to take a listen.

For those wanting to hear it, the link is here.

Programme description:

A lyrical improvisation captures the music and the stories of those who stop to play the street pianos at St Pancras Station in London, exploring the communities the music creates in this transient urban setting.

Around 45 million people pass through the station each year, travelling not only to the North of England or Kent, but also to Paris, Brussels and Lille. Visitors who stop unexpectedly – and regulars who come frequently – play the station’s unusual street pianos with a wide range of musical styles and ability. Their personal stories reinforce ideas about the universal language of music and its ability to cut across class, nationality, creed and colour.

Over the years, top performers from Sir Elton John to Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum to John Legend, have all played here – with Sir Elton signing and donating a piano.

But this programme tells the story of the ordinary people and the tunes they play. It provides intimate access into strangers’ lives and to this London station at both its busiest and its quietest moments.

Wow, so the past few months have flown by and I have to say it’s great to be able to get my workshops business off the ground.

In 2017 alone I’ve worked with the Padley Centre, various schools, Nottingham Poetry Festival and even Leicester City Football Club delivering workshops to people all shapes and sizes. There’s a lot more to come and definitely a lot more to build on, but all in all it’s been a good start to the year.

Quad Poetry Masterclass

Some dismiss it, but to me creative writing is probably one of the most powerful tools in existence. It allows us to express ourselves and builds new things such as confidence, friendship and determination, all through the power of words.

Words are pretty cool right?

Anyway, in June I shall be taking a six weeks course at the Quad for those six weeks we shall develop different aspects of form, content, editing and performance.

Details are here: http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/course/poetry-from-start-to-finish.aspx

So how’s it all going guys? Last week was a busy one for many reason, but the most important result was that my workshop business passed panel at the Prince’s Trust! To most of you reading this, that phrase will probably mean nothing. And why would it? When I first heard about the Prince’s Trust I thought it was about going on long hikes in the countryside with two stone backpacks on. I was very wrong- that was in fact the Duke of Edinburgh!

In fact, The Prince’s Trust Charity runs an enterprise course for people aged 18- 30 who want to start up a business. Basically you go on a four-day course to learn about business, an adviser helps you plan your business plan and then you go through a panel of experts to get it confirmed. Once your plan has been approved, you get a business mentor for two years.

And you know what the best thing is? It’s FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE.

I know, I couldn’t believe it either. I’ve attached the link below for more info, but if you’re from Derbyshire and reading this, then drop me a line and I’ll send you the Derbyshire organiser’s info.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTERPRISE DETAILS. 

I have two people to thank for referring me to the program; photographer Alex Cantrill-Jones and magician Luca Gallone. Good lads they are.  Also massive thanks to Gen and Helen, who helped me through the course. I really had no idea about anything to do with business beforehand and if I can do it then anyone can!

So the good news is that all the writing workshops I deliver for you lovely people, around poetry and fiction, will be Prince’s Trust certified. There’s a lot in the pipeline and something that I can’t yet speak about, but the main plan for me is to deliver creative writing workshops through the means of schools, charities and hopefully prisons in the future.

Everything shall be tailored to what the customer requires and more details can be found on the Workshops page of the website. If you want examples of my work, please follow the ‘Written Word’ tab.