The Craft - a Poetry Night

A live-editing poetry event in Stretford



3 hours Class size 1 to 40 guests    

  £5 - £15 (£10 for Pay What You Can; £15 for Pay It Forward)
Manchester Activities
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Craft
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Paper Craft & Ink
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Creative Writing Experience Gifts
Welcome to The Craft - a poetry night with the intimacy of a workshop and the energy of a live event. Hosted by two Mancunian poets - Carson Wolfe and Amy Harris.
Using a fishbowl method of teaching, guests are invited to bring a poem ready for editing and put their name in the pink fishbowl on arrival. The hosts will pull four names at random and live-edit these poets before an audience. Together, we all learn from the craft conversations as they unfold.
The Craft is perfect for you if:
  • You enjoy the process of refining and polishing your work
  • You're curious about professional editing techniques and want to learn
  • You're ready to engage with constructive feedback in a supportive, kind-hearted environment
You'll leave this session with a fresh perspective on your writing and practical tools to approach your next draft with confidence.
More about your hosts:
Amy is an English teacher, and professional celebrant who believes poetry belongs to everyone. Self-taught and stage-trained, her work is rooted in working-class experience and shaped by years on Manchester’s spoken word circuit. Her debut collection 'Bedtime for Overthinkers' features her most famous poem 'My Kind of Heaven' - which has been printed as a Glastonbury Festival postcard. As a celebrant, Amy writes bespoke wedding poems for couples across the world, and is co-host of Dead Good Poetry, a local event exploring grief through poetry.
Carson Wolfe was the Grand Prize Winner of The Disquiet Literary Program 2024. Their work has appeared with POETRY, The Rumpus, The Common, and Rattle. In 2023, they won New Writing North’s Debut Poetry Prize, received awards from The Aurora Poetry Prize, The Edward Thomas Fellowship, and were longlisted in The Poetry Society’s National Competition. They are the author of two chapbooks, Boy(ish) (Hidden Voice 2022), and Coin Laundry at Midnight (Button Poetry, 2026). Their debut full collection Gone Thing is forthcoming with Write Bloody UK in 2027.
What you'll get
The potential to have their poem live-edited plus direct access to the craft of revision.
Knowledge required
This class is for anyone who loves poetry or is interested in learning about it. Beginners welcome! Though if you have never written a poem before or have never received feedback, we'd advise coming to The Craft as an audience member first.
What to bring
If you wish to put your name in the fishbowl, you must bring a draft of a poem you feel is ready for editing, in a digital file ready to share. Alternatively, if you'd prefer a low-pressure evening of observation, you can sit back and enjoy the creative flow of the event.
Location

Stretford Public Hall Chester Road Stretford

The Craft - a Poetry Night location
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Your teacher

Carson Wolfe
Carson Wolfe

female Women-owned

The Craft brings you the intimacy of a workshop with the energy of a live event. Hosted by four published poets with a wealth of experience in teaching and editing – Nikki Allen, Lexi Pelle, Melissa Sussens, and Carson Wolfe.
In a landscape ripe with open mics and generative workshops, we offer something different – insight into the editing process and direct access to the craft of revision. No pre-reading, no homework, no lesson plans – we just show up and edit your poems.
Using a fishbowl style of teaching, as inspired by the renowned online poetry course, Poems That Don’t Suck by Megan Falley. We pull four names at random from the attendee list and live-edit these ‘fishes’ before audience participants, followed by a short Q&A.
The Craft is for you if:
1. You love editing poems as much as we do
2. You are curious about the editing process and want to learn
3. You are ready to receive constructive feedback and join the conversation with a tender heart
If you want to enter your name into the metaphorical fishbowl for a chance to have your poem live-edited, then please purchase a fishbowl ticket and arrive at the event with your poem ready to share.
If you’d rather sit back, relax, and observe, that’s totally ok too. Purchase an audience ticket and enjoy the show.
The Hosts:
Carson Wolfe is a Mancunian poet and Grand Prize Winner of The Disquiet Literary Program (2024). They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University, and their work has appeared in POETRY, The Rumpus, The Common, and Rattle. In 2023, they won New Writing North’s Debut Poetry Prize, received awards from The Aurora Poetry Prize and The Edward Thomas Fellowship, and were longlisted for The Poetry Society’s National Competition. Their second chapbook, Coin Laundry at Midnight, is forthcoming with Button Poetry in spring 2026.
Manchester Activities
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Craft
•
Paper Craft & Ink
•
Creative Writing Experience Gifts

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class 1E57MXLBSX b30fa37a8c654059964d2a78c24cea95 production manchester Manchester North West GB manchester