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The Telling: Narrative Poetry Workshop

Host: Shirley May, poet, short story writer, and CEO of Young Identity

Join Black British poet Shirley May for this poetry workshop focused on storytelling. Shirley will show you how narrative poetry can help you share your own experiences. She will read from her book, She Wrote Her Own Eulogy, and guide you in exploring your memories to create your own narrative poem using free-flow techniques.

You can explore our Black History Month sessions in our Black History Month 2025 YouTube Playlist

About Shirley

Shirley May is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is also a respected mentor and cultural organiser with Young Identity, a youth poetry charity she co-founded in Manchester. In 2018, Shirley published her first poetry collection, She Wrote Her Own Eulogy to great acclaim.

Find out more about Shirley may on her YouTube Channel here.

Video time

45 minutes

The Telling: Narrative Poetry Workshop | Virtual Village Hall | Royal Voluntary Service

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  • A quiet space, something to write with and on, like pens, pencils, a laptop or your phone, and your imagination!

Black History Month 2025

This October, we're hosting a variety of sessions from Black History walks to poetry writing workshops - we invite you to celebrate Black culture with us!

Main image: a father and son hugging and smiling outside in the sun.