Poets have been inspired by the human impact on nature (and vice versa!) for centuries, and we want to explore this relationship further with the In the Sticks project. <\/p>\n<\/div> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n Poets have been inspired by the human impact on nature (and vice versa!) for centuries, and we want to explore this relationship further in this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From June 2020, we were planning to run workshops all over the West Midlands, focusing on different aspects of how people interact with the countryside around them. However, as we\u2019re in a very strange time of lockdown and social distancing, it\u2019s not possible to run in-person workshops right now, so we\u2019re inviting you to take part in our virtual workshops (links below).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve compiled a host of resources for you to learn all about the areas we\u2019re focusing on \u2013 and even to visit yourself, if you like! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you can take a tour from the comfort of your armchair. Take a look through our notes, photographs, and walking guides to get a feel for the areas. Read our recommended poems to consider the impact of human activity on the countryside, and finally, work through our writing exercises to get those creative juices flowing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll let you know on the website and social media when we\u2019re able to hold face-to-face workshops again. In the meantime, take a look through our workshops, and polish those poems up for when we open our submission window!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spring workshop looks at changes in the landscape as winter eases and the weather starts to warm up. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n For our latest exercise we\u2019re thinking about activity which happens all over our rural areas during winter.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n Take a tour of Brindley Village and consider how people and the countryside they live in impact each other.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n How has the history of forestry activities in the Wyre Forest shaped the ecosystem of the forest we see today?<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rhododendron-1-900x675.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAt the end of the In the Sticks project we\u2019re aiming to create an anthology which represents the reality of life \u2018In the Sticks\u2019, and we want to include plenty of poems written in response to our workshops. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Snowdrops-1l-600x450.jpg\")
<\/div>Celebrating Spring<\/h3><\/div>
![\"Fallen-oak-tree-countryside-winter\"](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Fallen-oak-tree-countryside-winter-600x450.jpg\")
<\/div>Countryside in Winter<\/h3><\/div>
![\"Brindley](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/brindley-heath-view-600x450.jpg\")
<\/div>Cannock Chase<\/h3><\/div>
![\"in](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Forest-Road-1-600x450.jpg\")
<\/div>Wyre Forest <\/h3><\/div>
![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Daisies-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Brindley](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/memorial-plaque-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"in](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Autumn-colours-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"in](\"https:\/\/offaspress.co.uk\/in-the-sticks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Dowles-Brook-wyre-forest-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n