The Road Movie: America and Beyond
The journey/quest plot of the road movie has allowed film makers to explore a wide range of themes: from politics to notions of freedom, from family relationships to gender issues. This study day will look at examples of the genre … More details …
Remembering Vaughan Williams
The life-story of this great composer is a chronicle of changing times. His music is the soundtrack of the century – by turns dynamic, reflective, challenging and just plain gorgeous.
Nature’s other Minstrels
Why were birds such a popular subject for poets of the Romantic period? From Coleridge to John Clare, we shall discover how birds were imaginatively presented – from the ethereal to the terrestrial, from the fanciful to the carefully observed.
Making Peace – Keeping Peace
It is of course simplistic to say that history repeats itself. But writing and performing two Great War centenary events for my home community (Axbridge) kept ringing bells and raising questions about our current predicament. In particular, the 2018 Remembrance … More details …
New Crafts: Festive Needle Felting
Ever fancied learning to needle felt? It’s a wonderfully fun, relaxing and rewarding craft form. Learn how to make these wonderfully Festive Tree Decorations. You will be shown how to organise, shape and sculpt the wool using a specialist barbed … More details …
New Crafts: Fabric Stained Glass for Christmas
Learn a Bondaweb technique, using fusible bias to give the effect of a stained glass window. Choice of designs. The final stitching is done at home and can be done either by hand or machine. … More details …
Free verse or playing tennis without a net?
The great American poet Robert Frost said he would ‘as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down’, and yet much of modern poetry could be described as free verse, so how does it work and does … More details …
Reading Paintings: the Restoration
The return of Charles II in 1660 changed English history, literature, and society. This course traces the changing tastes of the day, with a special focus on the links between art and social history. Contains a case study of Sir … More details …