Lisa Lopresti (she/her/they/them) is a working- class published poet from the ship-shape, statue-toppling City of Bristol. Lisa is a workshop facilitator, a featured poet at spoken word, open mic events and she is thrilled to be regularly broadcast on local BBC Radio. Birdsong Poetry is Lisa's freelance service for feature poetry and workshops. She has experience of Spoken Word open mic events, feature poet at events such as Berkeley Square Revue, Heron's, Coffee1# and Redcatch Community Garden. Widely published and interviewed about poetry with poems broadcast on communitity and BBC Radio Bristol. Member of The Poetry Society, Bristol Stanza Group and Satellite of Love Poetry Events Team, producing and performing community poetry, workshops and poetry events. She has a slimline poetry pamphlet called 'Bird Song and Nectar in the Silences' and an eco-poetry micro pamphlet 'Red Claw & Velvet'. Previous collaborative work with BRAC (Bristol Refugee Art Collective), UWE art department & Bristol Stanza, providing poetry workshops for ‘Eyes Wide’ art exhibition. For Bristol Lyra Festival 2023, Walking Words audio poetry App and 2024 'Bonds' workshop. Birdsong Poetry workshops and events can be tailered to requirements. Lisa Lopresti (@loprestilisa) • Instagram photos and videos Lisa Lopresti Lisa Lopresti on Tumblr (@shipshapewithsliders)
Writing the City Workshop
A welcoming poetry workshop with me, Lisa Lopresti of Birdsong Poetry is available and was a successful event as part of the Satellite of Love week of poetry. solpoetry.org.uk. Run on the wonderful lightship, the John Sebastian in Bristols floating harbour to write about the urban landscape, people, reflections and how nature intersects in this space. The City is complex and interesting whereever writers are on thier writing journey. The workshop included a short walk, light refreshements and writing materials. Poets who attended said 'wonderful' and 'warmly welcomed','friendly, informative and well prepared','reignited my imagination','I loved the subject and great location'.'Lisa is generous with inspiring writers','will always remember the scent of curried mint' Poets shared thier words in the workshop and some went on to perform thier poems in the event open mic.
Poetry - Workshop example of Poetry in Responce to art(Ekphrastic poem)
The Colour of Sadness
(Moth by Olga Muller -oil on canvas)
Sadness is not usually caramel salted tears can glimmer in suspended hope and in a shadow of chestnut.
The dusk moth brings reds golden creams to the falling dark as the sun slinks and hides behind a ribbon of trees.
Light splays leaves’ long silhouettes to grey, colour fades, extinguished as moths and bats fly their dance of life and death.
Poetry - Shortlisted for SaveAs International Poetry Competition 2022.
Melted Ice
a single drop of water catches the low-slung sun of a mid-winters day it’s gilt gleams against the silver sea of ice spangled sparkles
cold clear sheer breaths of an ercu doe eyed deer a legendary golden hind in sun circles embrace and tendrils of beams warmth touches snowdrops leaf fingers high fiving the coming of Spring
Rose Bombs
Writing Nature Workshop
An immersive workshop that I can provide that includes a walk in nature. Using interesting 3's as inspiration, picking out elements with our senses and considering similes. I did this workshop during a Winter Warmer writers retreat in Dorset in a mild and wet November. Poets who attended said the workshop was 'very productive' and the 'writing inspiring', they enjoyed 'writing outside favourite', the workshop was 'creative and interesting'and 'Lisa was very encouraging and inclusive' Some poets and writers shared thier words at the retreat and many developed new poems and others an opening paragraph to a story.
BONDS Poetry Workshop
As part of the Lyra Poetry Festival 2024 I ran a workshop in collaboration with Poet Agata Palmer for South Bristol writers to explore what Bristol means to them and the bonds to place.
Poets who attended said fabulous and gave me so much inspiration and momentum and it was very fun also a lovely time attending your Bonds workshop and it was cathartic.
Selected poems that participants donated are being displayed at Bristol Beacon as part of the Bonds Project.
Publications
Poetry Pamplets - Bird Song and Nectar in the Silences and Red Claw & Velvet
website - birdsongpoetry.com Lisa Lopresti (lisalopresti.bigcartel.com)
'Bird Song and Nectar in the Silences'Available as pamphlet, ebook and audio(Findaway Voices)
Red Claw & Velvet an eco-poetry micro pamplet.
Lisa's poems have been published in anthologies and magazines such as Ink, Sweat and Tears, Dreich, Mono and Acumen who reviewed Lisa’s slim-line pamphlet ‘Birdsong and Nectar in the Silences’ as ‘most enjoyable’ it has ‘passion & creativity’ and is ‘slightly uproarious’. Lisa will be a featured poet in the Autumn issue of the international erbacce-poetry-journal. lisalopresti.bigcartel.com Bird Song and Nectar in the Silences - £5.00 Redclaw & Velvet £3.00
Freelance
Workshops Birdsong Poetry is available for freelance work.
Workshop Facilitator and Feature Poet. Experience of providing and running workshops. This includes attendees with a range of writing experience, both stand alone and during retreats. Also working collaboratively with other organisations such as Wordsmiths Writers, Universities, involving engaging young people and community groups. Experience of published poetry pamphlet and chapbook. Birdsong Poetry provides Public Liability insurance and will familiarise with organisations policies and ensure inclusivity and safety. Please email or contact me regarding any enquiries regarding these services.