After a few quiet semesters, the EAC soc is in full flow, partnering with the SALC department to host and promote more events, including their recent event ‘Unlocking Creativity: Creative Writing Workshop’, featuring two of the university’s creative writing fellows for 2025, Daisy Hildyard and Padraig Regan.
After a quick collection of complimentary notebooks, and an introduction from the EAC society president and workshops hosts, Daisy Hildyard seized the metaphorical stage of the conference room, ready to give her workshop on finding your own way to write. Hildyard, an award-winning novelist and, in her words, an “occasional essayist as a side hustle, although [it’s] not a great side hustle”, began the workshop with a philosophical conversation of the point of writing poetry – how to find your own way to write. To reinvent, not reproduce. To create something important.
“You should be bringing something good into the world, not just another stress or strain”, Hildyard said, referencing the unnecessary and somewhat outdated ‘tortured artist’ stereotype. After sharing which areas and subjects we’re currently interested, Hildyard opened the scope of writing past outlets of trauma to everything from ocean fascinations to witch trials, including our existence in itself. Everyone’s inspirations are different and that’s what you have to realise to be a writer. She concluded with featuring pages of prompts to help with writer’s block, letting go of the need to write for ‘viewers’: “You have to be willing to write badly to write well”.
After a short break, Padraig Regan, award-winning poet and essayist, continued the workshop with an introduction to ekphrasis, the literary technique of vividly describing a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. After looking at the works of Vincent van Gogh and Max Ernst, Regan staged poetic creation around artistic inspiration, creating narratives that move within and outside of the stagnant painting’s frames. His analysis was enlightening, binding fine art and literature together. They spoke of the fluidity of literature and how its temporal narratives can transcend the imprisonment of art, alongside some of the creative limitations of utilising ekphrasis. Art is the perfect poetic inspiration.
With a group comprised of first-years to Master’s students, the workshop encompassed all into redefining their writing style, with new mediums and analytical ideology to explore, alongside prompts to fight against the all-too-familiar curse of writer’s block. If you missed this wonderful event, Hildyard and Regan were more than happy to offer their office hours for other creative writers.
Details for upcoming coming events are on EAC soc’s Instagram, and applications for the 2025/26 committee will be available soon, for anyone wanting to get involved in organisational roles of events.
