The Craft – A Poetry Editing Experience

Why The Craft?

Manchester is a UNESCO City of Literature, home to world-class poets, organisations such as Young Identity, the Manchester Writing School, and countless open mics, slams, and writing groups. But whether inside or outside academia, there is a noticeable gap in spaces that prioritise editing skills.

The Craft fills this gap by offering poets practical, live insight into the editing process — a chance to learn techniques that can push them further and elevate their work.

About the Host:

Carson Wolfe is a Mancunian poet and Grand Prize Winner of The Disquiet Literary Program (2024). Their work has appeared in POETRY, The Rumpus, The Common, and Rattle. In 2023, they won New Writing North’s Debut Poetry Prize, received awards from The Aurora Poetry Prize and The Edward Thomas Fellowship, and were longlisted for The Poetry Society’s National Competition. Their second chapbook, Coin Laundry at Midnight, is forthcoming with Button Poetry in spring 2026.

The Format: Fishbowl Learning

The night is structured in the fishbowl learning style:

• Four poets (“fishes”) bring a draft they want to work on.
• Carson live-edits the poems in dialogue with each writer.
• The audience (outer circle) observes the process — watching, listening, and learning from the detailed craft decisions as they unfold.

This creates a shared learning space: the intimacy of a workshop with the energy of a live event. We aim to build a relaxing atmosphere with a drinks & snacks available at the bar.