Refuge from the Ravens
Wordsworth re-written by homeless Britain
10 September 2022 – 31 December 2022
In 1798 a literary revolution began, igniting the flames of Romanticism. A small, unassuming book called Lyrical Ballads was the spark. Written by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge this collection of poems in everyday language were embedded in nature and featured stories about the poor and common people. Today, 200 years later, homelessness and social inequality are still with us and on the rise. There is a vast gap between rich and poor, and many are tumbling into the void.
In partnership with Wordsworth Grasmere, and made possible with support from the Heritage Fund, Refuge from the Ravens is a contemporary retelling of Lyrical Ballads, created by people with experience of homelessness, and other vulnerable people through poetry, art and song.
Visit to see…
Special treasures from the Wordsworth Trust’s collection will be on display, including:
- First edition of Lyrical Ballads (1798)
- Draft manuscripts of Wordsworth’s poems, including ‘Michael’ and ‘Old Man Travelling; Animal Tranquillity and Decay, A Sketch’
Alongside the manuscripts will be responses created by vulnerable people and people with experience of homelessness, exploring and responding to Lyrical Ballads from a variety of perspectives through art, song and poetry.
The New Lyrical Ballads emerged from workshops and gatherings with people affected by homelessness and other vulnerable people in Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster and Kendal. Through writing, the makers found fresh relevance to Wordsworth’s tales 200 years ago. Using old quills and traditionally made ink (from oak galls to Dorothy Wordsworth’s recipe), the project conjured the spirits of Coleridge and Wordsworth onto paper, guided by calligrapher Stephen Raw.
Over several months the poems took flight, authored by more than a hundred participants. The words were supplemented with ink drawings, as well as some being put to melodies, so that these poems truly became ballads, sung by members of the project with intense feeling.
we have all of us one human heart
