Dr Will May is a Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Southampton. Will’s research interests include the practices and poetics of mentoring, influence and collaboration in modern British poetry, and the social networks and structures that support creative work. He is currently AHRC Leadership Fellow on Invisible Mentors, a collaboration with ArtfulScribe and Winchester Poetry Festival exploring the role of mentoring in the creative industries. Previous collaborations include StoryPlaces, a digital story-telling project working with heritage organisations in London, Southampton, and Bournemouth.
ArtfulScribe is a not-for-profit writer development agency based in Southampton. We support emerging and continuing writers in Hampshire, Dorset, and the Solent region to create new work and develop skills through writing workshops, live events and career-development opportunities. We work with all ages and levels of ability, from primary years through to life’s later stages. Our work includes collaboration with schools, businesses and organisations, embedding writing into everyday activities through residencies, creative programmes and individual events that celebrate both spoken and written word.
Winchester Poetry Festival is an international festival rooted in its Hampshire community. We offer a biennial festival, an annual poetry prize, one-off events, a small publishing portfolio and an
expanding education programme. We collaborated with Artful Scribe and the University of Southampton on Poetry Ambassadors, a new mentoring scheme for young poets in Hampshire and Dorset.
Poetry & Mentoring 