Astra Papachristodoulou is an experienced tutor of creative writing with specialisation in experimental writing, ecopoetry, sculptural and object poetry, and visual poetry more widely. She has delivered seminars at the University of Surrey's School of Literature and Languages department as part of various modules, including Introduction to Creative Writing, The American Century and Thinking Like a Writer, and was recently a Visiting Lecturer at Falmouth University. Her doctoral research focused on sculpting and materialising language as a social, ecological and feminist gesture.
She has also led creative writing classes and workshops for all ages in schools, universities and libraries at institutions such as the National Poetry Library, City & Guilds of London Art School, the University of Stuttgart and Liskeard Hillfort Primary School amongst many others. In addition to that, Astra has provided private, one-to-one mentoring (via Zoom) for the development of poetry writing projects as part of the Streetcake Writing Prize and independently. Amongst the talented poets that Astra has mentored are E.J. Coates, James Kearns and Jacqueline Nicholls.
Selected Talks and Guest Lectures
2023, Indigenous Poetries, University of Surrey, UK
2023, Introduction to Visual Poetry, Falmouth University, UK
2022, Bi-erasure Poetry, University of Alvernia, US
2021, Material Poetics and Sustainability, University of Surrey, UK
2020, Neo-Futurism and Sustainability, University of Surrey, UK
2019, Neo-futurism and Beyond, artBLAB at Canvas Café, UK
2018, Mina Loy and Futurism, Dead [Women] Poets, Poetry Cafè, UK
Selected Poetry Workshops
2024, Introduction to Visual Poetry, The Poetry Society, UK
2024, Creating Banner Poems, National Poetry Library, UK
2024, Introduction to Visual Poetry, Blueway Art Studio, IE
2024, Interactive Poetry, National Poetry Library, UK
2024, Protest Banner Poetry, Blossom LGBT, UK
2023, Protest Banner Poetry, University of Salford, UK
2023, Protest Banner Poetry, University of Surrey, UK
2023, Poetry Jenga workshop, WalthamScribe, UK
2023, Pollinating Language, Bath Spa University, UK
2023, Unearthing Messages, Bi+ Lines, UK
2022, Sensing Literature, University of Stuttgart, DE
2022, Imagining Future Cities, National Poetry Library, UK
2022, Collage Poetry, Streetcake Magazine, UK
2020, Poetry Jenga, Liskeard Hillfort Primary School, UK