Teaching

 

Astra 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 is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Falmouth University. Her doctoral research focuses on sculpting and materialising language as a social, ecological and feminist gesture.

​

She has also led visual poetry workshops for all ages in schools, universities and libraries at institutions such as the National Poetry Library, the University of Stuttgart and Liskeard Hillfort Primary School. 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, 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

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

​