A while ago I did a feature on poetry residencies after doing one with at Scotney Castle. I shall post up more about my project and details of the pamphlet later, but wanted to post this piece by fellow poet, Jean Atkin, who contacted me after seeing the article. This is her story…
I
’ve been poet in residence at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm since Easter, supported by Arts Council England. Acton Scott is a model farm built in the late 18thcentury, presented now as a Victorian working farm museum. Shire horses work the land, mangolds are grown to feed the stock in winter, and stored in huge ‘clamps’, there is a midden the size of a cottage in the centre of the cobbled yard, with neatly tilting drainage to carry away effluent.
My residency aimed to engage with visitors, encouraging them to hear and write poetry about the Farm. It’s been huge fun, as poems sprouted in barns and shepherd’s huts, and fluttered all along the length of the cleft post and rail ‘Poetry Fence’. I ran workshops for regionally-based poets and would-be poets, plus special workshops designed for school visits. 
The residency ended on 19 July with an event we dubbed ‘Poems for the Farm’, when everyone who’d written for the project was invited back to share their work before an audience. There was a wonderful response and ‘Poems for the Farm’ packed out the New Barn to hear 20 poets (aged from 7 to at least 70) read out their words for this very special place. We also read some of the work from people who couldn’t be there – like Huxley’s poem about sitting on a Shire (Huxley is 3!) – and work sent to me by poets who just live too far away. I’m hugely grateful for the support I’ve had from poets and writers living in the region, and from the skilled and amazing people who work at the farm. I’ve just counted up, and 96 poems were written for the farm during the residency.
Mason Bees
the mason bees prospect
this warm red wall
bee-buzz the same in all
the summers since
this clay was dug
into toasted crevices
and cracks of firing
they sing then vanish
The residency is there online too, and after I invited poems for the Poetry Fence I started to receive them from as far away as India, Canada and USA. You can read more at http://actonscottfarmpoet.wordpress.com/ and my website is www.jeanatkin.com
Abegail Morley 
What a worthwhile, far-reaching residency, Jean! I enjoyed very much looking through the attractive web site, especially “The Poetry Fence” page. And I also look forward to hearing about the latest on your Scotney Castle project, Abi. Great to see poets at work in the community.