Sarah Larkin (née Fordham) reflected on the Forum in verse and encouraged Forum delegates to write their own poems.
- Throughout the Forum delegates posted short poems on Twitter.
- Sarah ran a drop-in mini poetry workshop in the Marketplace.
- Poetry was part of the final session and closing worship.
Visit Sarah’s poetry blog, read an interview with the Evangelical Alliance and an article about her MA on John Paul II’s poetry.
About Sarah
Sarah Larkin (née Fordham) is a poet with three books published:
- Psalm Readings (2005) – a workbook that helps you write your own psalms
and two volumes of poetry:
- The Cool of the Day (2009)
- Love’s First Look (2010).
She co-chaired Churches Together in England’s Churches Spirituality Co-ordinating Group for four years and was part of the Writers Group for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for three years.
Sarah has a BA in Religious Studies from King’s College, London and a Masters in Pastoral Theology from St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Her Masters dissertation was on how the poetry of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) may be used in a pastoral context. For her research, Sarah developed a workshop using Wojtyla’s poetry, called The Place Within with a view to seeing in what ways his writings may be a tool for those engaged in spiritual direction.
Sarah pursues her interest in contemplative art through her creative writing, academic studies, biblical reflection and teaching on the subject, as well as facilitating others to express themselves with words. She has worked with a wide variety of people from prisons and rehabs, to cathedrals and schools, and has developed a range of workshops on themes (eg Nourishment, Hope) and also the seasons (eg Advent, Easter, Christmas).
Sarah has been part of Ichthus Christian Fellowship since 1992, and is currently pastors the Ichthus congregation in Crouch End called Abide Church. In the context of the local church Sarah regularly runs art and poetry workshops as well as a monthly Poetry Club in order to encourage creative expression and connect with the community.