Robotic Poems: A Writing Workshop with Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

In this workshop, participants will learn basic coding elements to create a simple poem generator. The emphasis is on play and experimentation, with some background information on literary techniques. Participants will experience how computational poetics and computational thinking can jumpstart or become part of a creative writing process.  

Loading Events

« All Events

Virtual Event Virtual Event
  • This event has passed.

Robotic Poems: A Writing Workshop with Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

Virtual Event Virtual Event

27th March 2023 6:00 PM 8:00 PM BST

A person with short, platinum and purple hair smiles, facing to the right. They are wearing a black top, and they are set against a plain white background. The lighting highlights their profile, capturing a side view.

In this workshop, participants will learn basic coding elements to create a simple poem generator. The emphasis is on play and experimentation, with some background information on literary techniques. Participants will experience how computational poetics and computational thinking can jumpstart or become part of a creative writing process.

No experience with programming or coding? No problem! This workshop is geared towards absolute beginners and embraces “challenge by choice”. While ‘poems’ is in the title, creative writers of other genres are certainly welcome! 

Speaker Biography

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), a book of computational poetry that received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. Their other poetry books include How Narrow My Escapes (DIAGRAM/New Michigan), Personal Science (Tupelo Press), a slice from the cake made of air (Red Hen Press), and But a Storm is Blowing from Paradise (Red Hen Press). Their fifth book, Negative Money, is forthcoming from Soft Skull Press in 2023. They are an Associate Professor in the departments of English, Africana Studies, and Art & Design at Northeastern University. They also direct the Chautauqua Institution Writers’ Festival. 

Watch recordings

Power trip event season event flyer

POWER TRIP

Our Autumn 2023 programme of events explored leadership in all its forms – from the seats of power to the front lines of activist movements and even in our own workplaces.

Watch recordings
Love Machine event season digital flyer

Love machine

Our Spring 2023 programme of events explored the interconnections of AI and data with humanity through conversations, performances, and workshops.

Watch recordings
First Breath Autumn Event Season brand leader. Image of dandelion and umbrellas on orange background. Text reads: 'First Breath: Autumn Event Season'. Includes Edinburgh Futures Institute logo.

First Breath

Our Autumn 2022 programme featured more than 20 events exploring crisis, migration, displacement and equality coalescing around the theme of Climate Justice.

Watch recordings

"The production and intellectual content of your recent events has been fantastic! Thank you for the opportunity to attend and learn. This is probably the best event I have been to all year."

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

"Really, really impressed with Futures Institute events. Properly impressive speakers, and seamless technical management. Thank you for keeping them hybrid/online – it's a really nice way to keep in touch!"

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

"Amazing! I hope that Utopia Lab can ring in every event season, the dream space that you curate and allow to flourish is an important and novel lens that Edinburgh Futures Institute offers partners, students, staff, researchers and anyone with an interest in collaborative thinking and doing."

Event attendee, Love Machine Spring 2023

Our public events seasons are co-created with people from across the University of Edinburgh. If you'd like to contribute ideas for the programme please contact the events team.

Call for proposals

Meet the events team

Headshot of Alice Carr

Alice Carr

Events Co-ordinator
Headshot of Fraser Pringle

Fraser Pringle

Project & Events Administrator
Headshot of Ioannis Kalkounos

Ioannis Kalkounos

Programme Manager
Lewis Williams

Lewis Williams

Events Technician

Join us to challenge, create, and make change happen.

#ChallengeCreateChange