Using writing and movement to improve your health and wellbeing.
Led by Sally-Anne Lomas, this is your chance to use writing and movement to support your wellbeing. It is fun, communal, and liberating.
Writing and movement can seem like polar opposites: one begins with language and the head, the other direct from the body. In this online workshop Sally-Anne Lomas will help you bring mind and body together. Through activities you will explore how breath, posture, and a wide range of movement, from gesture to dance, can stimulate your writing. Simple physical exercises accessible to all will help you access the subconscious, explore new pathways to use writing therapeutically. You will discover how to use your body to unlock your creativity.
So go on, turn off your webcam and see how liberating embodied writing can be.
Who is it for?
Our courses are run in small group settings by professional artists and musicians, who have lots of experience working with people from all artistic backgrounds. Our courses are for adults 19+. All materials are provided. We prioritise people with health conditions, disabilities and/or unpaid caring responsibilities.
Explore a range of nature-writing formats from journaling, personal essay and memoir to poetry and climate fiction. Learn how to become a close observer of the natural environment, capture soundscapes, write descriptively, and evoke a strong sense of place. This course introduces emerging writers to a diverse range of nature writing and offers a chance to hone your craft in a relaxed and friendly environment.
Where and when?
Thursdays 1.30 – 4.30pm at Whittlesey Christian Church Hall, PE7 1HA
Cost
Dependent on income. FREE for those on a low income or means-tested benefits. Please see website for further details: www.creativefenland.org.uk/about-courses
How do I join?
Apply on our website: www.creativefenland.org.uk/courses, email magda@creativefenland.org.uk or phone 07707 972721.
We have several exciting projects starting this year at the Poetry Pharmacy, and February sees the launch of our new Queer Reading Group! Led by poet Rhiannon Hooson, it will provide a welcoming space for reading, sharing and discussing the myriad queer literatures on offer, going beyond the question of what constitutes queerness and exploring the truth, joy, and the complex richness of queer experience.
We do hope you’ll join us at the Poetry Pharmacy in Bishop’s Castle for coffee, cake, and some amazing queer writing!
Last Sunday of the month
Experienced writer and workshop leader Pat Edwards will be hosting a monthly session to write, reflect and chat in our comfortable workshop space. These relaxed Sunday afternoon sessions are designed for those new to writing and wondering “how do I even start?”, although more experienced writers are also very welcome. The Touch Paper sessions are stand-alone (not a course) opportunities to put pen to paper in response to a wide array of prompts and stimuli, in a supportive, un-pressured atmosphere.
“I have only been writing these last five years and have found being in the company of like-minded people, listening, reading and sharing ideas, to be of enormous benefit. Now I am growing in confidence …’ workshop participant
Pat Edwards is a writer, reviewer, teacher, performer and general poetry activist. Her work has appeared in Magma, Prole, Ink Sweat & Tears, Atrium and others. Pat’s debut pamphlet, Only Blood, was published in October 2019 with Yaffle Press. Pat hosts Verbatim a monthly poetry open mic night and curates Welshpool Poetry Festival.
TeaBooks organises social book groups for the over-60s, which enable members to share their love of books and reading while making new friends. Groups meet once a month and are facilitated by a volunteer group leader, who liaises with the local library to source all the books. More information about TeaBooks can be found here: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/oxfordshire/our-services/teabooks/
Experience the joy of reading aloud together in a Shared Reading group – for free and for everyone!
Shared Reading brings people together in person (and when that’s not possible, online) in small groups to read aloud from a book, short story or poem. Groups meet on a weekly basis and are a great way for people to connect; to what they’re reading, to themselves and to each other.
A friendly volunteer provides a warm welcome and something specially chosen to read. Group members join in the reading and conversation, or just sit back and listen.
As we recover from the pandemic, and with added pressures on our mental health, Shared Reading is needed now more than ever. It’s all about taking the time and creating space to share what matters to us. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy Shared Reading – just come along and experience it for yourself!
If you’re interested in attending one of our online Shared Reading Groups, please get in touch or find a date and time which works best here.
Shared Reading brings people together in person (and when that’s not possible, online) in small groups to read aloud from a book, short story or poem. Groups meet on a weekly basis and are a great way for people to connect; to what they’re reading, to themselves and to each other.
A friendly volunteer provides a warm welcome and something specially chosen to read. Group members join in the reading and conversation, or just sit back and listen.
As we recover from the pandemic, and with added pressures on our mental health, Shared Reading is needed now more than ever. It’s all about taking the time and creating space to share what matters to us. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy Shared Reading – just come along and experience it for yourself!
All of our Shared Reading Groups are completely free thanks to the kind support of our volunteers, funders and donors. These sessions are drop in, and have a maximum capacity of 8.
If you are interested in joining a specific group, please find the most up to date information of The Reader’s find a group map.
