Words and Minds Creative Reading

Throughout 2010, Lapidus Cornwall has been running Words and Minds reading groups in partnership with Cornwall Libraries. The groups are open access, informal and welcoming and consist of the simple but enjoyable activity of reading a book aloud of a period of many weeks. Completed to date are Atonement (very relevant with the anniversary of Dunkirk) and Rebecca - a Cornish classic. The reading aloud is relaxing and the pauses create space for people to talk about their lives and concerns

One regular participant in the St Ives group commented:
I found myself looking forward to the 2 hours in the library more and more. It was 2 hours in the week where my world slowed right down. Where I absorbed myself completely in the book and the people I was with rather than stressing about problems/other things I should be doing. So in that sense yes, it was very therapeutic. I wish something like this had been around when I was right in the middle of a clinical depression - it would have been a life saver in many respects (quoted with permission)

Victoria Field, Words and Minds Co-ordinator, June 2010

Hobnobs

Lapidus Cornwall members organise regular 'hobnobs' in members' homes.

Members come together, share a writing or related activity and discuss aspects of practice. The meetings are structured but informal and may involve biscuits

Members: donation of £2 towards coffee, please Non-members: £5.

Places are limited - booking ESSENTIAL

If you would like to host a hobnob, contact the co-ordinators at lapiduscornwall@yahoo.com

Writing Groups

Falmouth Poetry Group was founded thirty years ago, by Penelope Shuttle and the late Peter Redgrove. It meets fortnightly for critical workshops, and acts as a discussion forum for work-in-progress. We still follow the workshop method used by The Group founded by Philip Hobsbaum, of which Redgrove was a founder member.

See www.falmouthpoetrygroup.org.uk for more details.

Words and Meanings - Why a Hob Nob?

'Hob-nob' once had another entirely different meaning, now obsolete - 'hit or miss' or 'give and take' from 'to have or not have', from the Anglo-Saxon 'habben' have, and 'nabben' not to have. 'Hab' and 'nab' survive in the dialects of Devon and West Somerset in the phrases 'hab or nab','hab nab' and 'habs-nabs', meaning 'get or lose, hit or miss, succeed or fail'.

Today's modern 'drink with' meaning of 'hob nob' derives from the custom of pubs having a 'hob' in the fireplace on which to warm the beer, and a small table at which to sit cosily called a 'nob', hence 'hob and nob'.

By Shakespeare's day the phrase hob, nob had progressed from its literal meaning of 'to have or have not' to mean 'give and take'. Another shift of meaning occurred around 1750 when 'hob or nob', 'hob a nob', or 'hob and nob' came to refer to two people drinking toasts to each other alternately or taking wine with each other with clinking of glasses. There is also an obscure noun, a 'hob-nob', which is a toast used when hobnobbing.

In Britain, Hobnob is a brand of biscuit or cookie. The next change of meaning came around 1850 when hobnob lost its specific reference to alcohol but retained its connotations of intimacy, good-fellowship and close companionship

Past Events

Prompted to Write - Three Years of Words for Well-Being

Lapidus Cornwall launched an exciting new book in September 2007 at Truro Waterstones. Prompted to Write contains articles, poems and stories by over 30 contributors who participated in a three year lottery-funded series of workshops and training events. Some of the contributors are renowned in the field of reading and writing for health and well-being. For other contributors, the book contains their first published piece of writing.

During the three years programme, Lapidus Cornwall worked with a variety of partners including the Peninsula Medical School, Mount Edgecumbe Hospice, Cornwall Care, Arts for Health, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and University College, Falmouth The book is edited by Zeeba Ansari from Truro and Victoria Field from Falmouth, both local writers with experience in running writing groups. The foreword is by acclaimed contemporary poet, Moniza Alvi, who describes the book as 'luminous'. The evening at Waterstones was lively and included an address by Chris Ramsey,(word doc) from Cornwall County Council who heads the Library Service. There were readings by local writers, Caroline Carver, Llyn Evans, Rosie Hadden and Penelope Shuttle.
The evening was also the Cornish launch of Writing Works - A Resource Handbook for Therapeutic Writing Workshops and Activities published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and edited by Gillie Bolton, Victoria Field and Kate Thompson. The book includes contributions by many of the Cornish writers who contributed to Prompted to Write and has been selling successfully worldwide.

Prompted to Write is available directly from Lapidus Cornwall (send a cheque for £4.50 plus £1 pp payable to Lapidus Cornwall to 2, Burley Court, New Street, Falmouth TR11 3HJ), from bookshops and www.amazon.co.uk It is published by fal: ISBN: 978-0-9544980-9-2
Contributors: Mari Alschuler, Roselle Angwin, Zeeba Ansari, Gillie Bolton, Ted Bowman, Angie Butler, Caroline Carver, Geri Chavis, Dorothy Coventon, Cathy Davey, Llyn Evans, Victoria Field, Rose Flint, Fiona Friend, Rosie Hadden , Jenny Hamlett, David Hart, Rebecca Hazzard, Hilary Hendra, Elaine Holman, John Killick, Mary Lunnen, Eleanor Maxted, Bill Mycock, Myra Schneider, Sandra Sheppard, Penelope Shuttle, Angela Stoner, Jane Tozer, George Wallace, Claire Williamson, Rogan Wolf.
Writing Works is available from bookshops, www.amazon.co.uk or directly from www.jkp.com

Previous Workshops

Survive and Shine!- Working with Young People led by Claire Williamson, author of Ride On, a narrative, autobiographical book of poems. Her essay, ‘Working with Young People. Survive and Shine’ appears in ‘Poetry, Therapy and Emotional Life’ by Diana Hedges.

Loss of Dreams led by Ted Bowman, a US National Association of Poetry Therapy trainer

A Workshop with John Killick

Hobnobs

Colour me a hobnob workshop led by Moira Andrew, September 2008 Hobnob news
Know Your Place - led by Angela Stoner in Penzance
Beyond the Furniture Game - led by Victoria Field in Liskeard
Poetry and Dreaming led by Penelope Shuttle in Trebah
Writing with Colour led by Rebecca Hazzard in Devoran

A Lottery-funded Words for Well-being programmeincluded:

• Poets Ann Gray and Rose Flint gave a reading in Liskeard and talked about how their creative work related to their employment in health / caring contexts
• Rose Flint led a writing workshop at Trebah for local poets and Lapidus members
• Internationally renowned writer and researcher on writing in healthcare Gillie Bolton led an intensive three-day training course in Penzance attended by participants from Bristol, Surrey and Egypt as well as Cornwall
• Rogan Wolf gave a reading at St Gluvias Church, Penryn and led a one day writing workshop at Mount Edgecumbe Hospice, St Austell for Lapidus members and hospice staff
• Registered Poetry Therapist and social worker Mari Alschuler led a one-day workshop on self-care using poetry and collage for Lapidus members and counsellors

Zeeba Ansari undertook marketing and administration, which has greatly facilitated communication, and the use of some of our training funds subsidised travel for Lapidus Cornwall members to the national conference in Cirencester. 

The following people gave 10 minute Floorspots:

• Emma Gibson – on the Tip of Your Tongue Festival and Live Literature conference in Penzance
• Caroline Carver – on her dialect poetry
• Andy Thatcher – on the new literary magazine for Cornwall ‘The Teazer’
• Bill Greenwell – on his forthcoming poetry collection
• Jenny Hamlett – readings from her work, including Far West Writers together with
• Angela Stoner – performed some poetry and spoke about her courses at Far West
• Llyn Evans – storytelling with guest appearance of tortoise
• Zeeba Ansari – read from her work

Committee & Contacts

If you would like more information or minutes of meetings, email lapiduscornwall@yahoo.com

Caroline Carver - Chair

Moira Andrew - Secretary

Victoria Field - Treasurer

Download the most recent committee meeting minutes click here (.doc file)

Lapidus Cornwall is its members so do get in touch with ideas for future activities