Welcome to Lapidus International

Evaluating Creative Writing’s Impact On Wellbeing

Presenter: Dominique De-Light

Saturday 2nd November, 10:00am-11:15am (BST).

How can we evaluate the impact of creative writing? Dominique will share her PhD research – evaluating community creative writing groups’ impact on wellbeing – and outline the wide variety of evaluation/research methods she is using. The workshop includes: an opportunity to practice creative writing as a research method, discussion, and Q&A. Of interest to anyone running creative writing groups, researchers, and those who have to produce funders’ evaluation reports. All are welcome.

About the Presenter

Dominique De-Light is an author, PhD researcher, arts and health consultant and creativity and wellbeing coach. Co-founder of Creative Future, an arts charity supporting underrepresented artists and writers, she established the Creative Future Writers’ Awards. She has over twenty years’ experience of working creatively with people with complex needs. Along with training arts and health professionals, coaching creatives to CEOs, she is a recipient of Anglia Ruskin University’s VC’s PhD Scholarship, studying the therapeutic impact of community creative writing programmes, with a focus on underrepresented groups and effective evaluation for writing for wellbeing programmes. She gained her MA in Creative Writing from UEA, has previously been a professional mentor for LAPIDUS, and has articles published in Writing Works, 2006 , and Writing Routes, 2011, both edited by Gillie Bolton, Victoria Field and Kate Thompson. She is the facilitator for the Brighton and Hove Arts and Health Network and is an Associate member of the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, University of Brighton and the Cambridge Writing Centre. For further information see: www.wellbalancedcoaching.co.uk

Event link

NO TICKET NECESSARY. Use the link below to join the event.

Link to Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84524963085 

The Lapidus Living Research Community (LLRC) meets on the first Saturday of every month via Zoom to discuss all things research, with a focus on qualitative arts-based research practices, theory and methods.

All Lapidus members are welcome, regardless of research experience.

We meet fortnightly, starting with a grounding meditation & perhaps a poem. As host, I usually introduce a theme. We then write for about 20 minutes (don’t worry; it goes quickly) and, if we want to, share.

We see the value in reading aloud & share our writing with those present (you don’t have to).

We listen to each other, bearing witness. The sessions are uncomplicated yet enchanting, feeling like a soothing balm that spreads through our bodies, leaving us wonderfully connected.
Join my writing for your well-being circle, where creativity meets mindfulness. In this supportive community, we explore the power of words to heal, inspire, and connect. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, you’ll find a welcoming space to share your stories, reflect on your experiences, and discover new perspectives. Through guided exercises, group discussions, and gentle feedback, we aim to nurture your inner voice and enhance your emotional well-being. Let’s embark on this journey together, fostering a sense of belonging and personal growth through the art of writing.

£45 for 6 sessions – bookable via the website.

This is an ongoing circle, so you can join at any time. The six sessions can be scheduled based on your availability. The next session is Friday, September 20th, and then every fortnight thereafter.

I send a reminder and zoom link the Thursday before each circle.

Hello, lovely one,
Good news: BOOKING is now OPEN to restart my popular writing for well-being circle (online) starting Friday, September 6th. Fortnightly. Book 6 sessions for £45.00 (can attend any sessions as a rolling program )
Gather in the sacred circle of women’s writing for well-being, where words weave spells of healing and light. In this nurturing space, voices unite, sharing stories of strength, vulnerability, and resilience.
Every woman is seen, heard, and valued; her story is a vital thread in the intricate tapestry of the group’s shared journey.
As the session unfolds, prompts act as gentle guides, leading the exploration of themes such as gratitude, courage, and transformation.
By the end of the gathering, hearts are lighter, and spirits are lifted. The sacred circle of women’s writing for well-being has once again worked its magic, leaving each participant with a renewed sense of connection, purpose, and hope.
I can only accommodate 6 more women, so our circle is small and exclusive.
Always
Julie B🐝

Read Write Express offers workshops for adults who wish to explore writing as a means of improving wellbeing, gaining confidence and moving forward with life.

The workshops provide a nurturing and supportive space to experience different writing and other fun, releasing and relaxing exercises to help participants stimulate their creativity and encourage self-awareness. Writing experience is not essential, just a willingness to join in and give it a go.

Writing is optionally shared with the group and participants are encouraged to respond from their own experience of hearing it as opposed to offering a critique. This is the difference between writing for self-development and creative writing for literary development. Writing and voicing writing in this way can be therapeutic but these workshops are not group therapy and participants need to be aware of this when choosing what to write or share.

The theme of this workshop is Weaving Word Strands and through free-writing and sharing, participants will explore their memory strands, “textural line” prompts and an image to create their own “cut-up” word composition or poem.

In this 90-minute workshop we’ll spend some time with our personal demons and daimons — past, present, and future. Using written dialogue, our memories, and our imaginations, we’ll put pen to page to foster self-compassion, change our perspective, and find allies in the darker corners of life. We’ll throw a bit of conscious breathing and somatic awareness into the mix to keep things real, physical, and juicy.

If you’re feeling drained by something in particular, or notice that you’re being hard on yourself lately, or would simply enjoy diving into October’s shadowy ambiance with good questions and good people, this workshop is for you.

With Elaine Konopka, writer and somatic practitioner
Sunday, October 20th, 4 to 5:30 pm
20€

Changes in your health, finances, environment, body, or goals can knock you on your ass or give you reason to celebrate. In this workshop, we’ll write about changes we’ve been through or are going through, putting words to our experience to learn from it, perhaps re-frame it, or simply live it with greater awareness. We’ll also give some kind attention to our bodies by observing how they react to change.

If you’ve undergone a change in your life that still has you off-balance, or you’re in the midst of one that you’d like more clarity on, or you’d simply enjoy 90 minutes of good questions with good people, this workshop is for you.

With Elaine Konopka, writer and somatic practitioner
Sunday, September 29th, 4 to 5:30 pm
20€