Lapidus Events

Ever drafted a letter in your head you never meant to send? To yourself, your younger self, someone long gone, or not yet met? Writers have long mined this private, potent form: Baldwin, Kincaid, Plath, and plenty more.
This workshop invites you to write from the inside out. We’ll start with short readings—monologues, poems, letters from the likes of the authors mentioned below—and use them to spark our own creative responses. Funny, fierce, reflective, or raw, there’s no right tone, only your own.

Week 1: Voice & Echo – Where our thoughts circle and split (Woolf, Rankine)
Week 2: Letters Never Sent – Honest, unsent missives to self and others (Baldwin, Plath)
Week 3: Soliloquy & Confession – Unfiltered speech and theatrical turns (Shakespeare, Browning)
Week 4: The Inner Chorus – Who else is in there, and what do they want? (Didion, Vuong, Davis)

Come write. No critique. Just good company, good writing time, and possibly some surprising revelations.

Writing For Wellbeing & Activism – A 2-day event

Writing has the power to uncover, heal, and transform. As we write, we shape our world and ourselves.

Inspired by this belief, Lapidus International invites you to participate in a two-day conference that explores the intersections of writing, wellbeing, and activism. This conference is an opportunity for academics, practitioners, writers, and activists from around the world to share knowledge and engage in dialogue on the role of writing in personal healing and social transformation.

This gathering aims to bring together participants from various disciplines to investigate how writing for wellbeing can also serve as a vehicle for activism. We welcome diverse perspectives that examine writing as a method of supporting mental health, fostering resilience, and creating social change.

To find out more and book tickets please click here.

A cosy, candle-lit evening of transformational writing, downstairs At The Chapel. I’ve been curating gentle but powerful writing techniques and exercises since completing doctoral studies in Creative Writing, and then practitioner training in the psychotherapy, Focusing.

Neuroscience is catching up with what writers and thinkers have always known: that writing is good for us. It calms the anxious mind, finds meaning when a personal or global narrative might seem senseless, and restores the balance of inner and outer.

Places are limited and these workshops can fill up quickly. Please email me to book and I will provide payment details.

Harnessing creativity to deliver rich, enjoyable and meaningful evaluation.
Tuesday 16th September, 23rd September and 30th September 2025, from 10am – 12.30pm.

Are you frustrated with traditional evaluation methods?
Do you feel your evaluation tools don’t reflect the creative nature of your work?
Are you finding it hard to engage participants in evaluation?
Do you get poor response rates from questionnaires?

Over the course of three interactive workshops, we will look at ways in which we can better harness creativity to generate appropriate, relevant, meaningful evaluations.

You will discover how to evaluate in ways that are enjoyable and rewarding for participants; that generate improved response rates; and deliver richer and more meaningful data.

Working collaboratively, we will co-produce creative solutions to real-world scenarios. Sharing ideas and practice, we will explore ways in which creativity can reinvigorate existing evaluation methods including questionnaires, focus groups, feedback and monitoring.

The full cost is £225 for three workshops and all handouts.

A £75 discount is available for freelancers and self-funding individuals. Please email support@janewillis.co.uk for a coupon code.

In this two-hour workshop you will explore a simple but effective 5-step transformational journaling process underpinned by research at the intersection of neuroscience and expressive writing aimed at fostering cognitive flexibility and a greater degree of self-awareness.

The workshop will include a series of short writing exercises of between approximately 5-15 minutes and small group discussions designed to help you develop creative tools for navigating challenging situations. You’ll also receive a recording following the event along with the presentation slides and a list of resources. (N.B. Only the taught part of the workshop will be recorded).

This workshop is for both beginners and those with a journalling practice alike who are interested in exploring how journaling can be a form of self-directed neuroplasticity in support of transformational growth as well as therapeutic practitioners interested in expanding their range.

For this workshop you’ll need a quiet space to write and materials to write with. As the workshop will focus on outcome rather than process, no previous writing experience is necessary and there will be no pressure to read anything out (although you can if you wish). You’ll be invited to take responsibility for your experience by going at your own pace and working with the material at a level that feels right for you.

Here’s what some recent participants have said about their workshop experience:

‘I really enjoyed Rachel’s workshop. Rachel has so much enthusiasm. I really enjoyed the exercises that we did and what I gained from it.’

‘I really enjoyed the workshop and had an interesting process. Then I had a deep sleep and a very vivid dream in which I felt able to touch in with some unresolved grief. Quite unexpected and very welcome and I wanted to share that with you and say thank you.’

‘I enjoyed the workshop and felt it was very helpful in navigating a challenging situation.’

‘I went to a really powerful introductory workshop on Transformative Journalling led by the generous Dr Rachel Newsome. As part of the workshop, Rachel invited us to enter a dialogue with our ‘inner wise elder’ and I found this exercise so powerful – connecting with this notion of my ancestral wisdom really enabled me to offer validation to myself on something I’d been really struggling with and had previously looked for external validation on.’

About Dr Rachel Newsome

I’m a Dr of depth writing & creative guide with a Jungian arts-based PhD in creative writing based in a former mill town nestled in the West Yorkshire moors.In past lives I’ve been a journalist, an editor of arts & culture magazine Dazed & Confused and a lecturer in the creative arts, respectively. I now run a programme of depth-writing workshops, courses and retreats grounded in Jungian psychology and cognitive neuroscience aimed at inspiring the creative self in everyone. I’m a Seed Talks expert speaker, serve on the Editorial Board at the London Arts Based Research Centre and am co-Editor of forthcoming Routledge publication, The Creative Psyche: Between Self & Spirit.

https://drrachelnewsome.substack.com/

https://rachelnewsome.co.uk/

Truth and Trickery: A workshop and writing series exploring the stories we tell.
Words … couldn’t change half way through a sentence like people, so it was easier to spot a lie.
(Jeanette Winterson: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit)

In short, trickster is a boundary crosser. We constantly distinguish – right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and dead – and in every case trickster will cross the line and confuse the distinction.
(Lewis Hyde: Trickster Makes This World)

Six online monthly workshops £18 per month (£108)
24th September 2025 – 25th February 2026
7 – 8.30pm GMT

People use trickery on a daily basis. Families have secrets, couples deceive one another, and those with power lie for political gain. Why do we lie and are there multiple versions of truth? Who suffers from the telling of untruths and when does it matter? Are there conditions of power that determine what is truth and, how has social media added a new dimension of what might be termed ‘post truth?

This creative writing programme is an invitation to pause, reflect, and explore the personal and professional impact of truth and trickery. We will use guided writing, reflective discussion, and optional sharing to consider the subject at a micro level (personal life) and a macro level (social media, history and social-political institutions).

No previous creative writing experience is needed. Just bring curiosity, a pen, and a willingness to explore.
This series is not a therapy group, however, the process may stir emotions or insights. Please ensure you have appropriate personal or professional support in place if needed.

Confidentiality, mutual respect, and care are at the heart of this offering.

We will provide texts and writing prompts to give you the opportunity to explore your ideas around the following

24th September – Session 1
Who do we think we are? In every story there is a truth waiting to be told, or to be made, and in every story, there may be a fantasy waiting to run wild. What can our writing make of an imaginary self?
This session will be dedicated to meeting one another. We will begin with a light-hearted opening writing game and explore what happens when we tell a story, examining how and why we tell it that way. Who do we tell what? What presumptions do we make and why? We will look at the language we use to make our story more vivid, and more persuasive.
During this session, Lucy and Graham will talk about the ideas that have brought this course into being and help the group form some guidelines to ensure confidentiality, trust and enjoyment.

29th October – Session 2
Beauty tricks and pleasure. Using published text and writing prompts this session will explore questions such as – Does beauty reside in the object, the eye of the beholder, or the act of perception itself? How does aesthetic pleasure relate to authenticity? Can a pleasing lie be more beautiful than a harsh truth? In this session we will write into the nature of beauty and pleasure, viewed through the context of truth and lies. This is an invitation not to dismiss the masks we wear, but to understand their purpose, their power, and their promise.

26th November – Session 3
Doing justice to, and with, the stories we encounter. In this session we will consider the range of our concerns – from the personal to the societal: health, politics and the law. As writers, how can we deal with ethical and artistic issues with regards to writing about others? Can we be true witnesses for others’ stories? We will look at the art of transcription poetry and creative amalgamation and consider the challenges of writing in places like prisons or hospitals and working with the vulnerable, perhaps by, to misquote Emily Dickinson, “telling the truth but telling it slant”.

17th December – Session 4
Trojan horses and cyber trickery. What if the most dangerous threat isn’t an obvious enemy, but a gift bearing a hidden agenda? We will look at deception in the digital age, viewed through the tension between appearance and reality. We’ll question the nature of trust in a virtual world where identities can be forged, and realities can be manipulated. Is the digital ‘Trojan horse’ a new phenomenon, or a modern echo of ancient deceptions, revealing fundamental truths about human vulnerability and desire.

28th January 2026 – Session 5
Walking the Maze. This will be a responsive and developmental session, looking over some matters and ideas that have arisen to date, sharing writing and re-writing that has been produced thus far and trying out some new things brought by you, the participants, to the group. What have we learned from each other? We will be responding creatively in writing.

25th February 2026 – Session 6
Final Truths. In a world of shifting realities, what truths remain at the very end of the journey? We will inquire into the ultimate questions of meaning, purpose, and existence.
We’ll explore the ‘truths’ revealed in moments of change, loss, and acceptance. These are not the truths found in a textbook, but the fundamental realities that emerge when we strip away our daily fictions and confront the core of who we are. We’ll question the relationship between living a good life and understanding its end. How do our personal narratives shape the legacy we leave behind? Is there a single, final truth waiting for us, or do we create our own meaning in the face of an uncertain conclusion?

Dr Lucy Windridge-Floris has over 30 years’ experience in the creative arts working in academia, healthcare and private settings. She actively contributes to the global conversation on the intersection of creativity, therapy, and social change. She and her husband travel between Cape Town and the UK to stay close to family.

Her duo-autoethnography Unpicking Horrifying Moments of Uneasy Silence: Writing Responses to Gestures of Islamophobia in the UK is grounded in her and her husband’s personal experiences and illustrates how creative writing can be a powerful tool for processing, understanding, and healing.

Graham Hartill was born in the English Midlands and has lived in the Black Mountains of Wales for over thirty years. He teaches post-graduate students Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes for the Metanoia Institute, has worked in a wide variety of community and health settings and was writer-in-residence in HMP Parc for fifteen years.

Recent publications include: Knotworks: (with artist Jeanette McCulloch, 2025);  Rhapsodies: (poems, 2021) both from Aquifer Books; and The Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove (translations, with Wu Fusheng, 2020), The Commercial Press, Beijing.

Image Made by The Jolly Chameleon

A series of monthly workshops that can help you explore feelings, and build your resilience as you connect with others in these challenging times.

The title theme for the workshops was inspired by a poem written by Deborah Cooper.

We will use carefully selected poems as a springboard for writing, reflection and conversations.

The workshops are for anyone who wants additional resources, in these unsettling times. It is for those who enjoy creativity, journalling, writing for personal or professional development.

No prior knowledge of poetry or expressive writing is required; you simply need to be willing to share, reflect and experiment with words in a supportive environment.

Start the weekend off right with a relaxing evening of Indian classical music and reflective writing.
Bring a mat, blanket, pen and paper. There will also be chairs for those who prefer to sit.

There is a lift and wheelchair-accessible toilets downstairs.
There is wheelchair access through the main entrance of the church.
The main entrace is on Alma Vale Road.
Please contact us if you have accessibility needs and we will work with you to ensure your needs are met.

We are all born with a wild imagination. It is through this unlimited creative resource that we can access the unconscious, connect with our intuition, develop a greater degree of self-awareness and expand our sense of possibility. Fire Your Wild Imagination will be a chance to explore this vast inner superpower through a holistic practice underpinned by Jungian psychology, creative writing and journaling designed to facilitate creativity, foster self-discovery & facilitate transformative growth with the gentle guidance of Dr Rachel.

Fire Your Wild Imagination will include daily depth writing workshops focused on cultivating creativity through attuning to your curious inner child, your wise inner sage and the wisdom of nature. The retreat will take place at the rustic and charming historic family home of Monte da Japonica and its surrounding cork woods.

The retreat is for writers, creative & therapeutic practitioners, seekers, inner explorers and those on a journey of self-discovery who are curious about how writing & imagination can be used to support transformative growth and would like to dive deeper. The focus of the retreat will be on process, rather than outcome, and on what comes up in the writing, rather than craft and you’ll be invited to work with the material at a level that feels right for you. For those who have a writing or other creative practice, depth-writing can be used as an adjacent activity to support, deepen and expand your projects. Wherever you are at, this retreat is a chance to fire the creative, healing superpower of the wild imagination that courses through all of us.

Cost: single & shared rooms from £495 (For individual room costs, send me an email)
Deposit: £125

About Rachel
Rachel Newsome, PhD, is an independent writer, teacher and creative guide with twenty years of experience as a former lecturer in Higher Education. She holds a Jungian arts-based doctorate in Creative Writing and delivers a programme of depth writing offerings aimed at supporting transformational growth in others. She is Co-Editor of forthcoming Routledge publication ‘The Creative Psyche: Between Matter & Spirit’ and is regular speaker for the UK public education platform Seed Talks. She is author of Depth Writing with Dr Rachel on Substack and serves on the London Arts-Based Research Centre editorial team.

We all have them—that inner murmur, mutter, monologue. Sometimes it’s wise, sometimes it’s way off. Literature is full of these inner voices, from Woolf’s fluid consciousness to Shakespeare’s solitary speakers to Baldwin’s unposted letters.

In this writing series, we tune in. Each week, we’ll read a short, vivid piece—monologue, letter, poem or fragment from the likes of the authors mentioned below—and use it as a spark for our own creative writing. Expect wordplay, unexpected turns, and the occasional flash of insight.

Week 1: Voice and Echo – Fragments, contradictions, layered selves (Woolf, Beckett, Rankine)
Week 2: Letters Never Sent – Writing to the past self, the future self, the imagined other (Baldwin, Kincaid)
Week 3: Soliloquy & Confession – Talking out loud when no one’s supposed to hear (Shakespeare, Browning, Carson)
Week 4: The Inner Chorus – Giving shape to the internal tug-of-war (Didion, Vuong, Davis)

No critique, no need to share—unless you want to. Just bring a pen, a curious mind, and your self.

This is a ten week online course, starting on Weds 8th October, 7 – 9.15pm looking at how the process of Focusing can be used alongside writing for wellbeing, runs through till 10th December. Those using poetry or journaling with groups and want to be inspired to use poems in new ways, and gain further insights and perspectives through the process of Focusing, a gentle and spacious process.

This will be a beautiful exploration of direct experience of how poetry and writing can be deepened through the process of Focusing, which brings more compassion and understanding into our lives.

Discounts are available, if financial circumstances are difficult, so please inquire.

In this workshop, we’ll take a deep dive into the wonders of the unconscious with one of its most intrepid explorers. Not many people know that Carl Jung had a serious journaling habit, which became the basis for his entire psychological legacy as the great mapper of the human soul. He was also funny, eccentric and highly inventive.

We’ll be looking at the lighter side of Jung as a way to connect with our deepest selves and to take a peek into the wonderful, terrible and awe-inspiring treasure chest that is the collective unconscious.

Bring your metaphoric snorkel, mask, a waterproof notebook and your best underwater pen!

Jon Sayers is a London-based poet, transformational coach and journal facilitator with a particular interest in the ideas of Carl Jung. He qualified as a life coach with Animas (accredited by ICF), has trained extensively with (and now is on the faculty of) the Therapeutic Writing Institute. He has delivered workshops on Jungian psychology and poetry in the US, UK, Hungary and Spain.

He has facilitated writing for wellbeing sessions for diverse populations, ranging from inmates of His Majesty’s Prisons to members of local church congregations. Jon enjoyed a long first career as a copywriter and creative director in advertising and branding. His expressive writing course ‘Because You’re Worth It’ explores the persuasive tricks and techniques of advertising in relation to the self, aiming to boost self-awareness and confidence. He can be contacted through jon@everypencil.com

About the Group: This therapeutic writing group is for personal development. Claire will be offering a range of techniques to connect to your creative potential. There will be a therapeutic (rather than a literary) lens. Writing will be individual, with sharing in groups. We will build a non-judgemental and empathic container for your thoughts and feelings.

Who can Attend: This is open to everyone, therapists and the general public. If you are concerned about someone else attending (a conflict of interest), please contact sambaker.pa @ gmail.com, with your phone number, and we will discuss this with you.

Tutor: DR. CLAIRE WILLIAMSON PhD

Entry Requirements: You will either have attended a workshop with Claire already (please let us know the name and date of the workshop you attended). Or we will arrange an interview with Claire before you book, to check suitability.

CPD:  CPD Certificates will be given after the final module. If you have attended all the modules, the CPD certificate will be for 24 hours of CPD.

Where: Online

Dates: Tuesdays.  October 14 2025, October 28, November 11, November 25, December 9, December 23, January 13 2026, January 27, February 10, February 24, March 10, March 24.

Time: 6.45pm-8.45pm

NB If you would like to join but are unable to commit on a Tuesday evening, please let us know. If there are sufficient people interested, Claire might start a second group.

Cost: Per person for 12 sessions.
£500 if paid by 14th August.
£600 if paid on or after 15th September 2025
People joining the course late will still be charged in full (£600).

Payment Options: Payment can be made on the following basis:   With early booking discount £200 by 30th August, then £100 per month on 30 Sept, 30 Oct andd 30 Nov.
For full payment of £600.  £300 deposit.  £100 per month after that for 3 more months.

Maximum Numbers: 15 people

A series of monthly workshops that can help you explore feelings, and build your resilience as you connect with others in these challenging times.

The title theme for the workshops was inspired by a poem written by Deborah Cooper.

We will use carefully selected poems as a springboard for writing, reflection and conversations.

The workshops are for anyone who wants additional resources, in these unsettling times. It is for those who enjoy creativity, journalling, writing for personal or professional development.

No prior knowledge of poetry or expressive writing is required; you simply need to be willing to share, reflect and experiment with words in a supportive environment.

A series of monthly workshops that can help you explore feelings, and build your resilience as you connect with others in these challenging times.

The title theme for the workshops was inspired by a poem written by Deborah Cooper.

We will use carefully selected poems as a springboard for writing, reflection and conversations.

The workshops are for anyone who wants additional resources, in these unsettling times. It is for those who enjoy creativity, journalling, writing for personal or professional development.

No prior knowledge of poetry or expressive writing is required; you simply need to be willing to share, reflect and experiment with words in a supportive environment.

Whether you’re new to Lapidus or have been a part of our community for years, we want to help you make the most of your membership. 

Members can now book a bespoke, 1:1 Zoom call with our Membership Coordinator, to discuss how we can best support you through our events, networking and other membership offers.

What can you expect from a 1:1 membership call?

Calls last 20-30 minutes and are tailored to your needs. We can cover:

• The best way to find your feet in our friendly, global community
• A personal tour of our member benefits and how you can access them
• Suggested ways for you to share your experience and offerings via our platforms
• Discussing your areas of interest and how we can support your practice
• A fresh pair of eyes to identify new opportunities for you within our community
• Any other questions you may have or ways we can welcome and include you at Lapidus International

Where helpful, Flo will send a follow-up email with relevant links and opportunities for you to peruse in your own time.

How to book

Calls are available generally on Tuesday afternoons, 2-5pm UK time, and Friday mornings, 9am-12 noon UK time.

To book, please send an initial enquiry to membership@lapidus.org.uk. Flo will then reply to arrange a date and time.

Please note that 1:1 calls are a benefit that we offer to Lapidus International members. You must be a member to book a 1:1 call, and you can join our community from as little as £3.50 per month via our Membership Hub. 

This excursion-retreat weaves together the inspirational power of strikingly beautiful locations with literary pilgrimage, lively literary discussions, and expressive writing for wellbeing.

During this 12-day UK adventure, participants will be invited to respond to stirring poems and prose pieces of English, Welsh and Scottish authors within sites associated with their life and creative work. In this program, we will travel through varied landscapes, savor restful stays in delightfully scenic surroundings, and visit historically significant places within the Cotswolds, southeast Wales, Liverpool, the Lake District, and Edinburgh. As we savor the charms and literary vibe of these places, we will enjoy numerous opportunities to amplify our sensory perceptions, experience playful creativity, gather rejuvenating memories, and gain personal insight, as we respond to stimulating writing prompts.

Registration for this trip is now open, and the final date to pay your deposit and register is December 5, 2025, but you are encouraged to register as soon as possible to hold your place in the tour. Contact Geri Chavis at ggchavis@stkate.edu to receive a detailed brochure and for answers to any questions you have. Arrangements for this trip are made by Sovereign Tourism, based in London.

Program Leadership by Geri Chavis, Founder/Convener of MN Poetry Therapy Network, Professor Emerita, St. Catherine University.

Included in the cost of the programme:

• Teaching, facilitating and preparation of literary materials by Geri Chavis,
• Accompaniment by a London-based blue-badge guide throughout the tour,
• Accommodations  at Four Star Hotels,
• Private, deluxe motorcoach for transfer and touring, handling of luggage,
• Seventeen meals including full breakfast daily, and six dinners,
• Entrance fees and activities,
• All gratuities,
• Group travel insurance,
• Assistance along the way from Sovereign Tourism, based in London.