- Event Date: 03/01/2026
LLRC January
Event Details
- 10am
- Online via Zoom
- From £0
Event Description
How can therapeutic creative writing uncover a more nuanced story of a past self?
Presenter: Elisabeth Winkler
With autoethnography as methodology, I investigated the inner and outer worlds of my depersonalised adolescence. Through examining journals, a photograph, and historic poems, I used creative writing to compassionately revisit the past, rewriting a story of failure and fragmentation into a holistic one of mental health recovery.
This workshop focuses on poetic autoethnography (Hanauer, 2010 – 2022) as a research tool, using poetry’s particular qualities to respond to historic poems. It also draws on narrative therapy to incorporate “the lost relationship” with the self and, in doing so, arrive at a new understanding (White, 1988).
The session will be about 65 minutes, and includes time for questions, comments and creative writing. Please bring a fragment of your creative writing or poetry or a photograph from the past (which could be yesterday!) for a short written exercise.
Joining details
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81765344967
Meeting ID: 817 6534 4967
This session will be recorded and available on catch-up for a limited time. The recording will be added to this page a couple of days after the event. Please check back here from Tuesday 6th January for access to the recording.
About Elisabeth Winkler
Elisabeth Winkler has earned her living with words as a freelance journalist (published in all the broadsheets) and charity communications. A recent MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes enabled an exploration into her lived experience of depersonalisation and recovery. She is now a peer facilitator for the UK charity for depersonalisation and derealisation, Unreal, and writing about mental health.
About the Lapidus Living Research Community
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. LLRC events are free. Use the Zoom link above to access the event.
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- Event Date: 03/01/2026
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- Lapidus Member Event Only
The 5 Fs: When the story alters… exploring responses to narrative disruption and creative antidotes
This interactive talk draws on discoveries from my doctoral research, which explored responses to grief in literature. I will introduce literary examples of fight, flight, freeze, fawn and flow to inspire our own reflective writing, on our varying responses to personal stories that have been interrupted by life events. There will be an opportunity to share in a non-judgemental environment and to consider how creatively/imaginatively meeting basic needs can support during, and reflecting on, challenging passages of life.
Trigger warning: Discussion of interruptive life events
About the Presenter
Dr Claire Williamson is the author of four poetry collections, the latest being Visiting the Minotaur (Seren). For ten years she was Director of Studies for the MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP) at Metanoia Institute, and now works freelance as a CWTP facilitator, mentor, and supervisor. Her current work is informed by Pesso Boyden therapy.
Joining details
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86850202455
Meeting ID: 868 5020 2455
This session will be recorded and available on catch-up for a limited time. Please check back here a couple of days after the event for access to the recording.
About the Lapidus Living Research Community
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. LLRC events are free. Use the Zoom link above to access the event.
An invitation to writers of all levels (beginners are as welcome as the more experienced) — to loosen the ligaments, put perfection aside, and write for the quiet joy of discovery; to share a space where words unfold boldly, imperfectly, and in response to curiosity.
A block of three months offers a gentle rhythm of practice: a facilitated Anchor Session followed later in the month by a companion Open Writing Session, where you can return to your work, deepen the ideas sparked in the workshop, and write alongside others in quiet company.
How it works
Anchor Session (first Tuesday of each month, 5.00-7.00 pm, UK time):
A guided workshop exploring a theme, text, or prompt through discussion, short exercises and optional sharing. These sessions provide inspiration and direction for your writing practice.
Open Writing Session (third Tuesday of each month, 5:00–6:30 pm, UK time):
A lightly held, communal writing space in which you can develop your ideas, try new forms, or simply write in the company of others. Optional check-in and sharing at the end.
Block Pass: £105 for three months (includes three Anchor Sessions and three companion Open Writing Sessions). This block encourages continuity and engagement, with sessions scheduled monthly to help you build a routine.
Single Sessions: please enquire.
Block 1: January – March 2026
Anchor: 6 January | 3 February | 3 March
Open: 20 January | 17 February | 17 March
6 workshops on consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning on 18th February, whole course £105.
In writing for wellbeing we tend to focus entirely on content and not at all on form, but understanding the craft of storytelling can help us to relive our experiences more fully and write with more confidence.
This course begins with a look at how to use the basic building blocks of storytelling – plotting, characterisation, voice and settings – to shape your lived experience into truthful but engaging stories and goes on to explore some of the different forms and styles of creative non-fiction, from essays and themed memoirs to prose poems and lyric essays.