Saturday 6 March - 10:00am to 1:30pm
Behind our Hidden Face: An Exploration of the Limitations and Liberties of Social Masking, a writing for wellbeing workshop.
The current obligation to wear a mask in many communal settings may be changing the way we interact socially.
In this one-day workshop, Andy Devonshire and Lucy Windridge examine personal and critical responses to masks and face coverings in the light of social, political and historical questions.
Saturday 27 February - 10:00am to 11:30am
How would you handle a workshop participant who is feeling suicidal? Do you know the law concerning safeguarding? How do you get support for your workshops and your own wellbeing?
Dr. Jeannie Wright and Barbara Bloomfield, both experienced counsellors, supervisors and writers for wellbeing, will take you through what you need to know to create inspiring and above all safe events.
There are a lot of events going on at the moment, run both by ourselves and our members. We don't want you to miss out, so please find below a summary of the events happening over the next few months. We'll continue to update it every time someone sends in something new! (All times are in timezone GMT+1 unless otherwise specified)
Are you running an event? Let us know by emailing the details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Professor Tony Wall reports on a lockdown study of 100 therapeutic writers carried out by Lapidus International.
A new national study by the University of Chester and Lapidus examines how creative writing for therapeutic purposes provision changed under the first lockdown of 2020. The study focused on the top 1% most health deprived areas in England (clustered into 16 areas) and combines web analyses, virtual focus groups and interviews, to find out how provision changed, how these changes impacted people, who had been excluded, and what is needed at the local level.
Saturday 28 November - 11:00am to 2:30pm
Join us this November for our online AGM - free for all Lapidus members to attend. It's another chance to catch up and connect with your fellow members, as well as take part in a workshop run by Jeannie Wright, one of Lapidus's directors.
Lapidus International is seeking a candidate to help guide the organisation. We are seeking a confident individual– preferably someone who has a history with Lapidus International - who is passionate about promoting its values and supporting the company onward into the future. Lapidus International is an expressive arts company that believes in the power of words, both spoken and written, to provide benefits to wellbeing and professional development. The company supports its members internationally by giving them opportunities to connect, develop and share in the Lapidus community.
A research project involving 100 writers for wellbeing has detailed the many creative forms that therapeutic writing is taking. Professor Tony Wall of the University of Chester explains.
This summer, our study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of therapeutic writing groups across the top 1% health-deprived areas in England. The initial findings shed light on the diversity of practice and practitioners and how adaptable the community has been to respond quickly to the pandemic using technology.
Lapidus International is seeking a candidate to lead the organisation in the future. We are seeking someone with experience in the field of therapeutic writing – preferably someone who has a history with Lapidus International and is passionate about promoting its values and leading the company onward into the future.
Join us on the 22nd August for our Finding Courage Writing Festival.
As before we'll be running this event through our Zoom - it's open for anyone to attend (up to a certain amount, so don't forget to sign up to save your space!)
This event will be 'Pay What You Want'. Want to support Lapidus in what we do and help us run more events like this? Consider donating a small amount through the link below. Don't have the cash to spare? Not a problem. Join in anyway!
Thinking of running a writing group? Already organise workshops but want to enhance them? Here are a few top tips from our community.
If you are a facilitator or attendee of a creative writing for wellbeing group - currently or pre-COVID- we would like to hear from you!
Lapidus International is working with Professor Tony Wall at the University of Chester on a new research project that looks at the changes in provision of creative writing for wellbeing groups in England during COVID-19.
Therapeutic Writing with the Five Senses
Saturday, July 11th, 11.00am – 12.30pm
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE PUT ON THE WAITING LIST.
Our awareness seems to have been heightened in recent months and a hyper-sensitivity to our encounter with our environment has been described by many.
As we seek to hold a fragile balance in uncertain times, the use of our five senses may be significant and supportive. This online workshop is designed to for enjoyment, using verbal expression and writing as we focus on our interaction with the world and explore our emotions in relation to our sensory experiences.
Research Matters
A Lapidus Discussion Panel
Saturday, June 27, 1.00pm – 2.00pm
We became aware at last year’s Creative Bridges conference that there were many Lapidus members who were interested to know about ways to research their practice and/or how to go about to publishing their research.
This event offers you an opportunity to ask the questions you may have about some of the panels’ experiences of practising and publishing research related to the field of writing as a therapeutic practice, which we hope will be a starting point for further learning and discussion.
*Look up*
A few years ago, on a trip to London, I met a woman named Clare. She runs a project called Urban Curiosity. We ordered lattes and deliciously buttery breakfast treats, and I asked her, “What’s this project all about?”
It’s pretty simple. Mainly, she leads people on walking tours throughout the city of London. People wander through different neighborhoods, and through beautiful green parks, noticing the trees, noticing the sky, the clouds, the pets, the people. The only rule is that you have to put away your phone. No photos. No videos. No texting. Just walk.
“I want to inspire people to look up, not down,” Clare told me.
I remember feeling a rush of energy in my body, almost like my skin was tingling, when Clare said those words. I remember thinking, “Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
I watched a short film about a man who set up a high-powered telescope on a random sidewalk in Los Angeles and invited strangers to peek inside and look at the moon. It’s incredible how each person—all ages, all kinds of people—react in the same way. “Oh my god. Wow. Just…oh my God.” The filmmaker concludes this tiny, 3-minute film by saying:
“We should look up more often.”
Imagine if we looked up into the sky, and into people’s eyes, as often as we look down at our phones. Imagine the difference it would make. We would all walk around shimmering, awestruck, grateful, just one big collective WOW.
At least once a week, I have one of those weary, frazzled moments when my to-do list feels never-ending…when my inbox feels frighteningly full…when the quarterly reports come in and the book sales aren’t as high as I thought they would be…when I feel very small and very insignificant. Those are the moments when I feel tempted to dive into a digital device to escape and numb out. Instead, next time, I will try to remind myself:
“Look up.”
The answer I’m seeking is not down on my laptop screen, or my phone. It’s up. It’s out there. It’s above and beyond. In the trees, the sky, and the stars.
9th May, 3pm to 5pm
EDIT: THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT.
Please contact Richard at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be notified first about the date of the next event.
Are you looking for support with aspects of your work? Lapidus wants to help creative practitioners to feel confident and upskill themselves. Therefore, we are running our first online coaching circle using the simple model of an Active Learning Set. Share wisdom with colleagues about all sorts of practice issues: you bring them, we help you to resolve them!
16th May at 11:00am to 12:30pm
EDIT: THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT.
Please contact Richard at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be notified first about the date of the next event.
Are you thinking about taking your events online? Are you unsure about which system to use, or best practice when it comes to running a workshop?
Lapidus Coordinator Richard Axtell is offering a one-and-a-half-hour workshop giving you the chance to explore your options when it comes to online events and to ask any questions you might have.
This workshop will cover:
The Lapidus International Research and Innovation Community Journal is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal.
Our aim is to foster debate that can support the growing acknowledgement of the written and spoken word in supporting mental and physical health and wellbeing.
We publish articles, essays and reviews by academics, writers and clinical and cultural practitioners from diverse perspectives who use writing in any number of different contexts to this effect.
With the start if this new month, we are happy to announce our plans to change Lapidus International's name to a new, improved name: Writey Alrighty.
"We think it's a really cool name," says the chair of Lapidus, Barbara Bloomfield. "It really says what we believe in: that if you write, you'll feel alright."
