Kate Heaslip runs Book Incubator, an organisation that runs literacy workshops for primary schoold children in Australia. The focus is on improving literacy, telling a story, and boosting creativity. Francesca Baker, Lapidus’ Outreach Manager, asked her a few questions…
The Metanoia Institute is now offering a new Practitioner Certificate which provides qualified therapists and senior trainees with the opportunity to learn about principles, practice and applications of Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP). All are welcome – you do not have to have done much creative writing before, only be willing to participate.
Earlier this year, Lapidus International held its first ever writing competition with guest judge Julie Primon.
We were very happy with the responses - every submission bringing something new and special to the suggested theme. On Saturday at the Lapidus AGM, the winner of this inaugural competition was announced.
The winner of the 2018 'A Moment of Kindness Flash Fiction' competition is:
As part of celebrations to mark its centenary in 2019, the Forestry Commission has launched a new writing competition to diversify nature writing.
A new report entitled A Society of Readers, commissioned by the charity The Reading Agency and conducted by think tank Demos, finds a significant body of evidence to show that reading can help to combat the growing issue of loneliness, as well as acting as a tool to protect future generations from loneliness. With nine million people in the UK currently feeling lonely "often" or "always", the research shines a light on the benefits of using reading as a form of social connection. To find out more about the report and what it means, we caught up with Edward Cutler, Digital Communications Officer at The Reading Agency.
It’s been a bit of a non-stop November for Lapidus – we've been travelling across the country for the NAWE conference, setting up the AGM in London in December, interviewing new board members, setting up events next year (Newcastle, March 23rd and 24th - save the date!) and the Creative Bridges International Call for Papers is well underway too!
“Write here, sanctuary” creative writing for refugees and people seeking asylum - Arts & Health
Theodore Stickley, Ada Hui, Michelle Stubley, Francesca Baker and Michael Craig Watson
“Write here, sanctuary” creative writing for refugees and people seeking asylum is a study published in Arts & Health by Theodore Stickley, Ada Hui, Michelle Stubley, Francesca Baker and Michael Craig Watson that looks at the efficacy and affect of creative writing workshops for refugees run by Write East Midlands in three cities – Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.
The Kent Writing and Wellbeing Network began meeting in January 2013 and has had many interesting speakers including Patricia Debney, Reinekke Lengelle and Maria C. McCarthy.
13th Annual Storytelling Symposium, 12-13 April, 2019
George Ewart Centre for Storytelling,
University of South Wales Atrium Campus
THEME: Storytelling and the Environment
Free to enter, the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize run in association with Goldsmiths Writers’ Centre, aims to find the best life writing from emerging writers from across the UK. The Prize defines life writing as ‘intended to be true’, reflects someone’s own life journey or experiences and is not fiction.
A writing circle for women to meet and unpack their words, together.
Every month or so, we are sending our outreach officer, Francesca Baker, out to bring back an interesting story from the field of words for wellbeing. Here is the first of these stories!
In October 2017 Jane Moss embarked on a three year research project to create a community novel. Her question is ‘what would happen if a community wrote a novel using a combination of pens, apps and laptops?’ Or, to put it another, more academic way, ‘What is the potential role for digital media in co-authorship of a community novel?’
We thought this sounded interesting – and fun – so caught up with Jane to find out more.
Every month, Richard, the Lapidus International Coordinator, is going to write a ‘From The Desk’ article to give an update of the day-to-day activity that goes on in the Lapidus International Office. This is the very first one of those updates and it's extra spooky!
Bibliotherapy edited by Sarah McNicol, Liz Brewster
In recent years bibliotherapy has hit, if not the mainstream, at least a library or health service near you with programmes such as the Books On Prescription scheme, where self help and advice books are prescribed to support people with certain illnesses or ailments. It’s good recognition of something that people have known for many years –advice, inspiration, education and solace can be found through reading.
Title: The Little Book of Writing Prompts
Authors: Frances Ainslie and Barbara Bloomfield
Publisher: Lapidus International (www.lapidus.co.uk)
The HOT Lapidus group have met on a regular basis in Scarborough since 2011. We currently meet four times a year and the core members of the group take turns in facilitating either a whole day’s session or share the facilitation for a half day’s session. In return for facilitation members pay half the fee for the workshop. Our core membership consists of 8 members and we travel from as far afield as West Yorkshire and Northumberland. We continue to meet in Scarborough as the venue suits us in ambience and in catering facilities and it is convenient for people to travel to. It is also very accessible for anyone with mobility issues and has proven to be a popular venue and we have enjoyed meeting there for the last few years. We all contribute to lunch and each participant is invited to bring food to share.
The magic of therapeutic writing is often experienced sitting around a table in an intimate group setting. There is enormous power in writing together and having our words witnessed by others in a safe space, held by a skilful facilitator.
When Victoria Field and I embarked on the challenge of carrying some of that alchemy into a virtual learning environment with the launch of our online Introduction to Therapeutic and Reflective Writing course, we approached the task with excitement, but also some uncertainty. Would it be possible to provide a safe, supportive environment for participants to learn, share and develop?
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