As part of its centenary in 2019, the Forestry Commission is calling on the nation to write about what trees and forests mean to them this Valentine’s Day.
Lapidus News
Words, wellness and writing!
It's February already? Weren't we just watching the fireworks and singing Auld Lang Syne just a few days ago?
Lapidus Scotland is seeking a Creative Project Manager to take forward its project ‘Words Work Well For Health and Wellbeing’, a programme of writing, storytelling and art activities and for wellbeing throughout Glasgow for people with long-term and often complex health conditions in a range of inspiring and healing settings facilitated by experienced writers. We have received funding from Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership via the Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund to continue and extend this project for a further two years (2019 to 2021).
101 Stores for Enhancing Happiness and Well-Being
Using Metaphors in Positive Psychology and Therapy
George W. Burns Routledge 2017
http://www.georgeburns.com.au/
This book is full of thoughtful, inspirational, and useful ideas. Storytelling lies at its heart, the power of story-making, story-hearing, story-recreating. Burns’ work stands at a crossroads of Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and story-metaphor therapy.
Reflective Writing in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Jeannie Wright
Sage Publishing 2018
Although the title implies this book is designed for counsellors and psychotherapists, I believe it is potentially helpful for many others. Facilitators of writing for wellbeing and personal development will find it a rich source of stimulating ideas and exercises. Individuals seeking to improve self-awareness – whether as part of reflective practice in a work setting, or simply to grow as a human being – can use this book as a practical guide.
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.
Call for Presentations
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!
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