London Transport Museum workshops

Mind the Map

Dean Atta and I worked with the London Transport Museum Young Consultants to plan and lead a workshop exploring the themes of the new Mind the Map exhibition. The exhibition explores the mapping of the London Underground and the creative mapping that this has inspired amongst artists, in the workshop young writers mapped emotional journeys. At the launch of the exhibition the young people performed a group spoken word piece on the emotions they attached to London underground stations and also ran a very busy and sucessfull haiku workshop on the same theme. It was great to see the young people perform and facilitate with such cofidence, Dean and I were very proud! A video was made of the workshop day at the London Transport Museum`s depot, and will be uploaded soon...

Sense and the City
The Sense and the City exhibition explored the future of technology and transport, and through working with the amazing London Transport Museum Young Consultants, Dean Atta and I designed a workshop that helped young writers explore this topic and the exhbition itself. The result were some very powerful group spoken word pieces on what the young people thought the future held combining poetry, mime and song!

Dean Atta and I looking at the exhibition with young writers

 

Words with JAM blog posted

Writing is theraputic, but not therapy?

 

Words with JAM, the online magazine for readers and writers, have published an article researched by myself on the different uses of writing in the rehabilitation of torture and conflict survirors. English PEN, Freedom From Torture and The Baobab Centre all use creative writing and expressive writing in different way to help survivors overcome and understand the traumas they have suffered, however, the charities differ in their approaches and techniques. Many people regardless of what they have suffered turn to writing to understand their situation and to release their trauma, and I`ll be doing further research on the challenges and impacts of this, as well as the barriers to the right to rehabilitation in the UK for torture survivors. The article can be read here. 

Beaconsfield and Chipping Norton Performances

The New Libertines

Was delighted to perform alongside Claire Trevien and James Webster again, this time in Chipping Norton, at an event organised by Dan Holloway entitled "The New Libertines." Eight poets were expertly curated and introduced by Dan, and they performed diverse and dramatic short sets on a range of topics and styles. We were asked to return to the Chipping Norton Literary festival next year, which we are all really looking forward too! Claire reviewed the event here, and the event was organised by Dan`s Eight Cuts Gallery who have their website here. Watch out for their latest events!

Poetry and Wine 

Performing alongside Claire Trévien, Dan Holloway, James Webster, Jill Wallis and Simon Barraclough was a real honour at the lovelz Royal Standard of England in Beaconsfield, a place I had never been before, and where incidentally the pub holds weekly morris dancing sessions...  

A review of the event by Sabotage Reviews can be found here.