Are you interested in using words creatively in your work to promote health and wellbeing? Are you based in the Highlands and Islands?
Join Lapidus Scotland at Assynt Leisure Centre in its wonderful setting overlooking the harbour for a day of stimulating workshops and discussion. Find out about our work using creative words for health and wellbeing and our plans to set up a regional group in the Highlands and Islands. Take part in writing workshops around the theme of place with writers Margot Henderson and Mandy Haggith as we launch our exciting new project ‘Writing Place’ and explore how you might be involved. Make connections with like-minded professionals working in a range of different settings.
The day is aimed primarily at professionals working in the Highlands and Islands who have a background in health, education, countryside parks and woodlands, nature-based education, creative writing, storytelling, libraries, or community arts and are interested in using creative writing approaches in their work, but is also open to those with a personal interest in creative writing and wellbeing.
If you’re interested but can’t attend, please do get in touch and register interest so we can keep you informed of future developments.
There will be two 90-minute creative writing workshops during the day:
‘Write Here’ with Margot Henderson: A creative writing workshop exploring a sense of place and deepening our nature connection.
Margot Henderson is a Scots-Irish Poet, Storyteller and Community Artist. Much of her work is socially engaged and site specific, celebrating community and our connection to the natural environment. Since returning to Scotland in 2002, she has been the Storytelling Fellow for Aberdeen, Writer in Residence for The Cromarty Arts Trust and Reader in Residence for Inverness. She leads an expressive writing group at Maggie’s Highlands. She practises and teaches Mindfulness Meditation in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and is a Cultural Creative with Nature Culture Scotland.
‘Words, Wood and Water’ with Mandy Haggith: Join Mandy on a writing walk through the woods to the shore and discover how you can use the natural environment as creative inspiration.
Mandy Haggith is a writer based in Assynt, in the north-west highlands of Scotland. Her writing is mostly concerned with nature and she also works as an environmental activist on forest issues. In 2013, her second novel Bear Witness was published by Saraband, as was Into the Forest, an anthology of tree poems in aid of Trees for Life. She has had two collections of poetry published (letting light in and Castings), and a non-fiction book about the impacts of our paper use (Paper Trails). Her first novel The Last Bear won the Robin Jenkins Literary Award in 2009. She writes regularly in newspapers and magazines, leads creative writing workshops and retreats, and is currently running a project called A-B-Tree celebrating the link between trees and writing. http://mandyhaggith.worldforests.org/index.asp
Cost: A donation of £10 is invited to help cover the cost of the event. Please get in touch if the cost might preclude you from attending.
Booking: To book a place, please complete the attached booking form and return it to: Philippa Johnston, ‘Writing Place’ Project Manager, atphilippajohnston@btinternet.com. If you have any queries, do ring her on 01337 842513.
Booking deadline: Monday 24 March 2014
Lapidus Scotland is the regional group for Scotland within Lapidus UK. Lapidus is all about using creative words for health and wellbeing. At its core is the belief that words used creatively can be a powerful tool for health and personal and community development – through the writing, reading and performing of poetry, prose, fiction, drama and story, connecting with nature and our environment, and in other ways.
Words for Wellbeing is supported by Awards for All Scotland and Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Fund.
