LONDON LAPIDUS REUNITES

Wendy French and Cheryl Moskowitz are starting up the London group again. First meeting will take place in early September 2008. Please contact Wendy French for more details Wendy French

Next Meeting

Saturday Jan 17th, 2009 from 10am until 1pm at the Poetry Cafe Betterton Street, Covent Garden.

Any member of Lapidus is welcome to attend. It will be the first open meeting of the new group and there will be a session led by Monica Suswin on 'Holding a Writing Space' (we will take the time to explore whatever issues are present for your own writing), as well as other discussions. There will be an initial charge of £10 to cover the cost of hiring the room.

The cafe will be open to purchase tea and coffee and there are plenty of sandwich bars/eating places in that area. It would be helpful to know how many people are attending so if emails could be sent to Wendy French we will have an idea of how many to expect.

Previous Meetings

Saturday 20th January 2007, 2-5pm, LONDON ACTION RESOURCE CENTRE, 62 FIELDGATE STREET, WHITECHAPEL, LONDON E1

Writing the Unspeakable - A writing and wellbeing masterclass

The meeting of London Lapidus will be a workshop with Australian writer, historian, and researcher into creative writing and the medical humanities

Susan Bradley Smith

Susan Bradley Smith has been running a series of reflective writing workshops for doctors during 2006, as part of her ongoing research into GP wellbeing. Evaluation of her 'Beyond the Medical Record' writing workshops reveals that 'It is evident that programs of this kind could play an important role in professional development and renewal'. This masterclass offers an opportunity for participants to develop their creative writing skills in a safe yet challenging environment, with the aim to 'write the unspeakable', whilst exploring professional and personal issues through guided writing exercises. Workshop themes include creative writing and professional wellbeing, finding new meaning in practice through reflective writing, and sharing narratives of 'silenced' experience. The workshop will foster a collegial experience whilst exploring the therapeutic potential of reflective writing practice, with creative outcomes ranging from prose to poetry.

Further information from Sally Thompson at Sally@2hbs.fsnet.co.uk or Richard Wright at Richard.wright@bbc.co.uk

Recent Meetings

September 2006
At BBC Portland Place London W1A 1AA (Location map)

Workshop with Chair of Lapidus, Victoria Field, entitled: On Becoming a Poetry Therapist

This workshop introduced some of the principles of poetry therapy through close reading of poems, writing and discussion. It outlined some of the principles of poetry therapy and give examples of the kinds of poems and writing suggestions that might be used.

Victoria Field qualified as a Certified Poetry Therapist in 1995. She lives and works in Truro where she is writer-in-residence at Truro Cathedral and runs writing groups in a variety of health, education and social care settings. Her first collection, Olga's Dreams, has been described as 'delicious' and she has also had two plays professionally produced in Cornwall. 'Writing Works', co-edited with Gillie Bolton and Kate Thompson, a resource handbook for therapeutic writing, was published this August.

September 2005

Writing workshop with John Fox, President of the National Association for Poetry Therapy.

EDGES, RISKS AND CONNECTIONS: How Poetry Can Help You Stay Balanced & Compassionate in a Crazy World

John Fox, former President of the National Association for Poetry Therapy in the USA, is a Certified Poetry Therapist, published poet and author, and experienced teacher. He has been leading writing workshops and retreats for 20 years. The workshop was held at the October Gallery, which is dedicated to the appreciation of art from all cultures around the world. The Theatre, located on the second floor, is a large, naturally lit room with wooden flooring. The Gallery is situated in Bloomsbury, just a short walk from the British Museum and the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

The Gallery is within easy walking distance of both the Holborn and Russell Square tube stations. For further information see www.octobergallery.co.uk

March 2004

Spirituality and the Writer

The March afternoon meeting of the London Lapidus group was held at the Rudolf Steiner House near Baker Street/ Regent Park and was divided into three parts, general business, guided visualisation and creative writing exercises chaired by Paul Allchin, an information officer working in the British Library and a workshop led by Jackee Holden an ordained Interfaith minister and life coach interested in ways to support writers and their creativity.

September 2003

This second meeting of the revived London group showed an encouraging increase in numbers attending. The meeting was chaired by Kate Thompson, who began by leading the group into a general discussion.

An intriguing exercise was then led by Jo Monks, based on “hooks” in various forms of writing - phrases or sentences particularly likely or intended to grab the attention and claim the interest of the reader. The collaborative work allowed each person to write from the stimulation of someone else’s (anonymous) opening phrase. It produced some interesting and thought-provoking results, particularly when the initial intention was transformed by the subsequent passages it inspired.

The second half of the meeting was devoted to a workshop contributed by the poet Jc McFee. Jc spoke with passion and commitment of her belief in writing as a therapeutic medium. Drawing on her own experiences, and reading from her work, she demonstrated how it was possible to write through the pain of an experience, and emerge from the process with greater clarity and strength.