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THE 2023 FESTIVAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
21 October - 17 November
FoSS and ESRC logos

Words for Wellbeing

Lifelong wellbeing theme

What’s on offer?

An opportunity to take part in a free poetry workshop focusing on lockdown experiences.

What’s it about?

Words for Wellbeing will be a friendly and accessible workshop exploring our experiences of reading during the Covid-19 lockdown and discussing the types of reading material we were drawn to. We will think about practical ways people coped during lockdown: from the perspectives of those shielding or isolating, through to frontline workers thrust into the heart of the pandemic, and hear a variety of poetry, exploring some of the ways these might create empathy and solidarity – or any other emotion – through creative techniques such as colour imagery, metaphor and personification.

We will discover or refresh a variety of poetic devices to help us paint vivid pictures with our own words and communicate effectively through poetry as a creative outlet to reflect on our own lockdown experiences and those of others.

Everyone will be encouraged, guided and supported during the workshop to take part in the creative activities and to write their own poems. The workshop is suitable for anyone who would like to take part – you do not need to have written poetry before!

Who’s leading the event?

Mel Wardle Woodend, (Staffordshire Poet Laureate 2019-2022), MA Creative Writing; PG Certificate in Professional Studies in Education; Member of the National Association of Writers in Education

Dr Marcello Giovanelli, Reader and Head of English, Languages and Applied Linguistics (ELAL)

Open to

Adults/Young People

Of particular interest to

Anyone interested in writing poetry and the relationship of poetry reading and writing to wellbeing

Event Booking details

Workshop 1: Face to face 16-18 year olds
Workshop 2: Face to face adults
Workshop 3: Online adults
Workshop 4: Online 16-18 year olds

Scheduling information

Each workshop targets a specific audience:

  • Workshop 1: Saturday 4/11/23 10.00am – 12.00pm Young People aged 16-18 (in person)
  • Workshop 2: Saturday 4/11/23 1.00pm – 3.00pm Adults aged 18+ (in person)
  • Workshop 3: Wednesday 8/11/23 7.00pm – 9.00pm Adults aged 18+ (virtual)
  • Workshop 4: Thursday 9/11/23 7.00pm – 9.00pm Young People aged 16-18 (virtual)

Event booking deadline

A week before the event starts