jolenesheehan community writing

End of Year Reflection Session

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Our final Stories of Our Lives session of the year took place on 20th December at Chorlton Library. It was a really lovely one to end with as we gathered with brews, mince pies, notebooks, and put some time aside to pause together our thoughts before the year turned.

We moved through three main reflections: time spent thinking about Stories of Our Lives and community, and time reflecting on the year in a more personal sense, both looking back and looking ahead. Each reflection began with a few minutes of quiet writing or reflection, and then a wider group chat at the end.

Rather than writing about personal reflections, which are not mine to share, I will write about what surfaced in terms of community and Stories of Our Lives.

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margaretkendall community writing, Manchester, memories

A sense of place – Manchester

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Jolene began by asking each of us for our initial one-word reactions to this theme.  They were varied: “opportunities, excitement, community, family, entertainment, roots, home, connections, my birth, Windrush, permanence, memories, magnet, security, diversity, culture”.   

Then she asked us to reflect, on our own, in answer to these questions:

  • How do I feel about Manchester as a place to live?
  • What brought me here, or what kept me here?
  • Is there anything which resonates from the words other people came up with?

What an uplifting discussion was to follow, as we shared our stories about what Manchester means to us, as well as the places some of us moved from to be here.   Eight of us later chose to share our responses with you in writing.  

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