jolenesheehan Chorlton, community writing, lockdown, Manchester, memories

The benefits of being in green spaces

In our recent session, we had a wonderful conversation about the vital role of nature and green spaces in our lives. We discussed how the sense of safety that birdsong brings, the calming effect of fractals on our minds, and the beauty of petrichor—the smell of the ground after rain—are all crucial to our well-being.

We also touched on how we often seek these green spaces as we would a lake or a well when the green inside us feels dried up, quenching our thirst for nature. Our talk highlighted the significance of urban design and how living in the city heightens our craving for green spaces. (We love that where we live is so green and lush, even though it’s right by the city!)

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margaretkendall Chorlton, community writing, Manchester, memories

Thoughts and memories about art

Joyce opened our first meeting on this topic with her definition of art as “creative expression of communication of ideas and something, in my opinion, to be treasured”.   We enjoyed seeing examples of her textile art she had brought with her.  In the lively discussions which followed, both in person and online, we shared varied experiences and thoughts about art, but all agreed on its importance in our lives.  We shared how other people in our lives helped us in the past or help us now to appreciate art in all its forms.

On 18th May, as part of Chorlton Arts Festival, we gave participants in our session a taste of what we do in our meetings. Some of us then read out our writing from the blog post which follows.  We hope you enjoy reading our thoughts and welcome any comments of your own at the end.

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jolenesheehan community writing, memories

The Power Of Language

This month started with an engaging online session with Yaron Matras from Manchester City of Languages. We explored the theme of language as a landscape for both connection and disconnection, and our rich and diverse conversation is now available on Youtube

Our follow-up in-person meeting also covered a wide array of topics, from the nuance of gestures to the humour and frustration of miscommunication, and the universal reach of music. It reminded me of the power and limits of language to convey complex human experience and the deeper, quest for authenticity and truth of which language is a part.

In this blog post you will discover the thoughts and perspectives from our gatherings, demonstrating the various ways in which language brings us together, presents us with obstacles, and enhances our comprehension of one another.

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margaretkendall community writing

The Meaning of Home

We talked about what “home” means for us. We talked about where and when we feel at home, about the people who make or made us feel that way and about the comforts of our own homes. We shared our sadness for those who’ve had to flee their homes, for those for whom home is not a safe place to be and for those who have no homes. The strong emotions of those conversations inspired some of us to share our thoughts in the poetry and prose which follows. We hope that our insights are meaningful to you too. We hope also that, after reading them, you may experience the same sense of gratitude for “home” that we experienced as we left our meetings.

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margaretkendall community writing, memories

The value of friendship

It was moving and thought-provoking to share our thoughts on the value of friendship.  As you read on, you’ll see how some of us were inspired to express our feelings through poetry or prose.  There are celebrations of, and tributes to, individual friends.  Some tell of specific moments and some describe longstanding friendships.  Then follow thoughtful reflections on the roles played by different types of friendships, the varied impacts they may have upon us or we have on them as we grow and change.

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jolenesheehan community writing

Oral Histories and Futures storytelling

In the ever-evolving narrative of our lives, the past and future co-exist in a delicate balance, each informing the other. Our recent ‘Oral Histories and Futures’ workshop, led by esteemed University of Manchester researchers Liz Ackerley and Laura Fenton, illustrated this interplay beautifully. They inspired us to go on a temporal journey, where we explored our personal histories tied to places that hold special meaning, to share and reflect collectively, and then to look thoughtfully toward what the future might hold.

At the workshop’s conclusion, we were presented with a variety of expressive pathways:

  • Form a narrative about a memorable everyday place from your past.
  • Pen a letter to the future, possibly addressed to a special location you have in mind.
  • Create a tale that envisions the future of a particular place.
  • Or, feel free to create something unique that the workshop/ theme sparks in you.

Inspired by these prompts, the following pieces of writing were created. Continue reading to enjoy our collective memories and forward-looking visions. We welcome you to add your voice to the conversation in the comments below. If you’re intrigued by Liz and Laura’s innovative work and methodologies, you can reach out to them at austerityalters@manchester.ac.uk or follow their updates at @austerityalters

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margaretkendall community writing

The role of humour in our lives

In our most recent storytelling meeting, Jolene began the session by asking each participant to share their initial associations with the theme.  The words ‘‘ridiculous”, “survival”, “cover-up”, “cartoon”, “daft”, “you’ve just got to laugh”, “joy”, “release”, “laughter”, “electric fence”, “dark” and “caring” were suggested.

As the meeting progressed and everyone shared memories and associations, she said she had a fun time weaving those words into the poem which follows, in the spirit of play inspired by the theme.

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margaretkendall community writing, memories

Pets and other animals

So many interesting themes emerged as we talked about pets. The discussion prompted thoughts on the contradictory relationship humans can have with animals, and how our attitudes and behaviours towards animals are often shaped by our experiences, culture and background.  Afterwards, some of us wrote up our responses to the theme in poetry or in prose. We hope you enjoy reading our memories and reflections.

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