Hello!
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the start of Spring (it’s feeling a bit too chilly here in North London to believe it is actually Spring!).
It’s been a whirlwind at Creative Writes and the blog post I wrote a while ago has taken a back seat for now. I wanted to first share a recent event with you, which meant a lot to me.
This year marks ten years since I founded Creative Writes and I celebrated this on 28th March with a sparkly Words & Wine evening. I knew I wanted to make Words & Wine a little more sparkly than usual but I could not have envisaged how memorable an evening it would become. A few months ago, my amazing team (Or ‘Team C.W’ as I like to say!) started to help me think about the event and consider the details that would make it fit for a special celebration.
The result was this; a room full of love, laughter, tears, flowers, balloons, confetti, incredible people and powerful words. We were also supported by local business with champagne donated by Jeroboams Muswell Hill for our toasts and a mountain of delicious cheese from Wildes Cheese (a wonderful Urban Dairy in Tottenham, where I had the pleasure of visiting and meeting owners Keith & Phil). Not forgetting the wine and chocolates, which are standard at all Words & Wine Workshops!
We were at full capacity in The Shed – our regular venue for Words & Wine, which had been given the magical final touches for the evening by owner Nicky.
I knew that I wanted to make a speech to say thank you but I had been away and then teaching lots in the run up to the night, so ended up sitting down to write a 10 minute free flow when I rushed home to get changed after setting up at the venue. It was another reminder of the power of free flow writing because I managed to say what it was I wanted to say! Two of the long term Creative Writes crew, Deborah and Anj had asked to read something on the night. Deborah had written a wonderful, heart-warming poem about what Words & Wine and writing means to her. Anj talked how Creative Writes offered a writing community. This meant a great deal to me, as this is exactly what I had set out to do ten years ago and I focussed on this in my speech too (which was difficult to get through as I felt overwhelmed!).
The Theme of the Writing Workshop was Ten. There were 10 word stories, pair work writing 10 Things We Know and poetry inspired by the collection 10 Poems About London. We then wrote 10 Things I Know About London.
TRY THIS! Set your clock for 10 minutes & write 10 Things I Know/10 Things I Don’t Know & 10 Things I Know About London.
Next at Creative Writes!
Space To Write Wednesdays
Giving our participants Space To Write is integral to Creative Writes. These fortnightly workshops in N10 provide a quiet writing space with a range of free flow exercises and the flexibility to choose from a range of ideas and resources – applying them to your own projects if you wish. We are back on Wednesday 1 May, 7.30-9.30pm: http://www.creativewrites.co.uk/space-write-wednesdays/
Creative Writing Workshops at Ally Pally
Following our successful Taster Workshops at the iconic Ally Pally in March & April, we return on Thursday 9 May 2019 for six morning Creative Writing Workshops, 11am-1pm to explore the stories of Alexandra Palace and Theatre, with inspirational archive material:
https://alexandrapalaceevents.seetickets.com/event/creative-writing-workshop/alexandra-palace/1326158
Words & Wine
Words & Wine returns on Thursdays 23 May & 27 June 2019, 8-10pm, in the stunning Shed, N10! Words, wine, cheese & chocs. All welcome for this sociable evening: http://www.creativewrites.co.uk/words-wine/
Just a note to say that I am also returning to Richmond Theatre on Tuesday 7 May 2019, 11am-1pm for another 6 week series of Creative Writing Workshops for adults (with half term on 28 May). It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore this fascinating Victorian Theatre, go backstage, delve into the archives and we often have the auditorium all to ourselves to write in! We were full last term, so early booking is advisable. Here’s the booking link for ATG: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/creative-writing-summer-term/richmond-theatre/
All Creative Writes Workshops are for adults ages 18 & over and open to writers of all levels.
Bye for now!
Nichola x
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