‘You Are Here’ – peer to peer survivor writing – is my second survivor writing platform with Spread the Word. Building on the previous Playing With Fire and funded by Arts Council England,‘You Are Here’ offers an expanded series of workshops, and a new collaborative partnership with Wellcome Collection; to curate a series of survivor writer interviews for the archive. I’m also very happy to have time to write, with Olumide Popoola as mentor, so I can finish my book ‘Artists Are Demons’.
‘Artists Are Demons’ is an inaccurate memoir/a novel jumping to magical realism/a parable. A glittering time capsule of a big queer city. Filled with anarchist collectives, lesbian strip clubs, rebellious sex workers; juxtaposed against the brutality of refugee camps and the War on Terror.
Writing is a powerful tool, a weird obsession, a place to immerse myself, to excavate personal history. To prove to myself that ‘Yes, that really happened’, to give context, transmute, mark myself into existence. To find something more than wreckage, and in the process, discover ways to connect with myself and others. Writing is a way that I’ve pushed back against erasure, misinformation and loss.
Writing my own story has made me able to listen to others. The more I have space to listen and share with my peers, the more I believe in our shared wisdom. It’s from my peers that I’ve learned to clearly recognise my own experience; and believe in something other than the shallow narratives written ‘about us’. Peer to peer spaces have shown me new possibilities – for envisioning who I am or what I can be – they have given me strength.
‘You Are Here’ peer to peer survivor writers – workshops and writers group – call for applications.
(1) A half-day survivor writers workshop, on Saturday 7th October and Sunday 8th October 2023. You may apply for ONE of these dates.
(2) A writers group, which will meet bi-monthy for a series of five consecutive workshops. Meeting bi-monthly (every two weeks) for a series of five sessions, From Saturday Oct 21st to Saturday Dec 16th 2023
All Workshops and the Writers group will take place online via zoom – facilitated by Jet Moon – and are free to attend. Access for those attending is a priority, BSL interpreters are available.
The deadline for applications is: 5pm on the 15th September
More details on the project and how to apply for the workshops or the writers group can be found
Original artwork by Anka Dabrowska
PLAYING WITH FIRE, 2020 – 2021 archive
“Playing With Fire: peer to peer survivor writing” was funded by Arts Council England. Giving me time and mentorship with Kirsty Logan to work on my book ‘Peachy’, to hold a writing workshop and produce a reading event as a platform for survivor writers.
My book Peachy is set in the suburbs of Auckland, NZ in the late 70s and early 80s, as disco is ceding to punk, and tells the story of an uneasily queer kid, growing up amidst gang violence, homophobia and rape culture.
“Playing With Fire – peer to peer survivor voices” is a platform for survivor writing where we can feel supported, learn skills, and see each other. Developing hybrid live streamed and in person formats, Playing With Fire trials a model for beyond the pandemic, making a change towards inclusion. When people talk about ‘Going back to normal’ I hear ‘being isolated at home again’. I want to make sure that myself and others who are similarly disabled are not excluded when that happens.
The peer to peer survivor workshop
I wanted to hold a peer to peer survivor workshop for the longest time. I obsessed about it, craved the space, but could not figure out how to do it without all of us as survivors triggering the F* out of each other. The idea built over time. I’ve been part of collectives and peer to peer communities for decades. I’ve learned a lot about how to hold non-hierarchical shared spaces.
On the 6th and 7th March 2021, I ran two digital workshops for survivor writers. Originally planned as a single workshop, due high demand an additional day was added. That weekend was astonishing, exhausting, nourishing, exciting. I’d forgotten in all the work of preparation that this was also MY first time to share a space with other survivor writers. Listening to others speak, slowly things started to fall into place. I loved being with the group, holding the space, but it also massively expanded my own understanding of myself as a survivor.
‘Playing With Fire – live reading from survivor writers – took place on April 24th online, hosted by Live Art Development Agency featuring Jet Moon, Dolly Sen, Elinor Rowlands, Ayotomi IF, Andie Macario and guest readers from the workshop.
A Free zine of the featured writing was posted out to the first 100 pre-registered participants, so you can read along with us and connect on the page. Download the PDF here.
Playing with Fire live reading event was launched in digital format on Saturday 24th April 2021 on Zoom – you can listen to the recording here.
As I said in my third blog post for Spread the Word:
The project Playing with Fire gave me a community of writers. People I could identify with and who also gave me a sense of there being a big audience for survivor writing. I learned there are many, like me, who persist and use writing to get through the day. Who push against invisibility, to shout, chant, rhyme, thread together the lines of existence, to anchor ourselves and to reach out to others.
I have plans to continue Playing With Fire. I’m thinking about what I want and need in a community of writers, while digesting all that I’ve gained so far. A big thank you to all survivor writers who have been part of this. I feel eager to meet more of you!
Linocut by Jenna Andreotti
Design by Fierce Love Design
