Writing East Midlands Writer Call Out

Writing East Midlands (WEM) is working in partnership with High Peak Community Arts on an exciting new residency project taking place May/ June 2018.  We are looking to place a female writer in a Women’s Family Centre and Recovery Unit in Buxton to deliver 5 creative writing  workshops to survivors of domestic violence, homeless women, those recovering from drug and alcohol dependency, and other women in the community.  Some of the participants will be resident at Charis House or Oldfield Farm (Good News Family Care), some will be living in the community.  We will work directly with approximately 10 - 12 women who will, through the process of engaging with creative activity, meet others, have fun, be creative, express themselves and their feelings. We expect outcomes of this project to include improved creative /social skills, confidence, self- esteem, community feeling and overall wellbeing.  The lead writer will also be commissioned to write a new poem/ creative writing piece celebrating the project and group, which will be shared with the group and digitally on National Writing Day on the 27th June.

Key dates for the half day workshops are:

May 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 27th June (National Writing Day)

Writer Fee: £950 (5 workshops at £150 plus writing commission of £200)

DBS required though support to obtain one can be granted

WEM will require the writer to:

  • Deliver 5 creative writing workshops Women’s Family Centre and Recovery Unit in Buxton to 12- 15 women
  • Create new work inspired and informed by the workshops and local community
  • Undertake all necessary day to day planning and co-ordination, with consultation with WEM
  • Collate registration and evaluative data for the project
  • Work in accordance to WEMs Safeguarding and Data Protection Policy
  • To deliver a final piece, product or performance that uses the creative talents of local people at a sharing or showcase. 

The successful candidate/ collective will have:

  • Proven literary ability evidenced by a publication history, or history of performance and/or public outputs
  • Understanding of community arts programmes
  • An interest in/experience of working with diverse and potentially vulnerable groups
  • Sensitivity around vulnerable adults and their needs, and knowledge of safeguarding and establishing boundaries
  • The ability to talk about their work and experiences to groups of varying sizes and backgrounds
  • A flexible and welcoming workshop approach
  • Sensitivity to the special demands of working with diversity and across generations and cultures
  • The capacity to act as an advocate for the values and benefits of the project, and to the connection between arts, literature, community cohesion and health and wellbeing
  • A sensitive, diplomatic and approachable nature willing to nurture creativity regardless of ability.
  • The ability to self-manage, with particular reference to timekeeping, workshop facilitation, venue liaison and report back to Writing East Midlands.

Additional travel expenses are available of up to £35 per session

Interested writers should send up to 1 page project proposal detailing how they intend to engage with the project aims, whether they have a DBS certificate and their workshop facilitation experience in related settings, plus a creative CV to aimee@writingeastmidlands.co.uk by 6th April. 

Interviews will be in Nottingham on 17th April.

About Writing East Midlands

Writing East Midlands is the writer development agency for the region and supports, promotes and champions writing from the East Midlands to create opportunities for practising writers and to discover new writers of quality.

To do this we:

* Find and develop new talent;
* Raise awareness of writers and writing in the East Midlands;
* Support publishing in the region;
* Encourage writing from all cultural backgrounds;
* Expand the writer economy in the region and
* Develop partnerships and broker new relationships.
* Promote East Midlands' writers locally, nationally and internationally.

We value openness, equal access to the means of creativity, freedom of expression and the removal of barriers to creative thought and writing. These values underpin the agency's development work with writers, literature events, projects, and relationships with partners.

About Write Here Residencies

Our Write Here residencies team up writers with venues and organisations to nurture and develop creative talent. 

Write Here is Writing East Midlands’ Writer in Residence Programme. Since 2009 we have run over 40 residencies and placed writers in all the major cities and towns in the East Midlands. We’ve worked with primary and secondary schools, as well as with a range of organisations and institutions including a three year project working with the Roma community in Leicester experiencing high levels exclusion and low levels of access to artistic activity and also delivered writing residencies in Nottingham Contemporary, HMP Sudbury and New Walk Museum Leicester. In schools our writing projects help children and young people to discover their creative skills. The value of Write Here residencies can’t be overstated, both for the local communities and audiences and for the writers in place.

For more information about Writing East Midlands, please see here:  http://www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk/

 

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