Silent Book Club
Coming to East Grinstead and Forest Row! Let's join the introvert revolution and read books in silence together (with optional socialising afterwards).
Hello and welcome! I am Mel Parks and I run creative writing workshops in Sussex, UK. I began this Substack, Awen, in 2022 as a gathering place for my thoughts about the writing process and to share some stories and creative inspiration along the way. Awen is free to read and share.
I run a weekly Tuesday afternoon (2-3pm UK time) guided creative writing session on live on Zoom for paid members. If you’d like to join, click the subscribe button and choose paid membership for £8 per month or £80 per year. The next workshop is on Monday 10 June (then subsequent Tuesdays until 16 July).
Dear all
Well, I had a break from workshops and writing this newsletter, but I’m not sure much slowing down happened! However, I have been enjoying my garden in full bloom. My white rambling rose became a giant and has been providing a feast for the bees.
Silent Book Club
A while ago on Substack Notes, I heard of a group in Brighton which meets up to read books together in silence, followed by optional socialising. How odd, I thought. And then I read the many enthusiastic comments and thought about it some more and I realised, this is not only a lovely thing to do but it is a political act as well. It is a movement of introverts and people who enjoy reading taking up space in the world and becoming visible. Well, I am all about that.
I remembered when I first met my husband, K. It was 1995. I was 23, living in Brighton, and my friends would be going out to pubs and clubs. I lived on my own and if I wanted to see anyone, I would join them in these loud, often overwhelming places. Then I met K and we began to stay in and read together, quietly. It felt like a revolution.
Now, we have drifted even further away from that time as we are constantly interrupted by phones and other distractions. It seems so hard to sit quietly and read a book for a while. And then I saw a request on a retreat group - does anyone run a retreat where people get together and read for a week? And I thought, people really want and need this.
I started to look further into
and loved what I found out. There are now 1000 groups worldwide of people getting together to read, led by volunteers. I asked on my community Facebook group if anyone would be interested in me setting one up locally and there was a resounding “yes”!So, while I was on my break from creative writing workshops, I began to set up a new group for reading together. If you live in my area in Sussex and you’re interested to keep informed as things develop, then feel free to join my new Facebook Group. I will add the dates to the listings at the bottom of the newsletter too. Come and say hi (then settle down with a book)!
I have also been organising dates and listings for my creative writing workshops for the summer and on through autumn. You’ll find them all on my new website events page.
Creative Writing Workshops with me (Mel Parks)
Haiku to Haibun: The Japanese Way of Nature Writing
A nature-based creative writing workshop at Sussex Prairie Garden (in-person) on 1 August 2024. 10-1.30pm.
Book a place by clicking this link.
A creative writing workshop based in nature making the most of the peaceful environment at Sussex Prairie Garden. We will take a gentle stroll through the garden guided by me (Mel Parks), pausing now and then to write and quietly notice the surroundings with all of our senses.
Back in the gallery space, next to the tea shop, we will take a break for tea, coffee and biscuits, before using what we've written in the garden to create haiku and haibun. These brief Japanese forms of writing, developed by Basho in the seventeenth century on his poetry walks, are perfect for capturing moments and the essence of experiences in nature. They are also an ideal starting point, even if you have never done creative writing before and they are brilliant for nature journalling too.
£60 for the morning session, which also includes entry to the garden, where you can linger for as long as you like in the afternoon.
Let me know by replying to this email if you’d be interested in this workshop on Zoom.
Tuesday afternoons on Zoom (2-3pm UK time)
£8 per month or £80 per year with a paid Awen Substack subscription.
Next session: Monday 10 June (then subsequent Tuesdays)
Last session: 16 July.
You can come to as many as you are able to.
If you are not able to subscribe (or don’t want to!), then please email me for alternative ways to join.
Becoming a Writer
Monthly Tuesday evenings in East Grinstead (7-9pm)
A monthly creative writing workshop for beginners. Plenty of fun writing prompts, games and activities to get your creative juices flowing.
Make time for yourself with this workshop, which is aimed at generating ideas as well as an introduction to taking some initial steps towards making creative writing or journalling part of your life. Whether you want to use your life experiences to write or completely make things up, if you have a love of words you’ll be on the right path!
The Writer’s Notebook
Thursday mornings in East Grinstead (10-12noon)
Series of five weeks beginning on 13 June (13 June; 20 June; 27 June; 4 July; 11 July)
Series of five weeks beginning on 19 September (19 Sept; 26 Sept; 3 Oct; 10 Oct; 17 Oct)
If you attend my face-to-face groups regularly, you can also attend the Zoom group for no extra charge.
Until next time…
This newsletter was created by Mel Parks, a writer, researcher and workshop facilitator based in Sussex, UK. Mel runs writing workshops locally and on Zoom and researches creativity in midlife as well as her personal connection to nature. She has been widely published and is currently working on a series of moon and plant-inspired essays.
It is free to read and share, but if you value my work, please do stop by my virtual honesty box and leave a handful of loose change.