I’m really happy to have an article, “Use Your Voice”, published in the current issue of the always wonderful PosAbility magazine. It’s also available to read on the PosAbility website here.
The feature is about how disabled people can use our experiences of living with disability, whether campaigning for policy changes or blogging about what it’s like to live with our conditions. I talk about my role as a member of mental health social work charity Think Ahead’s Service User and Carer Reference Group, where those of us with lived experience of mental ill health are involved in the recruitment and training of future mental health social workers. I’ve been a member of SUCRG for around two years, and it’s really rewarding to be able to share my experiences to help improve services. I always enjoy our meetings and getting involved in teaching activities with Think Ahead. I also talk about how I started a group for disabled students when I was an undergraduate, and how we campaigned for change on campus and made sure disabled student voices were heard at the university.
As well as talking about my own experience, the article gives examples of how disabled people can find opportunities to get into a variety of lived experience work. We all have something valuable to offer by sharing our stories, and I hope that this article inspires others to get involved.
Anyone else feeling relieved that spring is nearly here? I’ve been loving the fresh smell in the air and the sight of crocuses and daffodils on my daily walks. I love that it’s lighter each evening, and the increasing warmth each day brings.
I’m excited to share that I’ve had an article published today by the Wellcome Collection, entitled “A walk through other people’s expectations” – it’s available to read here. The article is structured around a hike up Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District and weaves together two of my interests, disability and hiking, in an exploration of what it means to be a visually impaired walker.
This was such an enjoyable commission to work on. The ways disabled people often have to navigate other people’s perceptions and expectations of us is something I’ve been acutely aware of for many years as a visually impaired person. It’s also an important theme emerging in my PhD so far – the idea that societal expectations of disability affect how disabled people feel and behave, like feeling apprehensive about using a white cane or other mobility aid.
I hope the article resonates with other disabled people, as well as giving an insight to nondisabled people about this topic.
It was also lovely to be writing about my favourite place, the Lake District, in this article. I can’t wait until I’m able to visit again and go fell walking, and maybe even dinner and live jazz at the wonderful Zeffirellis restaurant in Ambleside…
I’m really lucky to have other articles due to be published in the coming months that I’m excited to share, and other writing I’m working on, as well as of course my PhD. Lockdown is a challenging time for everyone, and while, of course, I completely agree with the restrictions, it is still hard being away from friends and family. My mental health was really affected in the first lockdown last year, and I’m glad to say that this time round I’ve found it easier to manage. Maybe it’s the spring-like weather, but I’m feeling cautiously hopeful about the future. I can’t wait until we can safely meet up with loved ones again, sitting out in the garden in the warmth. Until then, I’m fortunate that I have plenty to keep me distracted at home. I hope that more good times are ahead.
Earlier this week I had a really useful 1:1 session over Zoom with Kat, the Producer for Appetite. Appetite is an arts programme, funded by Arts Council England, that aims to get more people in Stoke-on-Trent and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme to experience and be inspired by the arts. Over the past eight years they’ve led a host of cultural events, from vibrant street performances in the city centre to the current Familiar Faces project that was created to capture the familiar faces and the unique welcome of Newcastle town centre through the power of photography.
Appetite are currently offering 1:1 artist support sessions with local creatives as an opportunity for us to talk about our ideas and get guidance on next steps around making cultural projects happen in our communities.
We had so much to talk about in the hour-long session. I chatted about my creative career so far, and what my hopes are going forward. Kat gave some really great guidance on how to think about community engagement, and we talked through some rough ideas I have for projects. I’d like to build on my experience of running community writing workshops, and I left the session buzzing with ideas, my notebook full of thoughts to develop further.
I’d really recommend other artists in Stoke or Newcastle-under-Lyme to get in touch with Appetite for a 1:1 session. Whether you’re just starting out and want to get a better sense of the local arts scene and how you can get involved, or already have an idea for a cultural project that you’d like some specific advice on, it’s well worth getting in touch. You can find out more about the artist 1:1s here.
Like much of the country, there has been snow here in Staffordshire the past couple of days. But despite the cold, there are signs of spring emerging. I’m lucky to be getting out for a daily walk around my neighbourhood, enjoying the daylight and the frosted trees, looking out for snowdrops peeking through the frozen grass.
I’m fortunate that I’ve had a lot of writing to keep me busy over the past few weeks. The main focus in January was preparing for the mid-year review for my PhD, which involved submitting a sample of my writing and a research statement outlining my project so far and how I hope for it to progress. Thankfully I got that all submitted in time for the 1st February deadline. In a few weeks’ time I’ll have a mini viva interview to assess my work so far and check I’m on track. I find talking about my research can be really interesting, but I still feel at the stage where articulating it all feels challenging! But I am enjoying my PhD, and have been doing some really interesting reading for it this past week, exploring published mental health memoirs, as well as doing my own creative work. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to focus on something I’m so passionate about.
I’ve also had a few articles to work on recently, as well as seeing ones that were commissioned towards the end of last year being published. My feature “Art in the Everyday” is in the current issue of the absolutely gorgeous Oh magazine. I love the front cover of vibrant daffodils – I can almost feel the spring warmth and scent of flowers just looking at it! My piece is about how we can all make art and poetry out of the items we’re surrounded with, drawing on the idea of found object art and movements like surrealism and dadaism. It was a fascinating feature to write, and I’m so pleased to have it published in such a wonderful magazine.
There are a few more articles of mine due to be published in the coming months which I’m excited to share. I also submitted a draft of my new novel to my literary agent recently, and I’m nervously waiting to hear her thoughts. She really gets my writing and always has valuable insights into how to make it better, so I’m confident that her feedback will be so useful.
I hope that you’re doing okay in this difficult winter lockdown, finding ways to get through. I can’t wait until the evenings are light again so I can go on an after dinner walk. And, of course, I can’t wait until things are safer and lockdown can start to ease. I hope things will get brighter soon.
I spend a lot of time reading. I have a lot of reading to do for my PhD: often memoirs, as my research is into life writing around disability, and then also academic texts on areas like literary theory and disability studies. I’m really enjoying my research, but I’m also making sure to give myself time each day to read something non-PhD related. For half an hour each night before I turn the light off, I love losing myself in a good book. It’s nice to have this bit of ‘me time’, and it helps me unwind and relax at the end of a busy day.
Here are some of the books I’ve been enjoying recently.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth
I read a lot of young adult novels. Partly because I write young adult fiction and so it’s useful to be familiar with it, but also because I genuinely enjoy it. One of the best young adult novels I’ve read recently is The Miseducation of Cameron Post. As well as the way it so deftly deals with LGBTQ+ identity and discrimination, I also loved this novel for its beautiful writing. The vividness of characters and place (it’s set in Montana) is so well done, and I was immersed into this evocative, powerful book.
A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood
A Snowfall of Silver is linked to another of Laura Wood’s young adult novels, the gorgeous A Sky Painted Gold, which I absolutely adored, so I was very excited to read this when it came out a couple of months ago. Set in the 1930s, it sees eighteen year old Freya leave her sleepy Cornish home and travel to London with the hopes of becoming an actress. Laura makes the historical setting so real and enticing, and I immediately warmed to the humour and enthusiasm of Freya and the other characters. It’s a believable, touching story by one of my favourite young adult authors.
The First Person and Other Stories by Ali Smith
I love a good short story collection. I think it’s the way you can experience a short story in one sitting, and how a collection can take you through so many different lives. I haven’t read enough Ali Smith (I desperately need to read her much-praised seasonal quartet) so decided to give this collection a try. I like the slight surrealness of some of the stories, the unexpected directions, and the way she addresses questions of perspective and narration.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Over the past few months, my lovely sister-in-law and I have been recommending each other books. I love hearing her thoughts on books I mention to her, and trying the ones she suggests. Reading is naturally quite a solitary thing, so having someone to send WhatsApp voice notes to where I share how I’m finding her recommendations is really lovely, and so far we’ve had some great conversations and seen much-loved books from new perspectives. A Thousand Splendid Suns came highly recommended, so I started reading a couple of nights ago. It is set in Afghanistan and follows the story of Mariam, a young woman whose story I’m already feeling so drawn into and moved by. I’m only a few chapters in, but I can tell this is a novel that deserves the high praise it receives. I’m looking forward to reading more.
As I eat mince pies and try not to spend too much time reading the news, I’ve been reflecting on what my writing hopes are looking ahead.
It feels hard to think ahead when so much in the world seems uncertain. But over the festive period, I’m hoping to plan more pitches ready to send out in the new year to a range of publications. I also have some PhD writing to work on, preparing for the mid year review that comes at the start of February to evaluate my progress so far. And a few weeks ago I finished the first draft of a new novel. Soon I intend to sit down and read through the manuscript and make a start on the next draft so I can get it to a stage I feel ready to share it with my agent. I’m a big believer in messy first drafts, so I’m expecting it may need quite a bit of work – but I actually really enjoy editing! For me, getting the words down in the first place is often the hardest part, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in on the second draft, as that’s when it feels like it starts to really come together.
It’s nice to be ending this strange year with two more articles published. The Dec / Jan issue of PosAbility magazine features my article “Getting Creative”, where I explore how disabled people can get involved in the arts. I reflect on my experience of being supported by DaDaFest’s Artist Development Programme last year (something I’ve written about on this blog before), and how this helped me as a writer. I also talk about what support there is for disabled artists and highlight some of the great disability arts organisations we’re lucky to have.
And my feature “Connect with Nature Close to Home” is in the January issue of Happiful magazine. It’s all about ways we can celebrate nature and the changing seasons without having to go far beyond our front doors, from learning about local wildlife to snuggling down with some great nature writing.
This Christmas may look very different to what we’d hope for, especially after such a difficult year for us all. I hope that whatever you’re doing this festive season, you manage to have a restful, enjoyable time.
This evening I’ve had a flash fiction story, “Full Moon Rise”, published by Crow & Cross Keys. You can read it here.
Crow & Cross Keys are a wonderful new literary journal “that plucks fiction and poetry from skeletal trees and gives it a place to take root.” They focus on speculative writing, whether flash fiction, short stories, or poetry.
“Full Moon Rise” was shortlisted for the Flash 500 competition last year, but hadn’t been published. When I saw Crow & Cross Keys put a call out for submissions a few months ago, I realised they may be the perfect place for this slightly otherworldly piece. I spent some time tweaking the story before sending it off.
I’ve loved reading what they’ve published so far since launching on 31st October (naturally), and I’m so happy that my strange story has found a home with them.
I’m excited to read more from this literary journal, and maybe send another story their way soon.
I have an article in the November issue of the always wonderful Happiful magazine, and also available to read on their website. My piece has ideas on how to come to terms with a long term health condition or disability, drawing on my own experience of living with a visual impairment and mental ill health.
The feature includes suggestions such as connecting with other disabled people, how to talk to your loved ones about your condition, and using creative activities to help you work through your thoughts.
Disability has always been part of my life, and sometimes it has been hard for me to make sense of my feelings about it. I hope this article helps others, whether dealing with a new diagnosis or having experienced an impairment their whole life.
I always love writing for Happiful magazine, and I’ve enjoyed reading through the November issue, which has some great features on topics like understanding our surge capacity and signs of anxiety. I recommend taking a look at their website or picking up a copy of the print magazine for some wonderful articles exploring all aspects of mental health and wellbeing.
I’m excited to have, since last week, become a PhD student!
My PhD is in Creative Writing and is on memoir as counter narrative: using creative nonfiction to explore visual impairment and mental illness and challenge dominant models of disability. It’s wonderfully being funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council / Midlands4Cities – I’m very grateful for their support.
I’m studying at De Montfort University in Leicester, commuting from Staffordshire once I’m able to do face-to-face learning again – until then, it’s Skype / Teams, which so far is working well. It’s a little daunting of course starting something so big, but I’m looking forward to seeing the journey this PhD takes me on.
I’m feeling very lucky and still slightly bewildered to have this opportunity to research and write about something I’m so passionate about.
I have a feature in the September issue of the lovely Happiful magazine that explores common misconceptions about sight loss. It’s also available to read on their website.
The article explores some of the views I’ve come across about what it means to be blind or partially sighted. It looks at things like the perception that anyone who uses a cane has no vision at all, whereas many of us with a visual impairment have some level of sight. Personally, I use a cane in busy or unfamiliar places to signal to others that I’m not being rude if I bump into them and that I may need some extra space to find my way about – this is especially true right now with social distancing being so important when out and about.
Other areas covered in the feature include how we access sports and the arts, visual impairment and work, and how people with sight loss can enjoy fashion and beauty.
I loved writing this piece – disability is one of my key areas as a writer, and I enjoy drawing on my experiences in a helpful way. I’m happy too that it’s my third article published by Happiful this year. Happiful is a great monthly magazine focused on wellbeing, and they also have a brilliant website that’s well worth a look.
Caroline Butterwick 