It’s a while since I’ve posted on here! I’ve had a very busy few months with writing. I’ve had more articles commissioned and published so far in 2022, including for the Guardian, Psychologies, and Happiful.
I’m really excited that throughout 2022 I’m writing a column for the Wellcome Collection. It’s a series of six essays called ‘Writing Myself’, where I explore how writing can be a powerful way of considering and sharing my experience of disability. The first two columns have been published, and I’ve just submitted the third to my editor ready to be published next month. It’s been a joy to work on this ongoing project, especially with such a great organisation and a really lovely editor.
Back in March I loved giving a talk at the States of Independence literary festival at De Montfort University, where I shared my experience as a freelance journalist. I talked through the process of researching markets, coming up with ideas, how to pitch, and then what to do once you’ve landed a commission. I found it a great opportunity to think about my own work and journey through the sometimes challenging world of freelancing. It was a fantastic session with great discussion, and I hope those who came along learnt more about what it’s like to write for newspapers and magazines.
I have lots of projects on the go at the moment – and of course my PhD is my main focus, and is going well. I hope to try to stay more on top of keeping this blog updated as I go forward to share more of what I’m up to!
Of course, I needn’t have worried. Everyone – my fellow participants, the tutors, and the Arvon staff – were warm and welcoming.
After a delicious dinner (cooked on a rota by participants), each evening held something different – readings from the tutors, a guest author, and a free evening on Thursday. All accompanied by copious amounts of wine and writerly conversation. The Friday evening was a celebration of our work, where we each read a five minute piece of our own writing. It was wonderful to hear everyone’s pieces, ranging from the humorous to emotional. 
I’m really thrilled to have a feature, “Writing in the World: Mental Health”, published in the current issue of 
Yesterday evening I ran a creative writing workshop as part of Festival Stoke’s Art Street line up. There was a really good turnout, around fifteen of us in the Art Stop workshop space.
In his book Notes From Underground:: Zines and the politics of alternative culture, Stephen Duncombe explains that zines are “non-commercial, nonprofessional, small-circulation magazines which their creators produce, publish and distribute by themselves” (Duncombe, 2008, p10-11). They can be on literally any topic, from a favourite hobby to a political cause to writing about your life. I made my zine Interruptions for my module about my experiences of mental ill health, drawing on a variety of techniques. The main feature of the zine is a piece of life writing, and for this I used the Surrealist technique of automatic writing, where you write freely on a topic, as this helped me to get to the root of what I wanted to say without censoring myself. I also used the Dada cut out technique, taking reports that have been written about me, cutting the words out and rearranging them, so that I reclaim what’s been said about me.
Caroline Butterwick 