facilitation, tutoring, and editing
creative writing, storytelling and performance
I facilitate creative workshops on writing, storytelling, and spoken word/vocal performance, with a focus on short fiction, poetry, spoken word and life writing. I work primarily with older teenagers and adults, particularly with people who have experience of mental distress, mixed literacy and mixed language groups, LGBTQI people and refugees. I have worked on many projects with arts-for-health practitioners Cartwheel Arts, short story specialists Comma Press, and writer development organisation Commonword, and have delivered numerous standalone and short-term projects for a range of organisations across the arts and public sectors, including Writing on the Wall Festival, Manchester Literature Festival, Contact Theatre, Oldham Libraries, Salford City Council, the University of Salford - School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, the Ministry of Justice, TransBareAll, TREC (Trans Resource and Empowerment Centre), the Lesbian Community Project Manchester, and Knockengorroch World Ceilidh.
I do developmental editing and tutoring with emerging and more experienced writers, working both for publishers and directly with authors on a one-to-one basis.
I facilitate creative workshops on writing, storytelling, and spoken word/vocal performance, with a focus on short fiction, poetry, spoken word and life writing. I work primarily with older teenagers and adults, particularly with people who have experience of mental distress, mixed literacy and mixed language groups, LGBTQI people and refugees. I have worked on many projects with arts-for-health practitioners Cartwheel Arts, short story specialists Comma Press, and writer development organisation Commonword, and have delivered numerous standalone and short-term projects for a range of organisations across the arts and public sectors, including Writing on the Wall Festival, Manchester Literature Festival, Contact Theatre, Oldham Libraries, Salford City Council, the University of Salford - School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, the Ministry of Justice, TransBareAll, TREC (Trans Resource and Empowerment Centre), the Lesbian Community Project Manchester, and Knockengorroch World Ceilidh.
I do developmental editing and tutoring with emerging and more experienced writers, working both for publishers and directly with authors on a one-to-one basis.
Feedback from participants and clients:
"I would like to say thank you to Mish for coming in and sharing their short stories, they have inspired me to write poetry which I haven’t done before. I liked the fact they chose subjects close to them and put all their emotions into the poems which came across loud and clear and gave a visual of what it was like if you were in their shoes." - D., inmate and member of HMP library writing group
"Mish was a great tutor. Inspiring, fresh ideas, supportive, opened up new worlds." - M., writer on Comma Press short story course
"I've known Mish for around a decade now and have hired them to do various projects/activities ranging from writing commissioned stories to leading a DIY comics workshop. Mish has a unique writing voice and is a wonderful facilitator who helps bring out the inner creative in everyone they meet." - Cathy Bolton, Director, Manchester Literature Festival
"Mish is an inspiring poet and writer whose work reflects profoundly on the themes of ecology, gender politics and social injustice." - Segun Lee French, Arts Development Officer, Islington Council
"I would like to say thank you to Mish for coming in and sharing their short stories, they have inspired me to write poetry which I haven’t done before. I liked the fact they chose subjects close to them and put all their emotions into the poems which came across loud and clear and gave a visual of what it was like if you were in their shoes." - D., inmate and member of HMP library writing group
"Mish was a great tutor. Inspiring, fresh ideas, supportive, opened up new worlds." - M., writer on Comma Press short story course
"I've known Mish for around a decade now and have hired them to do various projects/activities ranging from writing commissioned stories to leading a DIY comics workshop. Mish has a unique writing voice and is a wonderful facilitator who helps bring out the inner creative in everyone they meet." - Cathy Bolton, Director, Manchester Literature Festival
"Mish is an inspiring poet and writer whose work reflects profoundly on the themes of ecology, gender politics and social injustice." - Segun Lee French, Arts Development Officer, Islington Council
Highlights:
WordPlay Community Arts
WordPlay's projects use literature-related arts - such as storytelling, digital literature, life writing, artist books and spoken word - to support attachment and wellbeing. We work across Greater Manchester in educational and community settings, creating high-quality arts work with people who may not have access or a sense of entitlement to the arts more widely. I co-founded WordPlay with Harriet Morgan-Shami and Tasneem Perry. More information at www.wpca.co.uk
Writing Lives – creative writing, storytelling and book art
Writing Lives was a creative writing and storytelling project that ran from 2007 to 2013 across Higher and Lower Broughton in Salford. The groups used digital storytelling, creative writing, guerilla publishing, book art and live performance to explore and create new works of art and documentary, culminating in the Cartography exhibition at MediaCityUK. With Harriet Morgan-Shami, Joy Winkler and Lucy May Schofield, with the University of Salford, Broughton Trust, and Women Working Together.
Homelands - storytelling
In 2006-07, as part of the Tell Us Another One storytelling and writing project (Cartwheel Arts), I facilitated story gathering and writing sessions with people from the Congolese and Angolan refugee communities of Rochdale. In collaboration with NESTAC (New Steps for African Communities), the sessions resulted in a multi-lingual book of new writing and storytelling - Homelands - that has since been used as a resource in ESOL and reading groups in libraries, schools and other organisations across Greater Manchester.
Highlights:
WordPlay Community Arts
WordPlay's projects use literature-related arts - such as storytelling, digital literature, life writing, artist books and spoken word - to support attachment and wellbeing. We work across Greater Manchester in educational and community settings, creating high-quality arts work with people who may not have access or a sense of entitlement to the arts more widely. I co-founded WordPlay with Harriet Morgan-Shami and Tasneem Perry. More information at www.wpca.co.uk
Writing Lives – creative writing, storytelling and book art
Writing Lives was a creative writing and storytelling project that ran from 2007 to 2013 across Higher and Lower Broughton in Salford. The groups used digital storytelling, creative writing, guerilla publishing, book art and live performance to explore and create new works of art and documentary, culminating in the Cartography exhibition at MediaCityUK. With Harriet Morgan-Shami, Joy Winkler and Lucy May Schofield, with the University of Salford, Broughton Trust, and Women Working Together.
Homelands - storytelling
In 2006-07, as part of the Tell Us Another One storytelling and writing project (Cartwheel Arts), I facilitated story gathering and writing sessions with people from the Congolese and Angolan refugee communities of Rochdale. In collaboration with NESTAC (New Steps for African Communities), the sessions resulted in a multi-lingual book of new writing and storytelling - Homelands - that has since been used as a resource in ESOL and reading groups in libraries, schools and other organisations across Greater Manchester.