During my writing residency at SunUp Festival 2023 I’m going to be working on a new play - working title - ‘If You’re Looking For Meat, You May Not See The Living’. For some of the time, that means I’ll just be sitting behind my writing desk, being still on my own, reading or writing, typing, listening to music, dreaming or thinking.

A wooden writing desk and chair in the corner of UpCo’s gallery space in Otley. The carpet is gray and the desk top has a red vase full of flowers, a yellow bunch of fake flowers, a glass bowl with apples and oranges, a glass paperweight, a pottery thrush and a metal bell. On the desks side, the drawing of a leaping hare has been drawn in lack and red holding a banner that says ‘Leap! Rest! Leap'!’ on the edge of the front of the desk are several leaping hares drawn in black, red and blue. These have speech bubbles that read: ‘Supplies in drawers’, ‘Prompts and whatnot’, ‘Paper + Pens’ and ‘Surprise + Snax’.

I’ll be feeling my way into an idea I’ve been tantalised by for a long time. I want to write a play about all the ways people disappear and are disappeared. I don’t know much more about it yet, other than I have a real feeling that I’ll find a story that’s worth telling, if I spend a bit of time, taking a risk and finding out what lies hidden from view.

But that’s not a very commissionable concept, is it. Which is probably why, up until now, I’ve not found it easy to give myself permission to explore this idea. Despite feeling excited about it, it’s also a bit intangible. So, there always seem to be something more concrete / more important, that I give more of my time to.

Two red leaping hares on yellow crinkled paper, holding banners surrounded by blue and black spirals. The banners read ‘If you get stuck’ and ‘Draw Sprials’. This is a homage to Lynda Barry who advises drawing serials on a note pad for as long as you need to if you get stuck writing. It’s magic, but it works and when I draw spirals because I’m stuck, I almost always find an idea arrives again. Thank you Lynda Barry.

So, I feel especially grateful to have been given this time by SunUp Festival to hang out with my idea. No pressure, just an invitation to dream, think, puzzle and play with it, because they think it’s an interesting idea too. They’ve given me a ‘permission slip’, to give my play the attention and space it needs, to start to find a shape. That is a very lovely thing. A proper full fat gift.

Which got me thinking. Because I know I am not on my own with this. Many folks find it hard to allow themselves the moment(s) they crave, to just sit down and write.

So during the festival I’m going to host some writing spaces, for anyone who would like to be given a permission slip to write.

The first hosted writing space is happening next week on Wednesday the 14th of June. You can attend in person, online or just set a timer and be here in spirit. There will be two types of space. Here are the details:

The space to write will be hosted over lunchtime - 12-2pm.

Turn up when you like, for as long as you like during this time and we’ll just be together, giving each other permission to write. And that’s all that there is to it.

I won’t be hosting a workshop. I will not be teaching anything. I will just be in a space writing in solidarity with anyone who would like to turn up and write during that time.

If you’ve got stuff that you want to work on, great. If you’ve always wanted to write but haven’t till now, this is your moment. I’ll provide a writing friendly playlist, some instigations and propositions (for those of you who want to use a lucky dip to get you going) and there will be some writing materials in the writing desk draws. So don’t let a lack of a pen and pad stop you. I’ve got that covered. And there will be cuppas available and a few sweeties in the writing desk draw too. Because sometimes snacks are needed…

The rest is down to you. Come along and do some writing.

I use the term writing in its broadest sense - It could mean typing, doodling, thinking, researching, reading, drawing, etc, etc. The only thing we won’t be doing is talking. You can come and go as you please. We’ll have a stretch and fidget after an hour. That’s it.

Until after work …

Later on the 14th June, after work, between 5-6pm , there will be the hour to come together and listen and share in solidarity. Listening in solidarity just means that we turn up, listen &/or share without feeling the need to critique, bang on or opine. I’m happy to read other people’s words if that would be useful. There is something lovely and empowering about the knowledge that no-one is there to do anything, other than listen &/or share with a ton of love and respect.

Other Stuff to know?

A close up of some of the books on the writing desk, goodies here include: What it is by Lynda Barry, Notes from an Island by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pletilä, No Straight Lines - four decades of queer comics, edited by Justin Hall, Body Parts: Essays on life-writing by Hermione Lee, Black British Queer Plays and Practitioners, The Essential Mary Midgley, Everything Matters by Danny Gregory, Winter Fires by François Matarasso, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ain’t I A Woman by bell hooks, The Brontë Myth by Lucas Miller, About Looking by John Berger, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Art Objects by Jeanette Winterson, Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas and Why I Write By George Orwell. Pheweeeee.

Everything is free to attend.

If you are attending in person, please be aware that the sessions will be taking place up 3 flights of steps, in the top Gallery space at UpCo, 7 Courthouse Street, Otley, LS213AN. SunUp Festival folks are working to find ways to make the festival more accessible, but right now this space could be a challenge if you have struggles getting up stairs.

You can attend remotely:

If you would like to attend either the writing session or the sharing session via google meets, then please email me (no later than 9 AM on Wednesday the 14th June, please!) at writingspaceinfo@gmail.com and I’ll send you a googlemeets link. Please be aware that hosting a real life + online space at the same time is a new thing for me! So please expect some hitches.

Finally, but not least. If you would just like to be with other writers but can’t make it in person or remotely, then you’re invited to set a reminder and allow yourself to do some writing from 12 noon on Wednesday the 14th of June. Or any other time that suits you best.

We all have permission.

I’ll look forward to seeing you there and then, if you’re coming. If not, please RT and pass this info on to folks you think might want to know. And I’ll ping out info about the next sessions here, on instagram and twitter as we go along.

That’s the news.