Sketch a day - day 22/365

Today I went to the Writing Squad’s core team meeting in Leeds. It was a day of hellos and goodbyes, of conversation, planning, reflection, exploration, holding space for disagreement and agreement.

It brought up thinking about old problems in new ways and new problems in old ways, and support and challenge and most of all laughter.

That kind of beautiful laughter that comes from a deep, unsentimental, rooted kindness between people.

The kind of connection that develops rarely in a community, because for it to exist, it's leadership must be at once vulnerable and clear.

We’re lucky to have Steve Dearden at the helm. If he ever reads this he’ll hate that I wrote that. I don't care. Sometimes you have to write what needs to be said.

Anyway, I sketched as the day evolved. Live drawing people is hard and addictive and, I am learning, chews through paper. But it helps me be really in the room, listening.

As ever, apologies to those many, many faces that I melted/distorted/failed in so many ways to capture.

It would be ridiculous to write this post without mentioning that The Writing Squad is recruiting for Squad 12 at the moment. Here’s the link👇🏻

https://www.writingsquad.com/join-the-squad/

If you are (or someone you know is) 16-22 years old, from-living-studying in the north of England and you write? Then apply.

If you use, wrangle &/or love words? If you have something to say? Then apply.

If you're a poet, a novelist, a comix head, a short story writer, a playwright, a screenwriter, a blogger, a podcast maker, a stand up, a game maker, an activist, a zine maker or a mix of all or more. Apply.

It's 2 years of us working with you, around your schedule. It's free. It's 1 to 1 mentoring. It's workshops. It's craft skills. It's meeting proffessionals. It's finding your peers. It's you setting the agenda.

Which means, its community.

And that means its opportunity.

Right here.

It's knocking.

Yes it is.

Come on.

Apply.

And that's the news.