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Exploring Literature, Creative Writing and Poetry in Creative Health

This lunchtime networking and afternoon workshop invites anyone interested in the power of words to explore the role of literature, creative writing and poetry in creative health.  

 

Bringing together people from across communities, health and social care, and the arts, the session will offer space to share lived experiences of how reading, writing and poetry can support health, wellbeing and connection in everyday life. 

 

Speakers will include:  

  • Nick Barley, Director of the National Poetry Centre 
  • Professor Rowan Bailey, Strategic Lead for Research (Arts and Humanities) and Principal Investigator of Creative Health HUB (University of Huddersfield) 
  • Luise Marino, University Hospital Southampton 
  • Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England?? 

 

Come and explore the benefits of literature for wellbeing, lived experiences of using creative writing and poetry in health and social care settings, and the personal practice of reading and engaging with literature as part of daily life. We invite you to share your thoughts and ideas about the role of literature, creative writing and poetry in creative health. 

 

The workshop will also introduce the work of the National Creative Health Hub (based at the University of Huddersfield), which is leading a consortium project with a range of external partners and West Yorkshire Combined Authority. This work sits within the wider ambitions of the West Yorkshire Creative Health System, which aims to support creative health in making people’s lives healthier and happier. 

 

No prior experience is needed — just curiosity and a willingness to explore the creative health benefits of literature, creative writing and poetry together. 

 

Refreshments will be provided.

 

Thursday 14 May 

1pm-4pm (1pm-2pm networking lunch, 2pm-4pm workshop)

University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (Room details to be provided closer to the event date.)

Free 

Age guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://students.hud.ac.uk/help/disability/accessibility/  

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

A Celebration of the Huddersfield Ukrainian Community

An evening celebrating the local Ukrainian community with song, dance and an illustrated talk.  

 

Michael Drapan, author of Home from Home, will deliver an illustrated talk on the 70-year history of the émigré Ukrainian community in Huddersfield. This will be followed by traditional folk songs and ballads from the Huddersfield Ukrainian Singing Troupe and traditional folk dance from Zolota Kalyna Dance Ensemble.  

 

Home from Home tells the history of the émigré Ukrainian community based in Huddersfield from 1948 to 2018. At a time when Ukraine heroically endures an unprovoked and destructive invasion by Russian forces, this history aids understanding of historic hostilities, from the traumatic era of enforced slave labour under the Third Reich, battles on the Eastern Front and survival in frightful camps during the bloody years of the Second World War. Then, from the late 1940s, the establishment of Ukrainian Clubs to preserve Ukrainian history, language, and traditions in the UK.  

 

Michael Drapan is a senior committee member of AUGB (Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain) Huddersfield. A retired headteacher, he currently works as a University Examination Invigilator and Kirklees Council Interpreter for Ukrainian refugees.  

 

Thursday 14 May 

7pm-8pm 

Free (booking recommended) 

The Cellar, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Age guidance: 11+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/the-cellar 

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

HuddLitFest 20th Birthday Party

Join us for a free party to celebrate 20 years of the Festival. All welcome – there will be cake!  

 

Plus members of Culture Collective will be on hand to chat about creative opportunities in the region. 

 

Friday 8 May 

5pm-7pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St HD1 2RD 

Free (booking recommended) 

Age guidance: 16+  

Access Guide: contact the venue on: [email protected]; 01484 361932 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

Storytelling: Benji and his Bellowing Burp

Join local author Salma Zaman for a fun, interactive story reading of her latest book, Benji and his Bellowing Burps. 

 

The session will include colouring activities inspired by the book’s characters. You will also have the chance to ask the author questions about the book and her writing and to get your book signed. 

 

The book is suitable for a reading age of around seven, but all ages are welcome to attend the storytelling session.  

 

All U16s must be accompanied by an adult. 

 

Friday 8 May 

12.30pm-1.30pm 

Birkby & Fartown Library, Lea Street, Hillhouse, HD1 6HF 

Free (drop in session, just turn up)

Age guidance: all ages 

Access guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/kirklees-council/access-guides/birkby-and-fartown-library   

The Art of Connection

The Art of Connection brings together photographs, collages and poetry created by children and older adults from across Kirklees. 

 

Over several months, people from different generations worked together to share stories, take photos, make collages and write poems about what connection, belonging and place mean to them. The exhibition showcases the artwork that grew out of those sessions, alongside a live poetry performance by Michelle Scally Clarke, one of the artists on the project. 

 

Visitors are warmly invited to add their own reflections, stories or images, helping to build a wider picture of what it means to feel connected in our communities. 

 

Organiser Chris Chinnock says: “We’re thrilled to be invited back to the Huddersfield Literature Festival for a second year to share this work. Created by Our Creative Connection, the exhibition celebrates everyday lives, shared experiences and the simple power of making things together.” 

 

Chris Chinnock is a Huddersfield-based portrait and commercial photographer. He also delivers workshops for people of all skills and experiences, and runs the social Enterprise Our Creative Connection, which uses photography for social change.  

 

Thursday 7 May 

4pm-5.30pm 

Amped, 29 Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 2RD 

Free (no booking required) 

Age guidance: All ages (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Guide: contact the venue on: [email protected]; 01484 361932 

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Music Journalism Competition & Workshop

Love music? Love sharing your passion for music? Send 200 words on your favourite music artist or band to: [email protected], along with your name, email address and phone number.  

 

The top 12 entries will win a place on this free music journalism workshop led by Alex Coles – and have a chance to see their work appear on the Saving Grace website.  

 

Deadline for entries: midnight on Monday 30 March. Participants who have won a place on the workshop will be informed by email by 10 April. 

 

Saving Grace is a multi-disciplinary creative imprint and artist development hub driven by a dual mission:  

 

Saving Grace Music: A dynamic label dedicated to producing, marketing, and distributing music from a diverse roster of established and emerging talent. 

 

The Saving Grace Collective: A community interest company focused on empowering creatives through mentorship, knowledge / skill development, and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities. 

 

The organisation was founded by Nigel Cudjoe known as Savvy, a musician, composer, producer, and multimedia designer. 

 

Terms & Conditions 

 

  1. Entrants must be between the age of 16 and 30 and must live in the UK 

 

  1. Entrants must not be employees of Saving Grace or Huddersfield Literature Festival, or their immediate family members 

 

  1. All submissions must be original work by the entrant, without using AI and which has not been published elsewhere and does not infringe on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights 

 

  1. Entries must be no more than 200 words 

 

  1. Entrants must be available to take part in the workshop on Saturday 18 April between 9.30am and 3.30pm at Amped in Huddersfield 

 

  1. Entrants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from the workshop on the day 

 

  1. Entries will be judged by Saving Grace Music and judging will focus on originality, writing quality and adherence to the theme. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding their decision 

 

  1. By entering, participants grant Saving Grace and Huddersfield Literature Festival a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, broadcast, and use the entry for publicity and marketing across all media. 

 

  1. The winning prize of a place at the workshop cannot be exchanged for cash. If the workshop has to be cancelled for reasons outside the organisers’ control, such as illness, every attempt will be made to rearrange it for a future date.  

 

  1. Personal data collected during entry is processed in accordance with the promoter’s privacy policy and relevant GDPR regulations  

 

  1. Promoters reserve the right to cancel or amend the competition and its terms at any time due to unforeseen circumstances. 

 

Saturday 18 April, 9.30am-3.30pm 

Amped, 29 Queensgate, HD1 2RD 

Free  

Age guidance: 16-30 

Access Guide: contact the venue on: [email protected]; 01484 361932 

Inkspill Poetry Night

Half workshop, half open mic – all about poetry! 

 

Take some time to be creative and join hosts Abbi and Hannah for a night focused on poetry and community. Split into two halves, the night opens with a workshop where you will be led through a series of writing exercises centred on a theme. A quick hydration break before the open mic begins where performers are celebrated and encouraged by our friendly community. 

 

Whether you’re seeking inspiration, looking to connect with fellow poets, or simply want to spend an evening surrounded by poetry, Ink Spill is the place to be!  

 

Friday 15 May 

7pm-10pm 

Head of Steam, St George’s Square, Huddersfield HD1 1JB 

Pay As You Feel on the door

Age guidance: 16+ 

HD Sounds Songwriting Camp & Performance

Exciting fresh performances by aspiring young songwriters who have completed a Songwriting Camp led by the rapper, poet, freestyler, songwriter and World Rap Champion Jack Flash.  

 

Award-winning community organisation Conscious Youth is inviting up to six aspiring artists aged 16-30 to take part in an exciting Songwriting Camp – a fantastic opportunity to dive deep into the art of songwriting with Rob Bradley, AKA Jack Flash. 

 

Throughout the day, participants will get exclusive insight into the tips and tricks behind writing a quality song, learning from Jack’s wealth of industry experience. They’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists, experiment with their sound, and put their creative skills to the test.  

 

The workshop will run from 12pm-4pm and the day will culminate in an exciting live performance (5.30pm-6.30pm), where participants will showcase their work to an audience, celebrating their talent and hard work. 

 

This packed but inspirational day is designed to empower local artists, build their confidence, and provide valuable industry knowledge, all within a supportive and creative environment. 

 

If you’re an aspiring artist looking to develop your songwriting skills and take your music to the next level, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss! 

 

To find out more about applying for the Songwriting Camp, contact Conscious Youth on [email protected]; 07498 043 3637; https://consciousyouth.co.uk/contact-us/  

 

Or come along to the Turntable Café at 5.30pm for a free showcase of the songs created. 

 

Saturday 16 May  

5.30pm-6.30pm 

Turntable Coffee and Vinyl, 35 New Street, Huddersfield HD1 2BQ 

Free

Access info: contact the venue at: https://www.theturntable.uk/contactus  

Out + Loud Queer Open Mic

An open mic night for queer performers of all kinds, hosted by poetic comedian Zee and drag king singer-songwriter, Ding Frisby.  

 

From music to poetry, comedy to cabaret, email [email protected] or message on Instagram @OutAndLoudTogether to reserve a five-minute slot, or sign up on the night! Allies welcome to cheer on.  

 

Out + Loud is a Huddersfield-based queer arts collective that aims to build local queer community and platforms for emerging talent.  

 

Saturday 9 May 

7.30pm-9pm 

Attic, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Free (booking recommended) 

Age Guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://www.thelbt.org/your-visit/access/  

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

Open Mic With Talking Zebras

A friendly and welcoming open mic hosted by the Talking Zebras Spoken Word Group. 

Drop in for a listen or sign up on the night to perform your own poetry. 

Talking Zebras Spoken Word Group is a long-established poetry group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month. Note: this special Festival Open Mic will be held at Amped, 29 Queensgate, Huddersfield, but the usual meetings are held at The Liversedge, 64 Leeds Road, Liversedge WF15 6HX. For more information and contact details visit the Talking Zebras website: https://www.talkingzebras.co.uk/  

Friday 8 May 

7.15pm-8.45pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St HD1 2RD 

Free  (no booking required)

Age guidance: 16+  

Access Guide: contact the venue on: [email protected]; 01484 361932 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.