“A permission to celebrate how I see the world”

Rebecca Teulon-Rose reflects on how the Dymphna Bursary supported her poetry journey. The bursary was founded to support a poet resident in Scotland who identifies as neurodivergent or has a learning disability. Submissions for the next round of the bursary will be open in the week commencing 23 June 2025.

“I was delighted and honoured to receive the Dymphna Bursary in September 2024. It has been an invaluable opportunity to progress my craft, and gain confidence as a writer. I used the bursary for the following activities:

Mentoring
I have been very fortunate to have award-winning poet Katharine Macfarlane as a mentor. She is based in Skye which has worked really well to meet in-person on a monthly basis. We have kept the structure of the sessions flexible, especially as I am early on in my writing career. Areas covered have included writing processes and styles, differences between performance and page poetry, personal short and long-term goals, and general support and advice with my poetry pamphlet.

Since our first mentoring session, I gained the confidence to speak at a local open-mic night, which was the first time I had read any creative piece in front of an audience.

Having not had prior formal training in literature, there is always doubt as to whether you can really qualify yourself as a writer but mentorship has been an incredibly rewarding process and I am looking forward to developing this further for the remaining sessions with Katharine.

Online courses
I was keen to learn from fellow neurodivergent writers and the webinars led by Amanda Marples gave me huge insight into how to utilise my way of thinking in a more productive way during the writing process. Each webinar in the ‘Neurodivergent Writer’s Toolkit’ series was two hours, and covered topics from research skills to seeing through a project from beginning to completion.

I was hoping to participate in a nature writing course of some kind, and the National Centre for Writing advertised a course which turned out to have the kind of content I was looking for. ‘The Art of Noticing: Nature Writing’ was an online, self-led course with discussion forums as well as one-to-one tutorials and feedback on my writing assignments with the tutor (author Matt Gaw).

The course was packed with information, ideas and tools which I can take forward into my future writing, including how to hone practical field observations, how to incorporate climatic issues into different styles of writing and editing and researching tips.

Writing retreat, Galloway House Estate
I am very excited about the week-long writing retreat with Marjorie Lotfi and Jane Clarke, even though it is six months away in November. The retreat includes daily workshops and one-to-one tutorials, as well as the chance to connect with other creative folk. I am aiming to have the pieces planned for my poetry pamphlet ready for external feedback, as well as learn new skills and ideas from the retreat overall.

Future plans
I am hoping to use the remaining bursary funds for further mentorship by extending the sessions with Katharine and / or a tailored one-to-one with Amanda Marples for neurodivergent focused support.

NEUK Collective
Neuk Collective is a community of, and for, neurodivergent artists, focusing on advocating for neurodivergent people in the arts. NEUK has an open call for new members every year, and I joined in March 2025.

Writing can often feel like a solitary engagement, and when you are staring into the void wondering how to make sense of the mess of words, having a creative community for encouragement and support can feel like a lifeline.

I have attended several of their online events, including their newly-formed writers peer-support group, and am hoping to participate in one of their in-person events this summer.

Although this wasn’t a direct use of the financial element of the bursary, by having the award it has felt like an acknowledgement of my writing and a permission to celebrate how I see the world. I am looking forward to the rest of 2025 and the activities to come, and my sincere thanks again to the bursary selection panel for this opportunity.”