Creative Writing for Wellbeing: Long Covid

Many thousands of people in Scotland have become unwell in the last 6 months, with suspected Covid19.  For a significant number of those patients, symptoms have continued for weeks, or months.  This prolonged illness has become known as Long Covid.  Thanks to campaigning by www.LongCovid.org and others, LongCovid has been officially recognised and research to investigate this illness is now underway.

The Facebook Long Covid Support Group founded in May is a warm and welcoming peer support community of over 20,000 members, focused on how patients can best access medical help and other resources to manage their recovery and wellbeing.

The Scottish Poetry Library is to offer Long Covid patients in Scotland a safe, small group space for sufferers to gather virtually to read poetry and write stories during a gentle, guided session by support group moderator and creative writing facilitator Lesley Macniven.

Mindful of energy levels, these will be short, 45 minute sessions, designed to spark ideas that could be developed between the 4 weekly sessions.  Anyone with Long Covid experience is welcome to participate to the extent they are able. No prior writing experience is required. We hope that the lunchtime slot will make this accessible even to those working from home.

Planned dates are:

Thursday 1st October 2020 12.30 – 1.15pm
Thursday 29th October 12.30 – 1.15pm
Thursday 26th November 12.30 – 1.15pm
Thursday 17th December 12.30 – 1.15pm
Thursday  14th January 2021 12.30 – 1.15pm
Thursday 18th February 12.30 – 1.15pm

Join Lesley for as many of these sessions as you would like. They are stand alone sessions, there is no charge and we can accommodate up to 12 participants.

The aim of these sessions is to support wellbeing using reading and creative writing in a safe, empathetic space where you do not need to explain yourself or your illness.

NB Please note that these sessions are only for people suffering the effects of Long Covid.