Wish You Were Here: an online writing project for Boston
What a year 2020 had been! Staying home, missing family and friends, familiar places and routines out of reach. At least there was the phone and the internet – though pen and paper came in handy too.
It was natural to think on what matters, the people we care for, the way we live – or used to. Some of us just wanted to get back to normal, but others hoped for something else, something better. What will life be like after the pandemic? How might Boston feel, be different?
Artist François Matarasso
Winter 2020-21, Writing East Midlands hosted a series of ten FREE online writing workshops to explore these questions. We invited people to join community artist, François Matarasso, and writer Sonya Hundel in a weekly tea-time session to write about some of what we’ve missed, what we care about and what we hope for Boston in future.
These workshops were specifically for people aged over 55, who live or work in Boston in Lincolnshire.
From the workshops and Zoom gatherings, the participants created their own book!
The Elder Tree project is a three-year, region wide residency programme, which is empowering groups of people aged 55 and over to create new work stimulated by museums, archives, heritage spaces, and professional writers.
Led by Writing East Midlands, the project will be delivered by a consortium which includes Creative People and Places, First Art and Made in Corby, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, and Museum Development East Midlands, working with non-arts focussed organisations Age UK, Orders of St John Care Trust and University of the Third Age.
The project included the Personal Effects sessions.
