"Literary Lockdown" is a brand new project which aims to showcase pieces of creative writing from all ages and abilities in order to inspire and spread some positivity during difficult times experienced during lockdown. Over the course of February 2021, the Arts Team are sharing one piece of creative writing per day under the theme of four prompts which are as follows:
- Week One: Home
- Week Two: Ritual
- Week Three: Community
- Week Four: Gratitude
Day 1 | 'Home' by Boakesey
"Writing kept me sane. I did “Writing for Wellbeing” with the wonderful Janet Lees and this inspired me to write for myself. I'm now doing a therapeutic journalling course online and plan to offer workshops in the future."- Boakesey
Day 2 | 'Safe in our Home' by Alison Mitchie
"I have started attending Janet Lee's creative writing workshops with the hope to use my writing to compliment my art work. I have enjoyed writing poetry and saw this competition as a good way to give my writing a purpose, and inspiration."- Alison Mitchie
Day 3 | Laeth Quellin
"I try to write everyday to make sense of things."- Laeth Quellin
Laeth is a writer and actor and has been making poetry for a few months but tells us that he has only just begun showing it to others.
"The poem is inspired by North Barrule, the Manx hills, and the longing to be hiking in the hills, while stuck in student halls in London, and then a passion for seeing it once I was back."
Day 4 | 'Home' by Morgan aged 6
The poem is part of Morgan’s home schooling. He was asked to think about what Home means to him during lockdown. Morgan has been very creative in lockdown, finding it to be a welcome distraction at this difficult time.
Day 5 | 'Home and Dry' by Gemma Hjerth
"Writing is my way of zoning out of home, work and kids. A bit of me time and mindfulness."
- Gemma Hjerth
This poem is inspired by ‘The Door’ by Miroslav Holub, as translated by Ian Milner and George Theiner, and shared by Janet Lees in a “Creative Writing for Wellbeing Workshop”. His poem instructs and inspires the reader to "Go and open the door..." which is the exact opposite of what we're currently supposed to do during this very unnatural 'lock-in'.
Day 6 | 'Home' by Mark Rea
"I love writing and try to write in my spare time as much as possible. My submission is based on the best part of my day, which during this lockdown has been returning home. I am a key-worker based at one of the Islands secondary school and I have worked through both lockdowns."
- Mark Rea
Day 7 | 'Kids' by Ian Wiltshire
"I enjoy writing anyway as it's a nice break from reality and that's probably more important now than it ever has been. The other big benefit with writing is that you can do it alone so the constraints of a lockdown or social distancing don't come into play."
- Ian Wiltshire
Week two's creative writing pieces all come under the theme of Ritual.
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