Welcome aboard!
This is a newsletter about creative writing, poetry & well-being written by me—Rebecca Hurst.
By way of an introduction, I’m a writer, illustrator, opera maker, and post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Manchester. My poetry pamphlet, The Fox’s Wedding, was published by The Emma Press in February 2022, and you can also read some of my poems in Carcanet’s anthology New Poetries VIII. I'm co-founder of the Voicings Collective — an ensemble that devises new music theatre — and I teach creative writing workshops in schools, universities, museums, hospitals and libraries.
Finally, I’m a life-long journal writer. Since childhood the process of creative writing (which for me includes regular journalling, drawing, and notebook-keeping, but also building a community of writing friends and collaborators, finding readers, and developing and facilitating workshops) has kept me grounded, and helped return me to myself after periods of ill health or life challenges.
What can you expect while travelling on the Slow Train?
I’ll be writing about my practice-based research and evolving thoughts on creative writing as a tool to support well-being; along with occasional news of performances of my work, readings, publications, workshops, and events.
There are no guarantees as to how often I’ll be posting or when we’ll get to our destination. Riders on the Slow Train are generally more inclined to settle down and enjoy the journey than worry about timetables and efficiency. And for now this newsletter will be free. So please come aboard, where the dining car has quiet lighting and great tea, the seats are comfy, and our strong preference is for the scenic route.
Here on the Slow Train there is, as Virginia Woolf once said:
‘No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.’
Thank you for joining me…🐌