2016, A Spaced Oddity

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a married man in possession of a good blog, must be willing to update it.”


I've not been blogging but I have been working hard, is the amount of blog proportional to the amount of work that you are committed to?
The longest project that I have been involved with in many a year is coming to it's climax soon. Steve Cooke, the man behind All Across the Arts here in Rochdale, is responsible for getting us all together. Along with a talented bunch of poets, artists, photographers, songwriters and storytellers (why they wanted me on board I shall never know) I have been working with a group comprising asylum seekers children, young adults with mental health problems and looked after young adults. The project is called "The Stories We Could Tell" and the great thing is, they are telling their stories.
Many strike deep in the heart, they can make you feel angry or sad, or both at the same time. The good thing is that in each story, in each individual, there is hope. Sometimes that glimmer of hope is smaller than I might want it to be but it survives, as do these young people. In the eight weeks of the project we have laughed and cried, and that's just the facilitators.
We are almost at the moment where those who want to will tell their stories to an invited audience. They can present their story live if they want to, or by film. I can't wait to see the finished work. I don't think there will be a dry eye in the house.
we are all hoping that this will be the first of many more projects like this, so watch this space!