Museum of Making
Silk Mill Lane off Full Street
Derby
DE1 3AF
In this workshop, you will be taken through a series of prompts and poems in order to inspire your own work. We’ll explore what we wish people understood about our conditions, odes to support systems and aids, disabled joy, activism and rebellion. Alongside this, you will be taken on a short trail within the museum to discover objects that link to the theme of disability, to use as impetus for our writing. Though there is no pressure, there will be time at the end of the session to share your work if you wish to do so.
Charlotte is a queer, disabled poet and bookseller. She works part time as an academic notetaker and runs events at Scarthin Books. Charlotte co-hosts the bi-monthly poetry night Rebel Riot and is a guest poetry facilitator for Derbyshire Writing School. She offers editing and mentoring services and her debut collection Metamorphosis was published in May 2021 with Verve Poetry Press.
This workshop is presented as part of a National Lottery Heritage Funded project with the charity Disability Direct. Disability Direct is approaching its 30-year anniversary and is a user-led organisation with a primary function of disabled people identifying, creating, managing, and delivering services to their peers, to benefit disabled and older people in our communities. It works solely on the nationally accepted concept of the Social Model as a definition of disability and puts the disabled person at the heart of every decision.
This 12-month project includes upskilling and supporting the development of disabled people to engage in heritage, develop heritage skills, and gain interest in heritage and events of historical importance. We will work with disabled people to identify the history of the charity and the impact it has had on people’s lives over the past 30 years.