The Manchester Writing School at MMU and the International Anthony Burgess Foundation are presenting special guest Deborah Alma – the “Emergency Poet”this Thursday.
The Emergency Poet is the world’s first and only mobile poetic first aid service. A mix of the serious, the therapeutic and the theatrical, Deborah Alma travels the country in her ambulance, offering consultations and prescribing poems as cures.
Deborah uses poetry to help communicate with people with dementia (for The Courtyard Theatre in Hereford and Ledbury Poetry Festival). She was lead writer for Writing West Midlands Writing Squads in Shrewsbury and Ludlow, teaching creative writing to young people, and has taught at the University of Worcester. She was writer-in-residence for the 2013 NHS conference on Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Poet in Residence at The Hurst (Arvon Foundation) in 2014.
As well as the strong, fun visual appeal of the Emergency Poet concept, Deborah believes strongly in its ability to engage all audiences in the relevance and therapeutic nature of poetry, and delivers this experience in festival settings, libraries, schools and city centres. Deborah will be reading from her work and talking about the genesis of the amazing “Emergency” project – and her journey to publication. www.emergencypoet.com
Manchester Writing is a new series designed to explore the techniques authors use and choices they make when writing, and debate issues arising from their work. Deborah will be reading from and talking about her work and in conversation answering questions from the audience. The evening will open with a short reading from original material by students of the Manchester Writing School. Drinks will be available to purchase from the bar, and there’ll be a special Blackwell’s bookstall, with signing after the event.
