Wild Women workshops

This workshop series invites women to explore pathetic fallacy through an afternoon of shared reading, creative writing and performance art.
About this Event

• Week one: Sunday 5 July, 1:00 - 3:30pm
• Week two: Sunday 19 July, 1:00 - 3:30pm
• Week three: Sunday 2 August, 1:00 - 3:30pm

We ask participants to try and commit to all three sessions because they function as an emotional journey.

Week one explores rest. We will read poetry from Mary Oliver and an excerpt from Noreen Massuad's 'A Flat Place'. We will walk to Royal Green gardens at East Point Pavillion to recreate performace art by Anna Mendieta, moulding our silhouettes into the landscape by laying on the ground and tracing our outlines. Please bring a towel or blanket if you do not want to lay on the ground.

In week two we focus on joy. We will read from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and the essay 'Is It Work?' by Patricia Lockwood. We will walk to Ness Point gardens where we will braid long grass and perform prompts from Yoko Ono's action poems.

For week three: rage. We will read an essay from Elana Dykewomon in Sinister Wisdom, the multicultural lesbian literary and art journal, and an excerpt from 'Rage Becomes Her' by Soraya Chemaly. We will walk to the beach to hear an excerpt of Shakespeare's King Lear and scream into the sea.

What to expect:

Each session will start with a shared reading by Maddie. This will be followed by some creative writing prompts. There will be a group sharing session. We will then walk to an offsite space to try some performance art as a group.

There is nothing for you to prepare or research in advance. All materials will be provided. Printed photocopies of the texts we will be reading will be available if you would like to follow the shared reading. I will share some videos on the presentation screen. There will be invites to join a discussion throughout this workshop. Please note silence is always a valid contribution in my sessions and there will be no pressure to speak if you don’t want to.

Access

The workshops will take place in The Everitt room inside Lowestoft Library, on the second floor which is accesible via a lift. We expect there to be some low level background noise as the library is open and being used. There are genderless toilets, including an accesible toilet. Full access information for the library can be found on Accesible at: https://www.accessable.co.uk/suffolk-county-council/access-guides/lowestoft-library. A digital tour of the library is available here:

Each session will include a trip outside of the library. All sites will be within a 20 minute walk/wheel (each way) and wheelchair accessible. If this element would create a barrier for you, please get in touch with Maddie at [email protected] and we can discuss what adjustments might be possible.

We will do our trip outdoors in rain or in shine so please dress for the weather: suncream and hats for the sun and raincoats and umbrellas for the rain. Please bring a bottle of water if you would like to take one on our walk.

About Maddie

Maddie is an artist who cares deeply about class and place. Hailing from rural Suffolk, she is a first-generation university graduate from a working-class lineage. Whether it’s burning bible quotes into toast, interviewing a psychic medium, or building a Hollywood sign for coastal Suffolk, she’s interested in playful ways to engage with complex ideas.

Her work often starts with research or social engagement, evolving into participatory experiences that invite reflection and dialogue. Her art works have been exhibited in France, USA, London, her parent’s house and beyond. Maddie is a Creative Health Associate Artist for Suffolk Community Libraries.