Writer in Residence: 121s with poet Romalyn Ante (RCN members only)

Discuss your own writing, ask questions about publication or the role of art and creativity in nursing with our writers in residence.

Novelist, poet and nurse Romalyn Ante will be the RCN's first writer in residence of 2026, from 13 - 17 April 2026, from 11-4pm each day.

The RCN is hosting three writing residencies, funding by Arts Council England National Lottery Grants, during the run of our exhibition. Each writer will be working in the exhibition space for a week, interacting with visitors and creating new work. They are offering exclusive slots for RCN members to book in to discuss your own ideas and work, to seek advice or simply to chat about the potential of creative workshops in nursing.

These slots are free but only available to RCN members - you will need your membership number to book.

If you're not an RCN member, you can drop in every afternoon (3-4pm Monday to Thursday and 2-3pm on Friday).

Image credit: Justine Desmond/Royal College of Nursing

Read the full terms and conditions for our events here.

What to expect from your 1-2-1:

These sessions are a supportive space for RCN members to discuss anything at the intersection of nursing and creativity. You might use your session to:

• Receive feedback on a poem or piece of writing in progress.
• Discuss the journey to becoming a published author.
• Chat about the process of using nursing experiences as inspiration for creative work.
• Get advice on starting your own writing practice alongside your clinical career.

Romalyn Ante FRSL is an award-winning Filipino-born British nurse, poet, novelist, and editor, based in the Midlands. Romalyn was born and raised in Lipa, Philippines, and migrated to the UK in 2005. She writes in English as her second language. In 2012, she began writing poetry after completing her nursing studies and becoming a registered nurse. Her debut collection, Antiemetic for Homesickness (Chatto, 2020), was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. It was Observer’s Poetry Book of the Month, and was named as one of The Poetry School’s Best Poetry Books of 2020. Her second collection, AGIMAT (Chatto, 2024), was awarded the Society of Author's Arthur Welton Award, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and Observer Poetry Book of the Month. Her debut novel, The Left-Behind Child, will be published by Chatto in August 2026.

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Host or Publisher Royal College of Nursing Library & Archives