The Word Association

26/05/2026

New for 2026, Threads is the next step on your autobiographical journey. The course will use a variety of devices to help you develop your memoir writing, and provide a safe, nurturing space for you to explore and create.

26/05/2026

Following last year's success, Exploring Memory is back! This ten week course is an introduction to memoir writing, and aims to get you to start writing - whether that's your first line, first paragraph or your first chapter...

(For those who attended last year's course, we may have something to interest you - stay tuned....)

26/05/2026

We're delighted to be involved with this year's Healing Arts Birmingham Festival (Healthy Brum)

Our event is run in partnership with the Imagining Wellbeing strand of University of Birmingham's Centre for Urban Herefordshire and Worcestershire Wellbeing and Recovery College

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Come along and create with us on June 23rd 2.30-5pm...

Discover Birmingham's overlooked urban nature in this creative workshop at Allens Cross Community Centre

We often move through cities and towns without noticing the nature that surrounds us. This workshop explores overlooked forms of urban nature with creative activities for health and wellbeing. Learn from practitioners who work on healing, community, and green spaces, enjoy a self-guided nature walk, and join a multimedia workshop creating stories and art from urban nature found in Birmingham.

This event is free to attend, but spaces are limited - please register in advance.

https://urban-nature-healing-arts-birmingham.eventbrite.co.uk

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The whole programme is supported by Birmingham City Council Jameel Arts & Health Lab and World Health Organization (WHO)

Discover Birmingham's overlooked urban nature in this creative workshop

26/05/2026

Wonderful things happening in Birmingham this June.

07/05/2026

Looking forward to this one!

🌿📸✍️ Join us on the beautiful Lickey Hills Country Park for an afternoon of reflection, creativity, nature and community.

Pictures, Poetry & Memories on the Lickey Hills is part of the A Matter of Life and Death Festival, organised by Brum YODO and delivered by The Word Association, with support from Northfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme 💚

Led by former Birmingham Poet Laureate Giovanni Esposito and poet & therapeutic writing practitioner Holly Winter-Hughes, this welcoming wellbeing walk invites you to share memories, enjoy nature, take photographs, and explore poetry in a relaxed and supportive space.

📍 Lickey Hills Visitor Centre
📅 Saturday 9th May
⏰ 1–3pm
🎟️ FREE — but limited to 20 places

Come along, breathe in the fresh air, connect with others, and take some time for yourself 🌳

28/04/2026

Still a couple of tickets left for Saturday's walk, if you fancy it? It's free!

Join a gentle guided walk noticing hidden urban nature in Worcester Slow down, write, reflect and rediscover the city around you.

22/04/2026

As part of my doctoral research, I'm looking at unnoticed forms of urban nature that live alongside us in the city. As such, I’m inviting you to join a gentle guided walk exploring the small, often overlooked bits of nature living quietly in the city—plants in pavement cracks, moss on brick walls, wildflowers in unexpected places.

This is part of an arts-based research project about how noticing these everyday details can shift the way we feel about the places we live, and the stories we tell about them.

We’ll walk slowly through an urban route in Worcester, pausing along the way to notice what catches our attention. There’ll be optional gentle prompts for reflection—no pressure, just space to notice and wander with your thoughts.

Afterwards, there’s an optional short creative writing reflection for anyone who’d like to respond in words, fragments, or notes.

Everything is completely voluntary—you can join the walk without taking part in any research elements, skip prompts, or step away at any time.

It's free. It will be lovely. We'll have a short, slow, gentle walk followed by reflection and writing.

You don't need to have attended any of our other writing activities, or have any creative or therapeutic writing experience to attend.

Join a gentle guided walk noticing hidden urban nature in Worcester Slow down, write, reflect and rediscover the city around you.

21/04/2026

This month in the wellbeing studio we've been looking at 'noticing'... using writing to help us pay attention to the present moment. Our poetry group have been exploring mood and Japanese poetic form. Our therapeutic group have been combining markmaking with words as a mindful practice.

Our next Writing Hour (for both communities) is tomorrow at 11am, and our first poetry feedback circle is Thursday evening.

All events happen over Zoom, so distance isn't a problem. All prompts and resources are sent through Substack.

Come and join us!

https://wordstolivebypersonalpathway.substack.com/

https://wordstolivebypoetspathway.substack.com/

15/04/2026

Our very first 'Community Circle' for the Studio is tomorrow night... a lovely, relaxed space for you to share your work and listen to what other people have been writing. So if you were thinking of joining and haven't got round to it, we'd love to see you there!

13/04/2026

What a lovely bunch for our very first Writing Hour! Great to see you all, to write with you and hear your work.

Looking forward to next week's session.