Thinking about this year’s theme of Stories Mak Us, I’m struck at the complexity of individual stories. With so many twists and turns in people’s lives, constant changing influences, hopes and dreams, our stories are unique but also something unequivocally communal.

This week, I attended a meeting at Erskine Writers Group to facilitate a creative writing session about memories. We talk about what memories are, how we recall past events, reasons for retelling them and how they change as we grow. This group of dedicated writers shared fantastic written memories as we stewed over details, truths and motivations. It made me think a lot about how I write about memories myself and my motivations for telling such stories.

From reflecting on the past, to creating stories for the future: I’ve been fortunate to work with a Mum and Baby Group as part of Barnardo’s Threads project in Paisley. Over the past three weeks we have talked in depth about motherhood, expectations and work. The group have been working on their own written pieces, focusing on the untold stories of motherhood. To coincide with this, they are making a banner that will be displayed in The Central Library in Paisley throughout the festival. The banner has been inspired by artwork used during recent Equal Pay disputes that local activists have shared as a token of solidarity.

Throughout my residency I have been working with EVOLVE in Seedhill, collaborating with their Artists in Residence to provide creative opportunities from McKerrell Street Play Park. These are drop in and for all ages. To coincide with these, we have been providing visual prompts on Social Media, including a fantastic picture of Williamsburgh Primary School by photographer Nicola Stead. Keep an eye on local Facebook community groups for more prompts and details of our final workshop!