Stroke survivors from across Manchester launched a new book full of poetry and short stories about their life experiences at Citylabs, Manchester. A short film of the event can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsETDWqvz3s
A group of 15 stroke survivors, carers and volunteers took part in a series of 10 interactive workshops organised by the Stroke Association and creative organisation Writing on the Wall. Working with musical director Chris Mellor, they each wrote a poem or short excerpt about prominent events in their life, which feature in the book, titled What’s Your Story? The group performed readings at the event on Friday 11 December, when the book also went on sale to the public, with proceeds donated to the Stroke Association.
Chris Mellor said: “It has been my privilege and joy to lead to the production of this book, which is full of stories, musings, poems and thoughts. The group members have survived and are surviving many issues and barriers that seem daunting to one who has not experienced them. However, they have always been clear that they do not want their work to leave anyone feeling low, and you won’t find a shred of self-pity in any of the pieces.
“In the pages of the book you will meet some of the most remarkable, challenging and beautiful people I have encountered in my more than thirty years of running arts projects. If the book has captured a tenth of the spirit of the group that embarked on this project, people are in for a real treat.”
Helen Gilbertson, Community Stroke Support Coordinator at the Stroke Association, said: “The book encompasses a whole wealth of stories, from Frank, stunning us with his piece about the loss of his wife, to Joao sharing his childhood stories growing up in Angola. The workshops have given stroke survivors the chance to express themselves, while also encouraging social interaction and helping to build confidence.”
The book What’s Your Story? is available through Amazon Kindle for £0.99 and can be found here: www.amazon.com/Whats-Your-Story-Manchester-Association-ebook/dp/B019CQBR0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1451922441&sr=1-1&keywords=what%27s+your+story%3F+Stroke