I Am A Creator

In Episode 1 of I Am A Storyteller, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Laura Mabbutt and Beccy Dye two storytellers on the project. Laura Mabbutt is a multidisciplinary artist working with a fusion of traditional craft, digital media, and interactive experiences. Her practice blends handmade techniques with contemporary technology, exploring materials, processes, and participation in creative and accessible ways through interactive experiences.  Her approach is adaptable and exploratory, encouraging participants and audiences to engage with her work through craft, play, and digital tools. For I Am A Storyteller as well as delivering workshops for adults and children in libraries, Laura was commissioned to work with the Oasis Community Centre in Worksop - a place where people can meet and feel welcomed, valued and supported – to co-create new pieces of artwork with a mixed adult group. Beccy Dye is a storyteller, podcaster and game-maker. She works with people of all ages helping them to tell their stories, develop games and to have fun with words.  Her work has co-creation, empowerment, engagement and playfulness at its heart.  Beccy has created audio-dramas, worked with communities to develop story-walks, written musicals with the elderly, built Alternate Reality Games, and explored magical worlds with hundreds of children!  Beccy was commissioned to work with Blidworth memory group, a place that provides a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers and anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink to see what services and supports are available. For more information about the project visit:  ⁠I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 5 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Helen Ackroyd and Lucianna Gallucci – two members of Inspire’s Libraries and Culture Team who worked on the project.Helen is Libraries and Culture Manager and Luci is one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisation or NPO Librarians.For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator: Podcast | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 4 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Dan Donovan and Rachel Scanlon – two artists working on the I Am An Artist project. Dan Donovan is a freelance practising and commercial artist. He enjoys all creative disciplines from photography to film-making, and from graphic design to painting and music. Dan’s belief is that everyone has an inner artist and his aim is to facilitate people’s discovery of this fact. Dan was commissioned to work with Blidworth Memory Group – a welcoming and friendly volunteer led adult group based at Blidworth Library. They provide a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers or anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink, to see what services and support are available to them. Rachel Scanlon is a Nottingham based visual artist working with children and young people, in and out of school settings, with care experience, SEND needs and Early Years. For I Am An Artist Rachel was commissioned to work with Bracken Hill Primary School whose aim is that all pupils achieve, progress and grow in an environment where they are safe and happy. For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator: Podcast | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 3 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Dan Donovan and Deborah Frith – two artists working on the I Am An Artist project. Dan Donovan is a freelance practising and commercial artist. He enjoys all creative disciplines from photography to film-making, and from graphic design to painting and music. Dan’s belief is that everyone has an inner artist and his aim is to facilitate people’s discovery of this fact. Dan was commissioned to work with Blidworth Memory Group – a welcoming and friendly volunteer led adult group based at Blidworth Library. They provide a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers or anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink, to see what services and support are available to them. Deborah Frith considers herself to be an artist with a specialism in ceramics, but also explores other materials like metal, collage, decoupage, surface applications or whatever else she can try.   Debs worked with residents from Bowbridge Court Care Home in Newark - offering 24 hour residential and dementia care. The activities team for Bowbridge Court deliver a regular and varied programme of entertainment and activities for their residents to take part in and enjoy. For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 2 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Lawrence English and Rachel Scanlon – two of the artists working on the project. Lawrence English is a self-taught artist and illustrator from Nottingham. He began his endeavour as an artist through bands he played in from the age of 15, creating the artwork that surrounded these projects. For I Am An Artist Lawrence worked with children from Redgate Primary Academy - a specialist school for children aged 3-11 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Rachel Scanlon is a Nottingham based visual artist working with children and young people, in and out of school settings, with care experience, SEND needs and Early Years. For I Am An Artist Rachel was commissioned to work with Bracken Hill Primary School whose aim is that all pupils achieve, progress and grow in an environment where they are safe and happy. For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 1 of I Am An Artist, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Rachel Hayes – an artist on the project. Rachel Hayes is a passionate and self-taught artist whose work is deeply influenced by the natural beauty of the local countryside. Her approach to art is vibrant and intuitive, with a focus on colourful collages, acrylic paintings, and mixed media pieces. For I Am An Artist, as well as delivering workshops for adults and children in libraries, Rachel was commissioned to work with the Oasis Community Centre in Worksop - a place where people can meet and feel welcomed, valued and supported – to co-create new pieces of artwork with a mixed adult group. For more information about the project visit:  I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 5 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Michelle Dunstan and Ellie Gilbert – members of Inspire’s Libraries’ and Culture Team who worked on the project.Michelle is Libraries and Cultures Officer and Ellie is one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisation or NPO Librarians.For more information about the project visit: ⁠I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 4 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Andy Graves – a fellow writer on the project.Andrew Graves is a poet, performer and cinephile. He has been featured on Radio 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews Show and on BBC Radio 4. His latest titles include Not Dancing with Ingrid Pitt, published by Burning Eye Books in 2020, and Welcome to the Cheap Seats published in 2019 which is a history of working-class cinema. Andrew runs film courses and pre-screen introductions at arthouse independent cinemas such as the Broadway in Nottingham and the Phoenix in Leicester. For I Am A Writer, Andrew worked with Men at the Edge at the Oasis Centre in Worksop - a place where men can come for help, support, guidance, training, teaching and friendship. He also delivered intergenerational workshops at libraries in some of the government’s Levelling Up for Culture Places. For more information about the project visit: ⁠I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 3 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Jack Burrows and Pippa Hennessy, who both worked with groups of neurodiverse families as part of the project.Jack Burrows has been writing, acting and directing theatre for 20 years.  His first play Four Uncertain Kings (2004) launched his theatre company Behind Bars Theatre. Since then, he has gone on to write plays for Mansfield Palace Theatre, and for the last 12 years he has written and directed the community pantomime for Sutton Centre Stage Group and Academy Transformation Trust. Jack was a 2022-23 Associate Artist with New Perspectives. Jack worked with Spectrum Wasps.Pippa is a Nottingham-based writer. Her poetry, graphic fiction, short fiction and creative non-fiction have been published in a range of anthologies and magazines and she is now writing digital poetry – experimenting with what words can do when they’re not tied to the printed page. She has been facilitating writing workshops in a range of settings – including schools, prisons, universities, libraries, museums and art galleries – for over ten years. Since January 2021 she has been a lead writer on Writing East Midlands’ Beyond the Spectrum project, which provides free online writing workshops and a range of other activities for autistic adults and young people. In the last four years she has been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. Pippa worked with families from the Nottinghamshire Home Education Network.For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 2 of I Am A Writer, host Annie Warren is in conversation with Clare Harvey and Lucy Grace who both worked with groups of people living with dementia as part of the project.Clare Harvey is an award-winning fiction author, published by Simon and Schuster. She has a background in journalism, charity PR, and teaching English learners, and has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Nottingham. Clare is currently working towards a PhD entitled ‘Co-Authoring With Forgotten Voices’, which looks at the legal, ethical and creative implications of remixing memoirs into new fiction. Alongside her postgraduate research, Clare also runs writing workshops and mentors emerging authors. For I Am A Writer, Clare was commissioned to work with residents of Bowbridge Court Care Home in Newark, which offers 24 hour residential and dementia care. Lucy Grace is a writer, tutor, editor and workshop leader in a variety of community settings. Her short stories and flash fiction are published in over twenty print and online anthologies. Her debut novel was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and the Mslexia Novel Award. She is currently working on a novel set in a Midlands colliery village after the pits closed down which has been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. In 2022, Lucy was awarded a funded PhD scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and is studying at Nottingham Trent University as part of the Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. For I Am A Writer, Lucy was commissioned to work with Blidworth Memory Group. Based in Blidworth Library, Blidworth Memory Group provides a social setting for people living with dementia, their carers or anyone interested in meeting and chatting over a warm drink.For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries

In Episode 1 of I Am A Writer , host Annie Warren is in conversation with Anna O’Steele – a fellow writer on the project. Anna O’Steele is the bestselling author of seven novels, a playwright and an emerging screenwriter. She is a BBC Writersroom and New Perspectives Associate Alumnus and is currently writing her eighth novel. For I Am A Writer, as well as delivering workshops for adults and children in libraries, Anna was commissioned to work with the Harworth and Bircotes Tenants and Residents Association - a voluntary community group that works all year round for the benefit of residents – to co-create new pieces of writing.For more information about the project visit: I Am A Creator | Inspire - Culture, Learning, Libraries