The names of the six writers who will take part in the 2025 WritersMosaic retreat have been announced. Clementine E Burnley and Amanda Vilanova from the inaugural retreat recall a magical experience and offer advice for the next cohort of writers.
Irenosen Okojie talks to Gabriel Gbadamosi about the alchemy of writing in the early hours and the power of stories to heal. She discusses challenging the stigma of mental ill health in literature and pouring love into Afrofuturism through her project, Black to the Future.
‘The spoken word poem takes the shape of its context, from performance to performance, each night is different and you feel different each time you read aloud.’
‘I wrote on a boat in the middle of the Thames, an experience of being held in the water, neither north nor south. I’m always attempting a fusion of opposites, of multiplicities, trying to write music with words.’
Marjorie Lotfi reflects on her journey towards becoming a writer, from fleeing Iran as a child in 1978 to arriving in Scotland via the USA.
Inbetweenness, physicality and emotionality expressed in poetry
Talking about the challenge of true connection
Talking about the techniques of storytelling.
Talking about the material that comes from lived experience.
Talking about drawing on her rich African/Scottish heritage
Talking about the ageless quality of children's literature
Expanding on the significance of the objects displayed on her mantelpiece