We run a number of sessions and workshops with vulnerably-housed people and people facing homelessness, in conjunction with other local organizations.
Writing Home at Open House, Oxford
Open House Oxford is a public talking shop on housing and homelessness. They are an organization that likes like drinking tea, making new friends and talking to strangers about housing. Their aim is to get as many people as possible, especially those without a permanent home, involved in the decisions that are being made about how we house people in Oxford. It functions as a free space for anybody to come, hang out, play boardgames, engage in crafting or writing or art activities, or just talk and meet each other.
Every Wednesday morning throughout 2019 from 10am-12 noon OPL ran an open drop-in poetry session. Anybody could come join our poet-in-residence, Rowena Cooper, to play writing games, try out some poetic styles, or just curl up and read a book.
The Gatehouse
The Gatehouse is a drop-in cafe and centre for vulnerably housed people and those facing homelessness which runs every weekday from 5pm-7pm, and 4pm-6pm on Sundays. Friday evenings feature a literacy programme, for which we provide books and run occasional workshops. We play writing games, provide poetry activities, and chat about books, poems, and language! To find out more about the Gatehouse literacy programme, click here. See below some of the magnetic poetry creations which have emerged from some of our Gatehouse sessions:
We also provide books for guests to take advantage of our library, allowing them to borrow items, take them away for two weeks, and return them to The Gatehouse.
Homeless Oxfordshire
We provide books to the hostel run by Homeless Oxfordshire and are just beginning to run monthly workshops with them and their service users.
To find out more about our work with homeless organizations around Oxford, and how you can get involved, drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com.