Neurodivergent Poets Summer Residency at Manchester Poetry Library

It was a joy to undertake this paid residency at Manchester Poetry Library, as part of a wider project on neurodivergence and zine-making. The opportunity came from the Library’s Neurodivergent Poets Network, and I couldn’t wait to get back into the Library’s lovely space and create something.

I focused on making little zines, each from one sheet of A4, with my only additional materials being a black pen and some colouring pencils, with the aim of making the process very accessible to others, too.

Working with such a small zine, I didn’t overthink, but just created very intuitively, and it really helped to open up my way of writing poetry and expressing myself.

In the end, I created seven zines, exploring different aspects of my neurodivergence, and of me, in general. These are: Sleep, Tactile, Synaesthesia, Creatures + Wildness, Love, Speaking, and Fear.

The zines from across the project will be exhibited at Manchester Poetry Library from late September 2023, and I am so excited to share my work.