Lily Dunn

Writing well & writing to get well #4

Last Friday I chaired the fourth event in our five-part series at Birkbeck, University of London, on writing well and writing to get well, organised by myself, Toby Litt and Richard Hamblyn. We had Nathan Filer, author of award-winning Shock of the Fall, in conversation with clinical psychologist Agata Vitale, both from Bath Spa University….

Writing well & writing to get well

I’ve been very privileged to be involved with a recent conference at Birkbeck, University of London, called Writing Well and Writing to Get Well, concerned with the links between mental health and creativity, particularly within the academy. The events happen each Friday evening, throughout May and culminate in a day conference on Saturday 27th. You…

Lost property of words

Last Saturday I left my writing book on the bus. It was red with a purple binding, with the words: ‘REACH FOR THE STARS’ embossed in gold on the front. A friend gave it to me for my birthday. I’d only recently started writing in it, and it lived beside my bed. I liked the…

Writing our way to recovery

Today, while cycling through Hackney, I had a wave of joy at a recent achievement. I think it’s called happiness. Not just the fulfilment of a personal pleasure – finishing a short story, or novel, even; getting through the day without losing my temper at my two children! – but the recognition that that personal pleasure will also…

The Fog and the Sea

Yesterday it was my birthday and also the publication day for an essay I’ve written about my father’s struggle with alcohol. You can read it here: https://granta.com/the-fog-and-the-sea/ Granta actually had a different piece of mine, which they were due to publish, when I sent the editor, Luke Neima, this piece. He liked them equally, but couldn’t…