Citizen of Year rewarded for helping prevent loneliness through Shared Reading program
I am honoured and humbled to have been recognised as Blue Mountains Citizen of the Year as reported in this article published in the Blue...
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A Blog on Life, the Universe & Stories
We hope you enjoy this collection of stories, insights and articles about reading and life from our groups members, facilitators, clients, community and friends.
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Christopher Smith
Aug 54 min
How did we get here…?
Surprise and delight in a Shared Reading session reading A. J Alan’s short story 'My Adventure in Norfolk'... We had been talking about...
500
Christopher Smith
Jul 196 min
La Trobe University reports on Bibliotherapy: how reading with others can boost your wellbeing
Senior Lecturers from La Trobe University prompt us to consider why we’re drawn to bibliotherapy (reading for therapy) in times of crisis...
170
Christopher Smith
Jun 244 min
The Wisdom of Readers: Wanting more from life…
'The Fullness of Life' is a short story by Edith Wharton that asks big questions. It was written when she was young and it bursts with...
530
Christopher Smith
Apr 113 min
Too true to be good…
'Wenlock Edge' by Alice Munro prompts an observation about the power of the confessional. A participant in a reading group recommended...
760
Christopher Smith
Aug 14, 20234 min
Life without achievement...
Failure is one of the things we fear the most. If we have ‘nothing to show’ for our lives then who are we, and what was the point?...
1091
Christopher Smith
Jul 8, 20233 min
Sometimes, the more difficult the material, the more relatable the story.
A personal reflection on 'Sonny's Blues' - a short story by James Baldwin. There are some stories that take us on a journey into what it...
1230
Christopher Smith
Jun 7, 20234 min
If you feel lonely, you are not alone…
‘A profound sense of loneliness’ now affects more of our worldwide population than ever before. It’s impact on health and wellbeing, even...
610
Christopher Smith
Mar 22, 20233 min
Helping people feel less alone... why I became a Shared Reading facilitator.
Chris reflects on his journey and the purpose he found in Shared Reading groups.
1020
Alison
Mar 16, 20234 min
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination...
Alison shares her experience of a Shared Reading group in this beautifully written piece. Thank you Alison.
890
Christopher Smith
Nov 21, 20225 min
The Wisdom of Readers: Self-care is an act of resistance.
Today’s world wants more from us, and quicker. The immediacy of modern communication means we’re required to be available at the drop of...
920
Freda (group member)
Jul 5, 20192 min
“All I have to do is open up to the nourishment coming in”
Freda has been attending a Shared Reading group for a couple of years now. Here, she reflects on how she came to be in the group and what...
821
Christopher Smith
Feb 6, 20183 min
A shared reading session can be the brightest mirror
“It struck me that as I deny acknowledgement to someone living on the street, I deny an expression of a part of myself. As I walk past...
140
Christopher Smith
Jan 18, 20185 min
Gratitude is a reward for letting go
“I am beginning to understand that my reactions to what people say and do are to do with the ways in which I have been conditioned – that...
150
Sara Fawcett
Dec 5, 20177 min
How shared reading helped me to be near people
– By Sara Fawcett – “…it made me almost feel free. Like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I found myself talking to people I hadn’t...
480
Mary Houghis
Nov 30, 20171 min
Stories of change – Mary
“…I thought that I could not get back into nursing, shared reading has changed that…” Mary has been attending shared reading groups for...
170
Christopher Smith
Oct 8, 20171 min
Stimulating the creativity of our readers
“After the reading group I feel more connected, alert and alive” Freda B Fischer is new to shared reading, but in a few short weeks has...
50
Christopher Smith
Aug 13, 20173 min
Shared Reading: What It Is & Why I Love It
I remember reading the poem Digging by Seamus Heaney in a reading group at a time when I was struggling with the idea of masculinity and...
780
Susan Taktak
Aug 11, 20173 min
How Shared Reading Broke Down Barriers for My Clients
“…the people that we consider face the most barriers are the ones who are turning up every week…” I am an employment consultant and with...
40
Alex Carbonetti
Aug 11, 20172 min
A Reading Resurrection
Literature was murdered for me in high school. The dissection of texts, the endless analysis of meaning and themes, seemed to destroy the...
120
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