Author visits creative women

AUTHOR Sinead Gleeson visited the north inner city last week to meet a group of women using a book she edited as part of their creative writing project.

Sinead was at the SAOL project in Dublin 1, where the women are reading The Long Gaze Back – this year’s selection for Dublin: One City One Book.

Twelve women from SAOL are taking part in the writing project under the Dublin’s Culture Connects’ The National Neighbourhood initiative.

SAOL is a programme for women in treatment for drug addiction and they’re working with

?¯artist Sorcha Kenny to explore and respond to work from The Long Gaze Back,

?¯which is an anthology of

?¯Irish women writers edited by Sinead.

They plan to combine their own writing with lines from the book and develop a script to be recited by the women in a series of filmed portraits, shot in different locations around their area. 

 “I really enjoyed spending time with the women of the SAOL Project, to talk about The Long Gaze Back and autobiographical writing,” Sinead said.

“Not every voice gets heard, and women, especially marginalised ones, are often left out of the conversation.

“I am full of admiration for the women of SAOL, who are rebuilding their lives in many ways, but also through words and their own creative work.

“Everyone is entitled to tell their story, to speak their truth, and I hope that we'll hear the words of these women in the future.”

The SAOL Project is a client-centred, community-based day programme for women in treatment for drug addiction. It aims to create positive, meaningful change through an integrated programme of education, rehabilitation, advocacy, childcare provision, and progression and aftercare supports.

Ray Hegarty, SAOL CE Group Supervisor said Sinead's visit to SAOL really appealed to the women.

“Her honest and generous sharing of her own story, and her insights into how to translate personal stories into writing and the value this has, will stay with SAOL for a long time,” he added.

Dublin’s Culture Connects’ artist, Sorcha Kenny, explained that the women had been talking about the 100 years of suffrage, reflecting on memories of other women in their lives and talking about being women today.

“Celebrating over 200 years of women's writing, The Long Gaze Back seemed like a great platform from which to explore,” she said.

“Being Dublin's One City One Book this year added yet another layer of relevance for us. Our workshops around the book

?¯have opened up new avenues in the women's writing and creative process.

“We have become inspired by our fellow women writers.”

On the afternoon of Sinead’s visit, the SAOL group went to The Unmanageable Sisters at the Abbey Theatre for some more inspiration. 

This is just one of many National Neighbourhood projects that are happening around the city with community groups, artists and some of our best-known cultural institutions.

Communities involved range from craft groups to walking groups, choirs to colleges, nursing homes to hospitals and scout dens to schools.  

Projects are happening across the city in areas including Ballybough, Cabra, Clontarf, Fairview, Finglas, Raheny and Stoneybatter.