APP Writing Workshop: Finding your own voice

This is a workshop for people who experienced psychosis in the perinatal period, and will be facilitated by writer Lauren-Nicole Mayes.

We will explore 'finding your own voice' through writing tasks and poetry. Focusing on hopeful provocations and journaling through our own life experiences to show that our stories are often our superpower!

More about Lauren-Nicole:

Blackpool born and bred, Lauren is a working-class writer and actress. She broke into the world of writing having noticed a lack of stories representing the working-class women who have raised her. Lauren is one of the five selected writers and winners for the inaugural Sky Studios & Box Of Tricks ScreenPlay Award.

In 2022 her one woman play Dear Little Loz was developed and commissioned by Izzy Parriss Productions where the show was selected to perform a full run at Surgeons Hall - Edinburgh Fringe receiving rave reviews.

Lauren’s short film LADS, LADS,LADS was picked up by La De La Studios & Hotel Football UK in partnership with men's mental health. Lauren was the creator and writer behind this short film connecting several men’s mental health charities to her work to create opportunity and resources for those suffering. The short film went viral and the charities involved received an outcry of support.

At the back end of 2022 Lauren was the recipient/winner of the Arvon Poetry Scholarship where she then went on to be selected as an Associate Artist for Oldham Coliseum creating work centring around regional voices in theatre for a year.

In 2023 Lauren was selected for BBC Writers Room: Northern Voices where she developed her ideas for TV alongside mentor Alice Ramsey. For screen her original TV Drama BABYNUN XO is now in development with It’s All Made Up Productions ( Philip Barantini) with a broadcaster attached. Most recently Lauren was chosen as one of the final two writers for the Inaugural Regional Breakthrough Writers programme by WARP Films for her original series idea - SHIT.GOD.SHIT.

For Theatre Lauren’s play SHIT.GOD.SHIT was shortlisted via The Royal Exchange for The English Touring Theatres Nationwide Voices Scheme and long-listed by Wall To Wall North and Warner Brothers for the Writers Access Programme.

In 2024 Lauren became a part of the writer’s story conference for BBC’s Waterloo Road. This April Lauren’s new play BIRDS DON’T RUN. THEY FLY has been commissioned by Her Productions and will debut at the award winning Hope Mill Theatre Manchester for a week’s run.