The Creative Writing Breakfast at Poetry Pharmacy Thursday 23rd October

You are invited to spend your morning free flow scribbling in the safe & supportive belly of Poetry Pharmacy London (INSIDE THE LUSH STORE) First Floor, 175-179 Oxford Street, London W1D 2JS on Thursday 23rd October 10am BST

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Your session will be led by poet Laurie Bolger & warm vibes are guaranteed...come & scribble with a tea & take in some creative vibes & warm ones are guaranteed. Stationery & tea provided so just bring yourselves & your brilliant fizzy imagnations.

Newbies welcome & no experience needed! Get in quick because spaces are limited!! *refunds & exchanges up to 72 hours before the event*

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Welcome to the world's first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy

We have been dispensing poetry since 2011 from the back of our vintage ambulance as the Emergency Poet at festivals, conferences, hospitals and care settings, libraries and schools, with a poetry pharmacy of poems-in-pills under the attached awning.

The whole impetus for that project was to be a vehicle (pun intended) for poetry to be delivered to people who don’t usually encounter it; to be inviting and not intimidating, to counter the widely held perception that poetry is “difficult, obscure and not for the likes of me”.

We believe that poetry can do so much to match or alter a mood, to assist in so many ways with good mental health. The Poetry Pharmacy was a way for us to park up the ambulance and bring the therapeutic effects of poetry under one roof, with an emphasis on well-being and inclusivity.

So the theatre of the ambulance was the way in. At the heart of it there has always been good quality, intelligent poetry. The Poetry Pharmacy continues this element of theatre, this light-hearted approach, and there is something here for everyone.

"Here, instead of sleeping pills and multivitamins, customers will be offered prescriptions of Derek Walcott and Elizabeth Bishop"

- Alison Flood, The Guardian

https://poetrypharmacy.co.uk

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The Creative Writing Breakfast Club as featured in Time Out is a Free Flow Creative Writing session with writer Laurie Bolger.

This session is about letting your creativity lead the way, generating new and exciting writing in your own unique style.

During this workshop Laurie will take you through fast paced writing exercises to boost mindfulness 💕 🍳 📚 ✍️

“If you ever want a cosy, creative, calming place to explore writing, Laurie's sessions are just perfection…”

Breakfast Club Scribbler 2025

Laurie Bolger is a London-based writer and founder of The Creative Writing Breakfast Club. Her work has been featured at Glastonbury Festival, Roundhouse, Tate, Sky Arts and BBC platforms, and she was shortlisted for Young Poet Laureate for London. Winner of The Moth Poetry Prize and shortlisted for the Sylvia Plath, Bridport and Forward Prizes Laurie has over a decade of experience leading creative workshops that celebrate individuality and community. She has collaborated with Google, Liberty, Choose Love and Mind UK, among others. Her books include Makeover (The Emma Press), Spin (The Poetry Business) and Lady (Nine Arches Press), exploring resilience, love, and working-class identity.

www.lauriebolger.com | Instagram @lauriebolger_ | Twitter @lauriebolger

“a poster girl for how to write a poem”

Under the Radar

“If I could jump inside her poems I would…I imagine it’d be lovely & warm in there”

Hollie McNish