Writers Salon | Writing into the news with Ellie Spirrett

Come and join Connect through Creativity's CRIPtic x Spread the Word Salon with Ellie Spirrett and sign up for the Salon open mic if you'd like to share your work.

Whether you are new to writing or are a seasoned and published poet, gain inspiration and start a new ongoing adventure in creativity.

This workshop will focus on engaging with world news, processing the fast-paced and painful state of the world as it is today. Whether it’s attacks to people’s rights here in the UK or atrocities on the other side of the world, writing for the times is daunting and overwhelming. We will learn to write about these things in a way that keeps us safe, and holds onto our own voice.

Read your work at the sharing spot

There are five sharing spot slots available at the Salon and if you'd like to share your work please complete the following form by 11am on Friday 3 October 2025: https://forms.gle/mXZjpfJou5eejnTr6

You'll be asked to provide your contact details and a short bio and the reading you will be doing which should be no longer than 5 minutes. This is so we can send the work to our BSL interpreters in advance of the session. You can submit these in written English, video or audio file format.

About Ellie

Ellie is a poet and writer living in South-East London. They were a member of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective, and Spread the Word’s Young Writers’ Collective, and they received a 30th Anniversary Spread the Word Disabled Writers’ Commission. Ellie’s work aims to tackle living with a chronic illness, ableism, and loneliness and connection at the intersection of disability and queerness. Ellie also works as a self advocacy coordinator at Lewisham Speaking Up, supporting people with learning disabilities to campaign for their rights.

Access Information

• Auto-captions
• Self Descriptions
• BSL Interpretation
• Comfort Breaks

About CRIPtic Arts

CRIPtic Arts exists to ignite disabled excellence across the arts. We provide active disabled leadership which advances world-class arts work with disabled creatives. From high-quality community activities to showcasing breakthrough performers; we’re blazing a revolution in accessibility.

About Spread the Word

Spread the Word is London's literature development agency. We have have a national and international reputation for change-making research and developing programmes for writers that have equity and social justice at their heart.

With thanks to the City Bridge Foundation for supporting the CRIPtic x Spread the Word Salon and Connect through Connectivity.