Between the Lines: Between stories

Between the Lines pairs nourishing books with art making to help you slow down, tune into your inner world, and explore what arises.

This is a cosy space where you can deepen your understanding of yourself, your experiences, and the contexts that shape you.

Our theme: Between stories

“An idyll like that wasn’t made to last. For a while it was forever, and then things started to fall apart.”

— Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Slow down and tune into those moments of transition when we sense we have outgrown the identity and life that we have been inhabiting, but have not yet settled into the new story of who we are becoming.

We'll respond to passages from Rebecca Solnit and Sophie Strand exploring this theme through the metaphor of the hermit crab, with a bonus reading from Isobel J. Kim.

What you can expect

Each session follows the same familiar structure to explore a new theme, providing a variety of options for how you might choose to participate.

• We begin with a welcome and Acknowledgement of Country

• You’re invited to make yourself comfortable to listen as I read aloud passages connected to the theme

• You’re invited to notice what stays with you from the reading and how these words have landed with you

• You’re invited to creatively respond to the reading - perhaps by using art materials, or your body, or quietly sitting with and reflecting on what has stayed with you

• We’ll come back together as a whole group with an invitation to share about your experience or creative response as the final step before we say goodbye.

How to prepare

• Find a space where you can feel comfortable and not be disturbed. Consider if cushions, blankets, or other soft furnishings might support you.

• Gather some materials you might use for art making. There are no hard and fast rules about what to have on hand. You might consider using:

  • traditional art materials

  • things you find in a desk drawer

  • raiding the recycling bin

  • interesting items from around your home

  • your body, gestures, voice, or words

• You may like to have a journal or scrap paper and pen handy to capture your reflections

• Consider if you'd like to have a water bottle or a cuppa handy.