Paul's favourite Place

Today, Paul takes us on a journey away from this cold, wet Monday morning to his favourite place....

MY FAVOURITE PLACE

One of the places where I am at my most happiest is Tenby beach in Wales.  I feel like I’m smiling as I think about it.

Tenby is known as the jewel in the Pembrokeshire crown.  And the Pembrokeshire coastline is regarded as one of the most beautiful places on earth.


At Tenby the beach has golden sands, and a mile or two out to sea, is Caldy Island, which has a monastery on it.  You can see this Island from Tenby beach.


The monks on Caldy Island are self sufficient.  They make chocolate and perfume and they sell it in the shop on the Island, and Caldy Island has lots of visitors each day as there are regular boat trips to the Island from Tenby beach.  The monks also have a shop in Tenby town.

Meet Donna

Today is World Mental Health Day and what better way to celebrate than by sharing some more amazing creativity and talent from another writer.

Meet Donna...

Why do you writer Donna?

I write because it helps me focus on other things other than my own mental health condition. Whiles I do continually struggle with spelling and grammar, I feel passionately about all sorts of writing. I try to write many styles in the hope to get published and make it big time. If, however, I don't make it big, I have met some lovely individuals with incredible stories.

Who are you?

Hi, yes, I know I have done this second. That's because I do things the wrong way round. That's how my brain, my body and my life is. My hobbies include; a love of music, theatre, arts, adult education and socialising when I can. Here's the serious bit; I have medical problems, including mental health conditions. I am more than my status. I am me. Welcome to my bit of the blog...

Hello Mr Squirrel

Hey you over there!
With your bushy tail,
your small tiny legs.

Why are you burrowing for?
Did you miss that nut under those leaves?

Quick! Quick! Mr Squirrel
Here comes the pigeon squad !!
How rude are they?
With their bobbling heads
and fat round bodies.

Are you very busy Mr Squirrel?
Are you looking for your lunch?

Must go now Mr Squirrel
my time is up!


@Donna Barlow September 2014

Introducing Paul Warwick

Stirring Words is a workshop collective of awesome writers who meet every Friday to write together and share ideas, feedback and develop skills.  Welcome to our blog. We will be sharing our original work with you here, some fresh from the workshop and other pieces that have been worked on over time, sometimes many years. We are a prolific group of writers with lots to share so please come back often.

Many members of Stirring Words have mental health conditions and, as a result, write in a very unique and creative way. One of the aims of this blog is to share the wonderful kaleidoscope of creativity that comes from minds that work in different ways. Our hope is that our readers will embrace this and learn to see these differences as gifts that, when put together, can weave a far richer tapestry of creativity than any of us can alone with our own minds. 

Meet Paul...

This week sees World Mental Health Awareness Day on Friday (10th) so what better week to launch our blog. This whole week is Schizophrenia Awareness Week in the UK and, to mark this, our first writer is Paul Warwick who introduces himself and shares our first piece of work today.

My name is Paul Warwick and I’m a 46 year old Christian writer, filmmaker, poet and film extra, who suffers from schizophrenia.

 I became mentally ill after I’d spent 8 years of my youth in prison, and because I’d regularly taken drugs, including cannabis, heroin, crack and ecstasy.  And I took a lot of these drugs in prison. 
I’ve now been married to my wife Tara over 11 years.  And I met Tara in church.  I’ve got two grown up step children and two daughters.

All of my creativity is therapeutic to me, and helps me cope with the symptoms of schizophrenia, and gives me enjoyment, goals and a purpose in life.  I have qualifications in filmmaking now and have made many short films, including dramas, documentaries and a music video.  I’ve also filmed numerous weddings, baptisms and plays etc.

As a writer I’ve now written 17 mainly slim books, and have so far had 3 of them published as ebooks under my pen name Christophrenic.  I’ve also had some poems and many articles published in magazines and newspapers, including articles in The Guardian and The Observer.

One of my goals is to one day write and direct a micro budget feature film.

COLOURS

Some colours make people feel happy,
Some colours make people sad,
Some colours are classed as good,
Some colours are classed as bad.


But I enjoy all colours,
And the world is a colourful place,
A Kaleidoscopic canvas,
Of infinite space. 

Paul Warwick

ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY

I want to live in the country,
In a large converted barn,
Away from the stress of the city,
The dangers and the harm.
I want acres of space as my garden,
With woods and a little lake,
This is one of my dreams,
A dream of my escape.

Paul Warwick


You can download some of Paul's Ebooks 'Diary of a Christian Schizophrenic' books, written under his pen name Christophrenic, alongside 'Juvenile Crime,' the memoir of his youth from Amazon and Chipmunka Publishing