Harmony's Write Back Story

I started Write Back in January of 2020, one of the earliest cohorts to join the programme. I remember when I was handed my first Write Back notebook that I would later come to decorate and write in almost every day until the covers were bulging and the pages were practically falling out. That book would come to serve as my saving grace during that period. I became enamoured with the written word and its ability to bring people together which I wrote about in several poems over the years. Write Back was my cathartic release in times of uncertainty, especially during the pandemic and Sixth Form years.

This programme was one of the reasons I decided to do English Literature and Creative Writing at University. Now, I am the Deputy Head of my University Newspaper and am aiming to work in Journalism & Publishing in future. Write Back left a lasting impression on me and motivated me to keep expressing stories in various formats. It wasn’t just a place to create stories, it gave me the tools to go out and write my own destiny. I was in a room of people who had the same passions and interests as me. All of us penned and exchanged and shared our poetic pieces which projected our deepest vulnerabilities. As a collective, it reminded us that we weren’t alone and that there were people who felt and shared the same hardships. Write Back illuminated the variety of human experience and, more significantly, ignited a spark within me!

Looking back, I accomplished a great deal throughout my Write Back Journey. Over the years, I read a poem at Westminster Abbey, assisted in the creation, and editing of a section of the Write ON Magazine, was a part of writing 4 books, interviewed published writers and locals, read pieces for radio, created and distributed bookmarks in our local libraries, created a storytelling map, stored our anthologies in historical archives such as the Bishopsgate Institute and the Museum of the Home. We also went on trips to historical landmarks such as The British Library, Toynbee Hall, Valence House and many more. I am so proud to say I was a part of such an enriching experience and achieved so much while I was there.

Write Back truly built my confidence and ignited a passion I might not have otherwise had. In some of my hardest times Write Back made me feel seen! I owe it all to Sam and I am tremendously grateful to have been a part of it for so long!