This toolkit from Lou Tondeur offers some tools LGBTQ+ writing workshop facilitators can use with participants, they are tried and tested by Lou. Adapt and rewrite based on your client group and on input from the participants themselves.
Introduction from Lou Tondeur
Over 2023-2025 the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing at the University of Brighton partnered with New Writing South to run writing and wellbeing workshops.
The first one took place at the Coast is Queer Festival in October 2023. Subsequent workshops took place at Yellowave on the beachfront in Brighton between January and June 2025 with the aim of supporting emerging and established LGBTQ+ writers and our allies to use writing as a wellbeing practice.
The project was made possible by the Ignite Community-University Partnership Programme at the University of Brighton, which was funded via the AHRC Impact
Acceleration Account.
This writing and wellbeing toolkit is the result of that work. It’s designed for use by community groups who want to use writing to promote mental health and wellbeing in the LGBTQ+ community.
Dr Louise Tondeur, June 2025.