Exeter UNESCO City of Literature

A new iteration of our bibliotherapy training course launches in January! Introduction to Bibliotherapy and Counselling Skills at Exeter College is an ambitious course that shows professionals how to put the extraordinary benefits of bibliotherapy into practice. In 2015, Josie Billington reported that: "Those who read for pleasure report higher levels of self-esteem and ability to cope with difficult situations, whilst non-readers are 28% more likely to report feelings of depression". Reading is an incredibly important tool for wellbeing, that's why in 2021, we launched the first of its kind Bibliotherapy course in the country with Exeter College. Led by a trained counsellor and an English literature specialist, the course offers unique skills to counsellors, those who work in community-focused organisations, and for the first time, those interested in using literature as a way to deepen their wellbeing offer to clients . Across the 10 week trainee bibliotherapists will... 🟡 Develop basic counselling skills 🟡 Develop a database of books to draw on 🟡 Practice Bibliotherapy as a listener and a participant 🟡 Learn the science & research that backs up Bibliotherapy 🟡 Expand your reading and read from a wide range of perspectives 🟡 Identify reading habits and the emotional benefits of analysing reading journeys Counsellors, school librarians, or anyone looking to develop their counselling skills & wellbeing work with a literary angle could benefit greatly from taking this course. Please help us share this truly unique opportunity with your networks. Find out how you can apply to this paid course: https://lnkd.in/d9B8fMAs #CityOfLiterature #ExeterCityOfLiterature #MadeOfOurStories #UNESCOCityOfLiterature #bibliotherapy #adultlearningexeter #bibliotherapycourse | Arts Council England UK National Commission for UNESCO Visit Exeter Exeter City Council Devon County Council

Would you like to learn how to embed #bibliotherapy into your work, practice, or community? 📚 The next wave of our Bibliotherapy and Counselling course with Exeter College may be exactly what you need to start off 2025 with a brand new set of skills! 📈 Across the 10 week course you will... 🟡 Experience the practical use of bibliotherapy skills 🟡 Practice Bibliotherapy as a listener and a participant 🟡 Work on basic counselling skills 🟡 Expand your reading and read from a wide range of perspectives 🟡 Develop a database of books to draw upon 🟡 Learn the science & research to backup Bibliotherapy Learn more about our unique Bibliotherapy course here: https://lnkd.in/d9B8fMAs

The Exeter City of Literature office is now CLOSED until Monday 6th January! Have a final pinch of frivolity as we say goodbye to 2024 ☃️ We want to thank you for helping the region’s literary culture thrive - from our biggest-ever Book Market to a city-wide campaign to discover Exeter’s favourite book, it’s been an incredible year for us as we celebrated five years as a UNESCO City of Literature. Thank you for being a part of it!

We're nearing the end of the year, so have a whistle stop tour of what we’ve achieved as a #CityofLiterature this year in a Spotify-esque Wrapped of 2024! We met hundreds of readers at #SilentBookClub, built a literary village for a day on Exeter Cathedral’s green for our busiest Book Market yet, and we brought even more budding Bibliotherapists into the world on our first-of-its-kind course in partnership with Exeter College. From displaying artwork about Exeter’s literary history in Lviv UNESCO City of Literature, to sending University of Exeter Alumni writers to Barcelona City of Literature - we’ve been able to do a lot this year to put Exeter on a global stage thanks to partners near and far. We also want to thank YOU for making our fifth year as a City of Literature so momentous, here’s to even more literary goodness in 2025! Arts Council England UK National Commission for UNESCO  Visit Exeter Exeter City Council Devon County Council

"I use the skills I learned on the course literally on a daily basis." We recently received some heartwarming feedback about our Introduction to Bibliotherapy and Counselling Skills course from a previous Bibliotherapy trainee who works as a school librarian. It's been fantastic to hear how the skills from this ten week course have been implemented into their daily working life, showing how conversations around reading and well-being can benefit your workplace, and your own reading journey! In 2015, Josie Billington reported that: "Those who read for pleasure report higher levels of self-esteem and ability to cope with difficult situations, whilst non-readers are 28% more likely to report feelings of depression". Reading is an incredibly important tool for wellbeing, that's why in 2021, we launched the first of its kind Bibliotherapy course in the country with Exeter College. Check out more about the course and see all that you'll be getting up to on this adult skills course set to start in January 2025: https://lnkd.in/d9B8fMAs

From mismatched forks to a lamb sacrifice, Edward Tripp's chaotic and humorous poem ‘The Visitors Are Coming’ was a delight to see broadcast at #Slamovision2024 in Manchester City of Literature on Thursday 12th December as he represented Exeter at the competition & celebration of poetry. It was the UNESCO #CityofLiterature network’s biggest Slamovision to date, with 14 poets from across the globe representing their literature loving cities - in the end Dublin UNESCO City of Literature was crowned with Cormac MacGearailt’s ‘Lament of the Trees’ which was performed in English & Irish. Events like this allow us to bring Exeter's creatives to a national audience, as viewers from Bremen to Wroclaw tuned in to watch the competition. We’re very proud of Ed as he wowed the judging panels from Reykjavik & Ljubljana, receiving the full 13 points from both! 🇮🇸🇸🇮 Head to our YouTube channel to watch the full poem: https://lnkd.in/enwQvrbJ

Exeter UNESCO #CityofLiterature is highlighting local literature as part of a global project with other Cities of Literature from across the world, to show how books from Exeter & Devon reflect the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 🌍 This collaborative project is led by Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. It seeks to draw attention to the SDGs and raise awareness through books and story. It also offers the chance to highlight the work of writers with ties to Cities of Literature. From the rights of workers in the far future to the secret swimming coves of Exmoor & North Devon, #17booksfor17sdgs allows us to think about how all of the incredible books from Exeter & Devon can connect to this shared blueprint for peace and prosperity - for people and the planet. Discover how our chosen books connect to each Sustainable Development Goal in a brand new blog post: https://lnkd.in/eqdjvdR5

On Monday we joined Michelmores - home to our Board Member Victoria Miller - for 'It's a Wrap for FearFree', a festive hamper-packing event with Michelmores' charity partner FearFree. FearFree works to break the cycle of abuse, and this year the charity identified several local families affected by domestic violence that would appreciate and benefit from a festive hamper. Exeter City of Literature donated National Book Tokens for mothers to purchase a brand new book as well as a mixture of paperbacks perfect for entertainment & escapism for children and teenagers. Exeter City of Literature's Anna and Jordan were also in attendance on the evening of the event to lend their present wrapping services. It was great to be involved in a local donation event such as this, where our ability to share the joy of reading for everyone in Exeter and Devon can be truly utilised. Thank you to Michelmores for having us, and to Vickie for extending the invitation to us!

We met the latest cohort of Bibliotherapy trainees last week at Waterstones Exeter for a special after hours event. This end of term celebration allowed the trainees to apply the skills they have been learning on this innovative course on members of the public (in a very bookish setting)! 📚 Trainees utilised their practical Bibliotherapy skills, drawing upon an ever growing database of books as well as personalised recommendations that come from one-to-one conversations with members of the public looking for help to find their next read. Reading is an incredibly important tool for wellbeing, that's why in 2021, we launched the first of its kind Bibliotherapy course in the country. Josie Billington reports that: "Those who read for pleasure report higher levels of self-esteem and ability to cope with difficult situations, whilst non-readers are 28% more likely to report feelings of depression". Would you like to develop your wellbeing skills through tailor made book recommendations and counselling skills? The next wave of our Bibliotherapy and Counselling course with Exeter College may be exactly what you need to kick off 2025 with a brand new set of skills - head online for more information: https://lnkd.in/d9B8fMAs #CityOfLiterature #ExeterCityOfLiterature #MadeOfOurStories #UNESCOCityOfLiterature #bibliotherapy #adultlearningexeter #bibliotherapycourse | Arts Council England UK National Commission for UNESCO Visit Exeter Exeter City Council Devon County Council

As a City of Literature, with our own popular Literary map of Exeter & Devon, we always enjoy seeing new ones being created to share all the high quality cultural outputs our county has to offer! That's why we're thrilled to feature on Arts & Culture East Devon & East Devon District Council's brand new cultural map for East Devon, highlighting the many museums, theatres, galleries, and festivals across the region. Look out for physical versions of the map across the South West or head online to see all things East Devon: https://lnkd.in/e5RMWh4v