#8 Fortællingens vej, 2. del – Dan Simpson, on creative writing as an existential tool
How can we understand and create our lives through storytelling? How can we use reading and creative writing as existential tools? How can literature strengthen our mental health? This series examines these questions.The guest of this episode is poet, performer, and educator Dan Simpson. Dan has authored two works of poetry and has worked as poet-in-residence at Imperial College London, Glastonbury Festival, and St Albans Cathedral. Furthermore, Dan is the facilitator of creative writing groups. It is in relation to Dan’s role as facilitator on the course “writing the journey,”—a course he is facilitating for the Psychedelic Society UK—that this interview takes its point of departure.More precisely, we speak with Dan about the existential potential of creative writing; its relation to healing and wellbeing, its fruitful consequences on social life, and its role in self-knowledge. We talk about how words can act as the refinement of thoughts, the catharsis-like effect one can experience through creative writing, the power of journaling, the practical outcomes one can gain from creative writing, the potential in creative writing for posttraumatic growth, and more generally about the metacognitive awareness that creative writing can foster.We hope you enjoy the interview!Host: Magnus Harding Production: Heine Volder