Writer in Residence - Lisa Matthews
Lisa Matthews began her residency in March 2002. Since then she has taught
'Novels, Poetry and Medicine' to third year students at Newcastle University
Medical School and has led a variety of writing 
workshops
in the North East region. She has also been exploring ideas about innovation,
progress, identity and the new genetics with children through her workshops.
The children have written poems, stories and have initiated highly complex debates
about the origin of both our species and the universe itself. Challenging stuff
and inspirational for a working writer.
Lisa also taught 'Imaginative Writing' to third year medical students at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She worked with students to look at the shared language of both doctor and patient, encouraging trainee clinicians to unpack ideas like pain and fear. The concept of narrative was explored and the relationship between doctor/patient and author/reader was considered. If patients are books that doctors must read they need to be aware of the variety and complexity of patient-narratives and the tricks we all employ as story-tellers.
In the autumn of 2004 Lisa finished her residency. She is now concentrating on non-writing adult community groups and is working with, amongst others, women's and girls' groups, exploring ideas around sexuality and the 'gay-gene' and a whole host of other workshops about human identity and perfection.
Lisa Matthews is a poet and novelist. Her first collection of poetry 'Postcard from a Waterless Lake' was published by Diamond Twig Press in October 2002. As well as working at PEALS, Lisa is currently the Writer in Residence at BBC Tyne On Line. She is co-founder and organizer of PROUDWORDS, the UK's only creative writing festival run by and for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. She is in the process of completing her first novel which has generated significant interest from agents and publishers. Lisa was born and has lived all her life in Newcastle and is proud of her Geordie roots.
The poet W N Herbert has this to say about her work: