Division Street by Morgan Westwood Cooke

Morgan Westwood-Cook takes us on a gorgeous poetic journey through the beauty of a city waking from lockdown. As it stretches out of its quiet corners, it realises it is somewhat changed – but are its people? Division Street by Morgan Westwood Cooke

Ghost Town by Rebecca Payne

When the before people spoke about the city centre being a ghost town, they had no idea how accurate they were….
~
Things must be bad when even York’s ghosts are noticing! Rebecca Payne explores the relationships and the brilliantly comic dynamics of the dead who are struggling to live without the living… Ghost Town by Rebecca Payne

Merchantgate Bus Stop by Cristina Rizzo

A poetic dance through York: located around Merchantgate bus stop on three different dates showing us three very different faces. We’ve all been changed, in some ways, by lockdown – Cristina Rizzo magnificently shows us we’re not the only ones to take our masks off and find ourselves… different. Merchantgate Bus Stop by Cristina Rizzo

Inner Pieces by Eve Naden

Let us take you by the hand and walk you through a York trying to wake up and find its feet. Delighting in the small details that show us so much, this York finds itself something different, something… new. Inner Pieces by Eve Naden

Bench Guy by Eliana Grundy

Ever wondered just who that person you see every day is? Why they take that particular train or… sat on that particular bench through lockdown? Eliana Grundy dives into discovering who one of these strangers is, showing us that really, none of us are ever quite as alone as we think. Bench Guy by Eliana Grundy

The Time Travel Log by Lucy-Jo Finnighan

A rip-roaring yarn from Yarm, where an intrepid Victorian explorer falls into a curious time-slip – finding himself in a future he could never imagine. Where have all the people gone? And why all the masks…? The Time Travel Log by Lucy-Jo Finnighan

The Silent Disease by Ilona Galloway-Dutton

A stunning piece of realism, examining the effects of lockdown on family – each generation with their own sets of problems. The Silent Disease by Ilona Galloway-Dutton

Brave New Words

A selection of work written through Brave New Words - a programme of free creative writing workshops for young creatives in Doncaster exploring Roy’s idea of stepping into a new way of looking at the world, and ourselves in it, through writing. Although not solely focused on the pandemic, we discussed its effects and how our world might change on the other side. 

Supported by Doncaster Creates

Michael Smith by Morgan Westwood-Cooke

A chance feature on the local news connects the dots a lonely schoolteacher has left out of place for years. A brilliant and illuminating study of how family trauma burrows deep and the ways we find to cope.

This radio play/monologue, written by Morgan Westwood-Cooke, and read by actress Stacey Sampson, shines a light on the strength and fragility of what makes us human, even when we feel incomplete.

The Youth Word Up Podcast 2020