Jigsaw

A group of people living with Parkinson’s set up a writer’s group in 2019. Their aim was to find a way to express their feelings through poetry, to offer support, encouragement and help to each other and to be a safe environment in which they could share their ideas and their feelings. The poetry they produced was not always about living with Parkinson’s Disease; it became quickly clear that just exploring their feelings about the condition was way too limiting. For these people, they had things they wanted to say about life, observations, issues that mattered to them. Parkinson’s was never going to be the thing that defined them – it was just one aspect of their lives. And the more they wrote, the better they felt about their lives and themselves. And the better they coped with the more debilitating aspects of the condition. Writing empowered them and gave them a sense of fulfillment. This book showcases a small part of their work.