Writing Home
PROJECT: Project The Writing Home Initiative was a programme of creative engagement developed by poet Colm Keegan for homeless service users across Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford. Supported by Kilkenny County Council, Creative Ireland and Poetry Ireland, the programme brought workshops in written self-expression, including rap, spoken word, storytelling and character writing, to people living in emergency accommodation. The initiative was awarded Best Education and Training Initiative at the All Ireland Community and Council Awards.
CLIENT: Poetry Ireland
What they needed
Writing Home is an initiative developed by Poetry Ireland to support the wellbeing of residents of homeless shelters during the winter months of the first two years of the Covid pandemic. Delivered under strict restrictions, the programme used writing and spoken word to create space for reflection, expression, and connection at a time of profound isolation.
Facilitated by poet Colm Keegan, the workshops aimed to offer an authentic, apolitical insight into life within these facilities, one that readers and audiences from all walks of life could engage with and learn from.
Poetry Ireland wanted to document this work, not just as a record that it happened, but as a way of articulating the impact that a seemingly simple creative intervention could have on the people who took part.
What we did
We have worked with Colm across a number of projects, particularly in community arts contexts, and are long-time admirers of his practice. We have seen first-hand the effect his workshops can have with people of all ages and backgrounds, and we knew immediately that Writing Home was a project that deserved time, care, and attention.
From the outset, it was clear that this needed to be a longer documentary. There were many layers to explore; creativity, vulnerability, resilience, and the broader context of the pandemic itself. As restrictions began to lift, we were particularly interested in how people in precarious living situations had experienced a period when the instruction to “stay at home” simply did not apply in the same way.
The project took us across the country, filming interviews at a moment when Covid restrictions were only beginning to ease. This meant adapting our approach, often filming outdoors, working at a distance, and remaining flexible to ensure contributors felt safe and comfortable.
What emerged was a project full of heart and quiet emotional weight. We believe deeply in the transformative nature of art, and in how small, thoughtful creative acts can have genuinely profound effects. Our aim was not only to convey information, but to capture feeling, to shape a documentary that could communicate emotion, experience, and human connection, rather than simply describing a programme.
That shift - from documenting a project to crafting a documentary- is where we feel film can truly do its work.