Through the Wandering Hand, Language Acts...An Interdisciplinary Workshop
May 20, 2025, 13:30 - 17:30 
School of Advanced Study, University of London
Organizers: Alexandra L. Dias & Julian Weiss, King's College London

Handwriting is more than a functional skill—it is a conduit for memory, creativity, and identity formation. In an era dominated by digital communication, this workshop will re-examine handwriting as a critical site of cognitive processing, artistic innovation, and historical record. Bringing together experts from neuroscience, psychotherapy, literature, manuscript studies and the visual arts, this event will offer fresh perspectives on the creative-critical significance of the handwritten word.

The afternoon will be divided into two parts: (1) short presentations and conversations about handwriting, cognition, neural plasticity, therapeutic and psychological aspects; and (2) practical demonstrations and discussion of creative-critical applications. The event will conclude with a summary of the interconnections between handwriting in the classroom, research and personal life.

Speakers include:

Prof. Alexandre Castro Caldas (Professor of Neurology, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences of Portuguese Catholic University)
Martin Weegmann (clinical psychologist and group analyst, editor of The Psychodynamics of Writing, 2019 )
Gill Partington (Fellow in Book History, Institute of English Studies, www.gillpartington.net)
Jasmina Bolfek-Radovani (poet, performer, researcher)
Jess Wood (painter, researcher, www.jesswoodpainter.co.uk)
Amy Cooper-Wright (founder of Mark+Fold, www.markandfold)

In the morning there will be an optional curated writing session, 11.30 - 12.30. Further details to be confirmed in due course.

The event is sponsored by the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Institute of English Studies, & King's College London's Language Acts and Worldmaking Centre.