Wendy French: Think Itself A Hawk
In 2014, UCLH Arts and Heritage, with funding from the Oak Foundation, appointed Wendy French as UCLH’s first-ever poet in residence. The residency intended to extend access to poetry and the spoken word and assist with improving patient well-being.
Wendy French was a Poet in Residence at the UCH Macmillan Centre from April 2015 to 2016. As part of the residency, she ran creative writing groups for patients within the Macmillan Cancer Centre at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust for patients and staff. The poet also wrote her own poetry in response to her experience within the Macmillan Cancer Centre. The resulting work touches on the challenges faced by people living with or facing a cancer diagnosis and reflects upon the everyday that perhaps many of us overlook.
If you would like to request a copy of the resulting poetry book, titled "Thinks Itself a Hawk" please email uclh.uclharts@nhs.net
About the Artist
Wendy French is a published poet who won the Hippocrates Poetry and Medicine prize for the NHS section in 2010. French previously worked as a head teacher at the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School. In 2003, she left her post at the school to work as a freelancer promoting creative writing in schools, hospitals, festivals, and healthcare settings.
She now works with young people with mental health problems, a group of adults who suffer from dysphasia and Age UK, helping people come to terms with their situations through poetry.
About UCLH Arts & Heritage
UCLH Arts & Heritage is the hospital arts and heritage project that serves UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and its surrounding community and is funded entirely by charitable donations and fundraising. UCLH Arts & Heritage is committed to providing a welcoming, uplifting environment for all patients, visitors and staff through the use of a varied and stimulating arts and heritage programme. Its work aims to improve the patient experience, boost staff morale, increase engagement with the arts and celebrate the Trust’s unique heritage and community.
Since 2005, UCLH has worked to improve patient and staff outcomes through the Arts. It does this in a number of ways, including a changing exhibition and music programme, creative workshops on wards, artist residencies, commissioning site-specific artwork, and a staff culture club. UCLH arts and heritage receives its funding from UCLH Charity and the Friends of UCLH.
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Email: uclh.uclharts@nhs.net
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