-
Heritage of Secrets ’20th Anniversary Edition’
“Heritage of Secrets” has echoes of Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd” in more than just the name of the American sailor, Troy. With a keen eye for drama, Aoife Mannix navigates the peaks and troughs of intertwining lives in this exploration of a society in flux.
Available now here at flippedeye and here at Easons.
-
Reconstruction
Aoife Mannix’s latest full collection begins with a series of poems that chronicle her recovery from cancer and surgery. In the wake of physical and personal transformation, the seemingly reliable constant of the outside world is in turn transformed by the global pandemic.
Available here at flippedeye.
Plot Lines Writer in Residence
I am currently writer in residence for Plot Lines, a creative programme for people living in and around Waterlooville.
March 2025
Press Release:
New creative programme to use power of words to connect Waterlooville area communities
A new creative programme for residents in and around the Waterlooville area is aiming to connect local communities using the power of words and storytelling.
Plot Lines, led by public art programme experts Studio Response and commissioned by Winchester City Council with funding from developer contributions, will feature a series of workshops for local residents to share their stories and anecdotes from living in the Waterlooville area.
Then, with the help of residents, the stories will be crafted into a public art project that local people can enjoy, with the intention of nurturing the area’s sense of community.
The highly collaborative project will be offering free workshops and events from April 2025, as well as opportunities for anyone local to the area to meet with award-winning poet and writer Aoife Mannix, Plot Lines’ writer-in-residence.
Throughout the workshops and informal sessions, Aoife will chat with local residents about their personal experiences of moving to the area, their feelings about home, their memories, and their dreams for the future.
Speaking about her involvement in the project, Aoife said:
“I’m delighted to be writer in residence. I want to write about the foundations of this rapidly expanding community, to celebrate the hopes and dreams of the people who live here, to discover the stories that matter to them as well as what makes their homes more than just bricks and mortar.”
The project aims to get as many local people involved as possible – people of all levels of writing experience are being encouraged to attend, and all workshops and events will be completely free of charge.
The first public event, led by Aoife, will take place on Saturday 5 April from 10am to 12pm at Waterlooville Library, where local people will be welcome to drop by at any point and share with Aoife their thoughts on what home means to them.
There will also be an opportunity to meet and chat to Aoife on 11 May at the VE80 Fete, organised by Newlands Community Group, where she will host another writing workshop as part of the celebrations.
Speaking about the programme, Winchester City Council Cabinet Member for Business and Culture Cllr Lucille Thompson said:
“I’m delighted to announce this new public art project for our local communities in the Waterlooville area. The stories we share of our local experiences have real power to connect communities and I have great hope that these workshops, and the art that local people help to create, will help to bring residents together and inspire an even greater sense of pride and culture for everyone local to the area.”
The project also aims to connect with people who may like to be involved in future creative programming in the area, with community facilitator Gail Howard helping to recruit people young and old to explore what future arts programming could look like in the area
Speaking about the project, Gail said:
“Building on the hard work already being undertaken in the area, the aim is for the groups to encourage residents to take ownership, to learn and make decisions about creative community programming and to build vibrant, inclusive and diverse shared spaces and experiences for all residents.”
If you have questions or would like to get involved in this part of the Plot Lines project, please get in touch Gail Howard at hello@plotlines.co.uk or you can call or WhatsApp Gail on 07930 397982.
All the Plot Lines events are free and open to all, with more information available on the Plot Lines website (www.plotlines.co.uk) and Instagram account (@plot_lines_).
ENDS
Notes to editors
Information about future Plot Lines events
Other events include Crossing Newlands – a free musical intergenerational project celebrating home for young people and older adults created with the Southern Music Project and Aoife Mannix. Aoife will be speaking to residents of Wellington Vale care home and will write a series of poems and stories inspired by their memories. These will then be explored musically by young people who will also share stories of their own experiences during the workshop.
From August design studio SOUP will also be creating temporary art works around the area inspired by the local residents’ words and stories from the project so far. The Plot Lines website (plotlines.co.uk) also provides a way to digitally interact with the project via its ‘Join’ page where anyone can submit their photos, drawings or words in response to questions posed by our writers.
About the project
Studio Response is leading on the Plot Lines project. Also involved as part of the team are ArtfulScribe, a not-for-profit writers development agency based in Southampton, SOUP design studio as well as freelance professional writers, assistant workshop facilitators and a community facilitator. Plot Lines is part of the new public art plan for the area and the programme is funded by a developer’s contribution which was agreed as part of the planning permission for West Waterlooville. The Agreement states that the contribution has to be spent on promotion of the arts.
About Aoife Mannix
Aoife Mannix is an award winning poet and writer who has published five collections of poetry and a novel. She has written the words for numerous musical productions including A Star Next to the Moon for Guildhall School of Music at the Barbican in 2024. She has previously been poet in residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live amongst others.
About Studio Response
Studio Response is a limited company based in Cardiff founded by Emma M Price and Jo Breckon in 2016. The practice offers diverse expertise and experience of commissioning art in the public realm. In May 2023 Studio Response were the recipients of the Dewi-Prys Thomas Award for curating and implementing the innovative public art programme at The Grange University Hospital, South Wales and in 2022 the Betty Campbell Monument, Cardiff, that was commissioned by Studio Response, was announced as the winner of the public vote at the prestigious Public Statues and Sculpture Association PSSA Marsh Awards 2022 for Excellence in Public Sculpture.
About SOUP
SOUP is a London-based design and creative development studio working across print, digital and spatial project for a range of cultural and commercial clients. Notable recent projects include work to celebrate 70 Years of the Poetry Library at the Southbank Centre, the creation of a new artwork with National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa for National Trust Cymru in Wrexham and the exhibition design for Photo City at V&A Dundee.
About ArtfulScribe
ArtfulScribe is a development agency supporting writers in Hampshire, Dorset, and a wider Solent region. Recognising the power of literature to make meaningful change in people’s lives and give voice to those who are under-represented or rarely heard, ArtfulScribe paves the way for people to enrich themselves through written and spoken word and provides a platform for them to do so.
About Southern Music Project
The Southern Music Project CIC was founded by Adam Denman, a trumpet specialist with a rich background in music. Southern Music Project support the community through access to music in music lessons, workshops and concerts.The project currently offers a variety of instruments including brass, harp, piano, singing, violin/viola, guitar, bass, drums, jazz and woodwind lessons at Horndean Technology College, the Pallant Centre in Havant as well as at Havant & South Downs College (Havant Campus). Southern Music Project’s goal is to expand their music tuition offerings to reach more aspiring musicians in the community. As a Community Interest Company, they have formed partnerships with numerous local community groups and ensembles. These collaborations allow them to highlight their services and work together on joint projects, further enriching the cultural fabric of our area.
About
AOIFE MANNIX is an award-winning Irish poet and writer, the author of a novel, five collections of poetry, two pamphlets, and seven libretti. She has been poet-in-residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live. She has written articles for the Irish Independent and the Gloss (the lifestyle magazine of the Irish Times) among others. She has toured internationally with the British Council as well as throughout the UK and Ireland including the Southbank Centre, Latitude and the Big Chill. She has previously worked as a librettist with composer Stephen McNeff on ‘A Star Next to the Moon’ (opera which premiered at the Barbican in 2024), ‘The Horizons of Doubt’ (recorded by the BBC Singers as part of BBC Radio 3’s Afternoon concert) ‘Beyond the Garden’ (a one act opera with mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley), ‘The Walking Shadows’ (a choral work about the First World War which premiered at St-Martin-in-the-Fields) and ‘A Half Darkness’ (commissioned by Chamber Choir Ireland as part of the 1916 centenary.)
She has been commissioned by the BBC, the National Archives, the Portsmouth Museum, Youth Music Theatre UK, Apples and Snakes, the National Gallery of Ireland, the O’Brien Collection, the Bronte Parsonage, and Cherwell Theatre Company. She has taught creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, the University of Westminster, Anglia Ruskin University, and Bucks New University. She has previously worked as a script editor for the BBC as well as for Channel 4 and the Royal Court Theatre. She has a PhD in creative writing from Goldsmiths, University of London. She lives in Oxfordshire.