An English Lecturer, a Palliative Care Practitioner, and an Absent Poet Have a Confabulation. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones, Chris; Macpherson, Catriona
• Other Names: Wyatt Jonathan guest-editor.; Gale Ken guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Cultural studies, critical methodologies. Volume 14:Number 4(2014:Aug.)
• Page Start: 361
• Page End: 368
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: cancer -- collaborative writing -- dying -- death and bereavement -- Douglas Dunn -- literary archives -- palliative care -- poetry -- therapeutic writing; Culture -- Research -- Periodicals; Popular culture -- Research -- Periodicals; 306.05
• DOI: 10.1177/1532708614530307
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1532-7086

Abstract

The possibilities for developing the poet Douglas Dunn's archive (which includes the drafts and manuscripts for his collection Elegies, dealing with the terminal illness and death of the poet's wife from cancer) for therapeutic benefit are explored by an English lecturer (C.J.) and a palliative care practitioner (C.M.). This has led us to explore the potential benefit of this resource for health practitioners working with those affected by cancer and other life-limiting conditions. This article offers a "written conversation" (an acknowledged oxymoron of genre) about working with the themes of death and loss: a conversation which includes Douglas Dunn, who was not actually there. We reflect on the value of this "confabulation" as methodological inquiry, and its potential influence on practice. Thus, an example of "creative writing" (the confabulation) becomes a piece of research into methodology regarding the use of "creative writing" resources (the poetry archive) in palliative health care.