LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION / NON-FICTION Ciara McEllin is building her list as a Junior Agent at Watson Little. She reads widely across book club, upmarket and literary fiction. Within these areas, she is drawn to novels that examine family and relationship dynamics, sexuality, identity, and vulnerability. Ciara is keen to hear from writers who take a fresh approach to these themes, whether that be a new perspective on a traditional narrative or a focus on characters and voices that remain underrepresented: think Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday or Monkey Grip by Helen Garner. She will always want to read beautifully written novels with a strong sense of place, tangible characters and an essence that stays with you – living deep in your bones – long after you’ve finished reading. Recent reads Ciara has enjoyed include: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, Close to Home by Michael Magee, Siblings by Brigitte Reimann, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, The Idiot by Elif Batuman, Highway Blue by Ailsa McFarlane and My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley. At the moment Ciara is particularly eager to see: - Sexy, sensual and seductive stories that explore desire and sexual boundaries not often represented in literature such as Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej, Cleanness by Garth Greenwell and Mrs. S by K Patrick - An atmospheric and existential thriller in the vein of Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, In The Cut by Susanna Moore and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk - An intoxicating coming of-age-tale that captures the aliveness, intelligence and wildness of girlhood like Brutes by Dizz Tate, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Girls by Emma Cline - Books that are joyful or brutal, particularly those that are both, similar to Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - Stories exploring an Australia or Ireland that is rarely seen in literature for example A Loving, Faithful Animal by Josephine Rowe and Wild Houses by Colin Barrett In non-fiction, Ciara enjoys narrative, memoir and essay collections. She is interested in hearing from experts, academics, critics and journalists writing about society, culture and food, and excited by writers seeking to revise, reshape or revolutionise the conversation in their area of expertise. Some of her favourite non-fiction titles include How To Survive A Plague by David France, The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye, the Living Autobiography Series by Deborah Levy, Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes; and she particularly enjoys the work of M.F.K Fisher, Annie Ernaux, Natalia Ginsburg and Helen Garner. Ciara is not looking for Children’s, YA or Fantasy. Ciara would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 -2 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your completed manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Ciara is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Friday 14th March 2025
Ten live dialogues between Prof Ernesto Spinelli and International Existential Therapists followed by an Experiential Study Group. A phenomenological approach to re-view psychopathology: We aim to explore the lived experiences of irregular perceptions of reality with an open mind. Each Saturday includes a live dialogue between Prof Ernesto Spinelli and an International Existential Therapist; a moment to share your thoughts and feelings with the teachers; and a final integration facilitated by Bárbara Godoy. This series of ten Dialogues set out to explore the multifaceted dimentions and complexities associated with Existential Therapies. It attempts to engage with various interpretations of insanity through the lens of patients' often painful, confounding, and deeply unsettling life experiences. TIMES AND DATES 2025 25 Jan. “Knots” with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 2 Feb. “Healing” with Dr. Michael Guy Thompson 22 Mar. “Difference” with Dr. Todd DuBose 12 Apr. “Polarization” with Prof. Kirk Schneider 3 May “Character” with Prof. Robert Romanyshyn 21 Jun. “Opening” with Dr. Yaqui Martinez 19 Jul. “Meaning” with Dr. Jan Resnick 25 Oct. “Invention” with Dr. Betty Cannon 15 Nov. “Hallucination” with Prof. Simon du Plock 13 Dec. “Hysteria” with Bárbara Godoy Full course (including dialogues): £1260 (2 pm to 5 pm – UK time) Only Dialogues: £630 (2 pm to 3 pm – UK time) Venue: Online Zoom Read the full Programme here > Course Organised by:
I am a Reiki Teacher in Manchester and one of the few traditionally trained Reiki Masters in the UK who have been trained by international best-selling Reiki author Penelope Quest. My teaching methods use traditional Reiki techniques perfected over many years and you can be assured of my support during and after your course. I teach all three levels of Reiki courses, level 1 reiki. level 2 reiki and reiki master level 3
Sanity is privileged over insanity, which is stigmatized. A therapoet views differences without hierarchy, valuing each unique expression. We aim to explore the lived experiences on irregular perceptions of reality with an open mind. Each Saturday includes: a live dialogue between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and an International Existential Therapist; a moment to share your thoughts and feelings with the teachers; and a final integration facilitated by Bárbara Godoy. This series of ten dialogues set out to explore the multifaceted dimentions and complexities associated with Existential Therapies. It attempts to engage with various interpretations of insanity through the lens of patients often painful, confounding, and deeply unsettling life experiences. Difference - between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Dr. Todd DuBose "Sanity and insanity have been situated in relation to each other on a hierarchical scale that privileges sanity over, beyond, above, and more than its “less than” subjugated copy, insanity. Framed in this way, insanity can only be stigmatized, devalued and pathologized, while sanity is that to which we are to strive, uphold, and genuflect. The therapoet as a phenomenological hermeneutic horizontalizes a spectrum of “sayings of suffering souls”, or “befallings”, which is the originally meaning of “symptom”, not as a pathogen to be excised. Countering supremacist hierarchies of sanity/insanity, or health/illness, the therapoet sees difference, not as deficient, but just different, anew, and not in relation to any centric norm, but just to other differences. The relation to other differences is a relative gradation, whose incomparability resists any kind of nothing-but-ism any more than a fish can be said to be nothing but a squirrel with fins, or dirt as nothing but dry water. The therapoet, therefore, attends to each showing or saying of the suffering soul, sufficient in itself, as it is, in its own way of presencing, by being with it, letting it be, without why.” Dr. Todd DuBose. Dr. Todd DuBose is a world-renowned, Distinguished Full Professor at The Chicago School’s College of Professional Psychology. He teaches philosophical foundations of practices of care, ethics, loss and mourning, psychology and spirituality, psychopathology, among other courses, all from a human science perspective, and with a particular focus on therapoetic care. He is a licensed psychologist, supervisor, consultant, and former chaplain, with over thirty-five years of experience. He holds degrees in continental and comparative philosophy of religion and existential-hermeneutical-phenomenological human science clinical psychology and integrates these approaches as a way of caring for such experiences as the impossible (no way out, boundary or limited situations), extreme experiences (such as psychosis, nihilism, suicidal and homicidal ideation), and the taboo (the places no one wants to go: the unwanted and unacceptable, unsayable, unforgiveable, forbidden, and irreverent). He regularly presents workshops in several international venues such as the Circulo de Estudios en Psicoterapia Existential, in Mexico City, Mexico, the Zhi Mian International Institute of Existential-Humanistic Psychology in Dali, China, and the Centre for Existential Practice in Melbourne, Australia. He is widely published and has written on caring for others in very difficult situations including traumatic loss, surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, and meaninglessness. He has also written a short dialogue with Miles Groth, edited by Loray Daws, called, Dialogues on The Soul of Existential Therapy, published by The Society for Existential Analysis. Most of all, he considers himself simply a fellow human being. Prof. Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, supervision, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 2000, he was the Recipient of BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an on-going series of Private Eye novels. Date and Time: Saturday 22 March from 2 pm to 3 pm – (UK time) Individual Dialogue Fee: £70 Venue: Online Zoom FULL PROGRAMME 2025: 25 January “Knots” with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Bárbara Godoy 22 February “Healing” with Dr. Michael Guy Thompson and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 22 March “Difference” with Prof. Tod DuBose and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 12 April “Polarisation” with Prof. Kirk Schneider and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 3 May “Character” with Prof. Robert Romanyshyn and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 21 June “Opening” with Dr. Yaqui Martinez and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 19 July “Meaning” with Dr. Jan Resnick and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 25 October “Invention” with Dr. Betty Cannon and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 15 November “Hallucination” with Prof. Simon du Plock and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 13 December “Hysteria” with Bárbara Godoy and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli Read the full programme here > Course Organised by:
What important conversations are your team members avoiding? Side-stepping difficult conversations can trap a team in unresolved problems, strained relationships, and missed chances for growth, which blocks progress and cultivates a lack of trust. But many people avoid difficult conversations or handle them poorly because they’re afraid to address uncomfortable issues and feel unprepared to respond to the emotional reactions that inevitably arise. Navigating Difficult Conversations: Turn Tension Into Progress takes a targeted approach to helping people to manage emotional tension and conduct conversations in a way that enables all parties to stay engaged in collaborative dialogue. Participants will shift their mindset from fearing and avoiding difficult conversations to seeing them as the way to make progress on important issues. And they’ll develop the skills to build trust and respect in every relationship as they navigate sensitive topics. Who Should Attend? This programme is for anyone who finds the thought if having a challenging or difficult conversation, something to be very nervous of, even to the point of avoiding the issue. We recommend that participants have first attended our Aspire programmes, Management Essentials and Performance Coaching, as they provide a strong foundation to the topic, which this session then builds upon. In Navigating Difficult Conversations participants will discover how to balance Courage and Consideration throughout the conversation by: Sharing their Purpose—the issue they need to make progress on—and Positive Intent—how they want the other person to benefit from the conversation Responding to emotional reactions using the skills: Pause, Don’t Panic Observe, Don’t Judge Ask, Don’t Assume Outcomes This module will help participants: Create a strong foundation for difficult conversations by setting a clear and collaborative tone that balances their own and others’ needs. Understand that emotional reactions are a natural, human response—and notice them as a signal that the conversation needs an adjustment to stay on track. Practice a range of tactics to respond in the moment to help everyone stay engaged and make progress.
CRRUK equips professionals with the concepts, skills and tools to build conscious, intentional relationships, and to coach relationship systems of any size.