{"id":238671,"date":"2025-05-12T20:08:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T20:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/pat-you-dont-need-to-be-an-academic-its-about-going-on-your-gut-feeling-about-a-story-or-poem\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T20:08:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T20:08:37","slug":"pat-you-dont-need-to-be-an-academic-its-about-going-on-your-gut-feeling-about-a-story-or-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671","title":{"rendered":"Pat: \u2018You don\u2019t need to be an academic – it\u2019s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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National charity <\/span>The Reader <\/span><\/b>runs two popular weekly 90-minute Shared Reading group at one of the UK\u2019s most innovative libraries, <\/span>Storyhouse,<\/span><\/b><\/a> Chester<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Storyhouse <\/span><\/b>is <\/span>Chester\u2019s cultural hub, a theatre, cinema and caf\u00e9\/bar but it is also the main city library, with books spread throughout its spaces. This converted art-deco cinema opened in June 2018 and featured in RIBA\u2019s list of the best buildings that year. It is open seven days\/week until 11pm – the longest opening hours of any library in the UK.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pictured: One of the Shared Reading groups running at Storyhouse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Monday group launched in 2024 co-led by retired Public Health Manager,<\/span> Val Armstrong<\/span><\/b>, and <\/span>Sue Coyne<\/span><\/b>, previously an English teacher, is celebrating its first year. <\/span>Pat Russell<\/span><\/b>, a retired secondary school head teacher from Burton, Cheshire, joined just after the group was established and describes why she loves being a part of it. She said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI first heard about this Shared Reading group through the co-leader Sue Coyne, who is my neighbour. We had previously set up a book group together for all the women in our close a year earlier.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have now been retired for 10 years, and I like the fact that you come along to this Shared Reading group and don\u2019t have to do any preparation. It\u2019s all self-contained in one session.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I find when I am reading a book, I easily lose the thread but here it\u2019s nice to have short stories to discuss. The book group Sue and I run is structured, whereas this has a spontaneity to it and it makes me think on the spot.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I find this Shared Reading group stimulating.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s good for my mind, friendly, non-threatening and I really look forward to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve enjoyed and learnt from everything we\u2019ve read. It challenges you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to be an academic – it\u2019s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem. I enjoy that Shared Reading is nothing to do with English or grammar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I enjoyed reading a short story called The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen and a poem, Ghosts by Elizabeth Jennings. It was interesting as they were both thematically linked. The poem made us realise that what really haunts people is the things they regret.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quite poignantly this made me remember how, when we first got married, my husband and I didn\u2019t have a washing machine, so we borrowed some money from my mum to buy one, and I promised her I would pay her back. Sadly, she died before I ever did repay her, which I always regret.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This group is very inclusive and it\u2019s fun \u2013 we have a laugh and talk about our thoughts and feelings. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Other than having a copy of the text, you don\u2019t have to participate in reading or discussions. I love it! I would really miss it if it wasn\u2019t on. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s also given me a passion for short stories.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue Coyne, the group\u2019s co-leader at Storyhouse<\/span><\/b>, said: \u201c<\/span>We <\/span>established a second Shared Reading group here a year ago and it has grown to regularly include 10 or so, and we enjoy leading it, welcoming a range of different people. Many are recently retired, and all are actively engaged and appreciative of how the texts affect them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Linda Tyson, Library Team Leader at Storyhouse, <\/span><\/b>said: \u201c<\/span>The award-winning library at Storyhouse has the longest opening hours of any library in the UK and books line the walls of the building which incorporates a library, theatre, studio theatre, restaurant and cinema.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Reader\u2019s<\/span><\/b> Shared Reading groups fit so well with <\/span>Storyhouse<\/span><\/b> and our welcoming, inclusive and relaxed atmosphere where communities come together to talk, relax, learn and make friends. I know from experience the power of Shared Reading and how impactful it can be<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Val and Sue\u2019s weekly Shared Reading group meets in the <\/span>Meeting Room at Storyhouse <\/span><\/b>on <\/span>Mondays, 11am-12.30pm<\/span><\/b>. For more information visit <\/span>here.<\/span><\/a> A long-established <\/span>Friday <\/span><\/b>group runs<\/span> 2pm-3.30pm<\/span><\/b>. For more information visit <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Reader <\/span><\/b>is the UK\u2019s biggest Shared Reading charity and runs more than 490 Shared Reading groups across the UK, 112 of these are in libraries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For further information about The Reader\u2019s work in libraries and the community visit <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National charity The Reader runs two popular weekly 90-minute Shared Reading group at one of the UK\u2019s most innovative libraries, Storyhouse, Chester.\u00a0 Storyhouse is Chester\u2019s cultural hub, a theatre, cinema and caf\u00e9\/bar but it is also the main city library, with books spread throughout its spaces. This converted art-deco cinema opened in June 2018 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":238672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[38428,4629,11340,20113,6771,31728,3972],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-238671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-academic","tag-dont","tag-feeling","tag-gut","tag-pat","tag-poem","tag-story"],"yoast_head":"\nPat: \u2018You don\u2019t need to be an academic - it\u2019s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem\u2019 - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pat: \u2018You don\u2019t need to be an academic - it\u2019s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem\u2019 - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"National charity The Reader runs two popular weekly 90-minute Shared Reading group at one of the UK\u2019s most innovative libraries, Storyhouse, Chester.\u00a0 Storyhouse is Chester\u2019s cultural hub, a theatre, cinema and caf\u00e9\/bar but it is also the main city library, with books spread throughout its spaces. This converted art-deco cinema opened in June 2018 and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-12T20:08:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyhouse-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1382\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"922\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"Pat: \u2018You don\u2019t need to be an academic – it\u2019s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-12T20:08:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\"},\"wordCount\":746,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Storyhouse-1.png\",\"keywords\":[\"academic\",\"Dont\",\"Feeling\",\"Gut\",\"Pat\",\"Poem\",\"story\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Books\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=238671\",\"name\":\"Pat: \u2018You don\u2019t need to be an academic - 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