Adrian GR Scott|Framing our world
with a pen – as a guide
Poetry
I have been writing and publishing poetry for the past 16 years. I have five collections – The Call of the Unwritten, Arriving in Magic, A Night Sea Journey, A Sheffield Traipsing and Poetry As Resistance. Discovering a calling to write poetry later in life has led me to spend more time in the Rivelin Valley, where I live on the outskirts of Sheffield. A place with roots going back to the Industrial Revolution, when millstone grit and water wheels were used to grind the first products made from iron and steel.
The valley has now returned to its rural life, with small farms and stables. Herons fly up and down the valley, and fish now fill the river. Near the village of Stannington, where I now live, I am constantly reminded that the city reads like a collection of villages welded together by our industrial past, with a city centre vibrant with artistic and civic buildings that speak of past prosperity, and other parts that speak of our present inequalities.
This spaciousness in my life was further opened up by my anxiety breakdown in 2014, and once I learned to accept it, it invited me to a more thoughtful and considered way of life. I try to record the peaks and troughs of my life’s journey in these volumes and in my present writing, what they evoke in me and the life I have found. I have also discovered another creative outlet in podcasting, where I present myself as The Anxious Poet, and I am again crafting a Substack under the same moniker. In each episode, I work with my own and others’ poetry and have conversations with others on a similar path. I have discovered a real hunger for writing in others and often offer help and support with their writing. I am just coming to the end of my first novel and will be seeking to publish it over the coming year.
My latest collection invites readers to explore the deep insights I’ve uncovered over twelve years of Jungian Analysis, and now as Chair of the Guild of Pastoral Psychology. It also reflects on the challenges our society and world are facing today. It’s a poetry of resistance, expressing hope and resilience in the face of the corrosive elements we encounter.
Guiding
Over the past 30 years, I have been a spiritual director, retreat leader, and sometimes an organisational guide. As a spiritual director, I meet with a number of people for monthly sessions, helping them explore their lives through the lens of spirituality and Jungian Psychology. I have often worked with clergy and those in ministry. I hold a theology degree and am trained in Spiritual Direction with the Anglican Diocese of Sheffield. Over the years, I have led retreats for various groups, both religious and secular, helping them find time and space for another kind of rest and to enquire into their inner and outer worlds, nearly always employing the medium of poetry.
My guiding work stems from my Master’s in Organisation Development and my experience working with voluntary and private sector organisations. I am also a trained Community Organiser in the Alinsky School. I try to bring a poetic sensibility to this work, using creativity to offer a different and fruitful perspective. All this work is about finding more authentic and congruent ways of engaging with and framing our world.
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