Through the Door: Mapping your own poetic journey through the archives

This exciting new  resource developed by Knowledge Quarter partner Poet in the City delves into secret life of archives, exploring how these treasure-troves of history can spark bold and inventive creative writing. With tips for accessing archive materials and suggested creative approaches, the resource seeks to support writers of every experience-level to discover how these ‘raw materials’ of history offer an intriguing springboard for all sorts of creative writing.

Defined as ‘a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people’, archives fizz with stories and snapshots of every kind of life. This resource takes as its starting point the Through the Door project created by Poet in the City and Archives for London which paired seven outstanding poets with London’s archives to create new work and reach new audiences (see www.throughthedoorproject.tumblr.com).

Prompted by the compelling and beautiful responses Through the Door yielded, this resource explores archives’ potential to inspire new writing, celebrating the power of archives to place history in our hands and set the imagination free. So why not embark on a writing adventure across time and begin your own creative journey into an archive?

To visit the resource click here.