Archives are usually thought of as collections of official records—documents held in institutions that influence how history is remembered. But these archives only tell part of the story, often from the perspective of the dominant culture. What happens if we widen the frame? Can archives include the body, memory, landscape—even emotion?

In this thoughtful, place-based workshop, writer and researcher Dr Jodi Vial invites participants to explore the archive in broader, more personal terms. Drawing on her creative research project All The Water a Body Can Hold, Jodi guides you through writing exercises that ask you to reflect, observe, and interpret.

You’ll begin by looking at objects from Maitland Library’s Heritage Collection, engaging with these objects through writing activities to think about how objects are viewed as part of a larger collection, and the way that stories, told and untold, are tied to collections.

Next, you’ll describe a small personal object as though it belonged in a formal archive or collection—learning how official records are built through selection and classification. Then, you’ll revisit the object through your own memory, emotion, and knowledge—uncovering the layers that institutional records can’t hold.

A walk to the nearby Coquun/Hunter River offers a chance to reflect on how place carries memory and meaning, and how land and water might also be understood as living archives. Back at the library, you’ll develop your writing in response to what you’ve observed, remembered, and felt.

The workshop closes with reflection and conversation: What kinds of stories deserve to be recorded, and what kinds of archives might we need to hold them?

This workshop is for writers, artists, and anyone curious about how we carry, shape, and reclaim story.