The group is made up of a trained Reader Leader, who reads a great novel, short story, or poem aloud. We stop and talk about what we have read. There is no need for group members to read aloud or speak – it’s fine to just listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.

Reading the literature aloud in real-time, means that everyone is involved in a shared, live experience. Group members are encouraged by the Reader Leader to respond personally, sharing feelings, thoughts and memories provoked by the reading.

Everyone experiences the text in their own way, but the literature provides a shared language that can help us to understand ourselves – and others – better.