Creating a safe space for writing – An artist interview with co-writers Nelly Winterhalder and Lois Armas

My name is Nelly Winterhalder and I’m a playwright, director, and translator. In addition to a master’s degree in playwriting from the Academy of Theatre in Oslo, I have a master’s degree in Italian literary studies and acting education from Munich. I was born in Germany in 1979, lived in Munich, Germany and Genova, Italy before moving permanently to Norway in 2006. Since then, I’ve been working in different artistic collaborations and several languages. In 2019, I established the live-art co-operative Ann Sam Bell (annsambell.com) which works with artists in Norway and Germany. My debut as a playwright in Norway was alt i boks (Everything sorted) at the Norwegian Drama Festival in 2009. Since then, my plays have been shown in Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Italy, and Nicaragua. www.nellywinterhalder.com. Nelly Winterhalder. Photo: Kristin Aafløy Opdan.

I am Lois Armas. I’m a writer, a communications specialist in the arts field, and a creative writing instructor. I spent my childhood in Venezuela, my youth in Spain, and I ended up making a home in Finland almost 12 years ago. I have a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Helsinki, prior to which I graduated in history at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. My first novel, Flora, was just published last May after almost three years of work. Besides writing, I work with communications and press in the arts field. Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in film-related events that have been incredibly inspiring and enriching for me. Finally, for a few years now I’ve been interested in community-building writing practices, by fostering spaces of togetherness for beginner writers. I’ve organised and facilitated writing groups, for both adults and youngsters. I do this because I believe that writing does not need to exclusively happen in solitude, but we actually need others to encourage us, read our words, write next to us, exchange thoughts and feelings together. Lois Armas. Photo: Heta Heikkala.