Introduction: The Writer’s Place

Abstract

Spatial psychology, a multidisciplinary field combining psychology, neuroscience, and environmental studies, investigates the relationship between individuals and their spatial surroundings (Montello 1998, pg. 143). Grounded in the fundamental notion that cognition is not solely confined to the mind but is intricately intertwined with the spatial environments in which individuals operate, spatial psychology and the psychology of place seek to unravel the cognitive processes, behavioural patterns, and emotional responses that unfold within specific spatial contexts (Poshansky, Fabian, Kaminoff 1983, pg.57). Spatial psychology addresses questions related to how humans perceive, process, and navigate space, encompassing both physical and virtual realms. Informed by spatial psychology, in this special issue we foreground the idea that place is space imbued with meaning, allowing authors the chance to reflect on places of production and to consider (either critically or creatively) the impact of place on their creative ponderings, creative process, and creative products. We asked contributors to consider the following questions: • What are the characteristics of the writer’s (preferred or limited) place of writing, and how important is the articulation/decoration/function of that place in the creative process e.g., the writer’s chair, desk, bookcase, pictures, music, temperature? • What is the writer’s experience – how does the writer ‘feel’ when writing – and how does the place of writing influence that experience, the creative process, and creative outputs; can the place be imagined/ virtual; how does technology affect the planning or design of the writing space; what does the writing in that place smell or taste like? • Does the writer (or their editor?) feel that the work created in a place of the writer’s own making is of a higher quality than if produced in a place they would prefer not to be? • Is the writer’s place only/solely the mind/body, and if so, what goes on in writing in that place?