The Valley Children - How collaborative creative practice can help us make sense of predictive genomics
Friday 20 February 2026, 9.30am - 10.45am
Learning centre (00.018), Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
All welcome
Participants:
Felix Westcott (University of Oxford), Medical student and playwright; author of The Valley Children
Caitlin Stobie (University of Leeds), Lecturer in Creative Writing, author of fiction and poetry
Mehrunisha Suleman (University of Oxford), Associate Professor of Medical Ethics and Law
Imagine a world in which every child’s future is mapped before their first breath. Their genome is sequenced, their probabilities calculated, their life trajectory quietly predicted. The Valley Children, a theatrical script in development by Felix Westcott, opens within this imagined world and turns the abstract logic of prediction into human drama. The characters wrestle with decisions that no parent, doctor or policymaker has ever had to face, yet which all of us may one day encounter.
Traditional public engagement and bioethical analysis often struggle to capture the complexities of how people actually interpret and live with predictive genomic information. In this workshop we will explore how collaborative practices such as performances, facilitated conversations, and co-designed creative workshops can be used to engage with different communities in a nuanced discussion around predictive genomics. The plot and excerpts from the script will be used as a springboard to discuss how we can use these practices to inform bioethical research, clinical practice and policy development. All are welcome to join and especially those with a research interest in genomics, medical humanities or bioethics.
Medical Humanities Research Hub, TORCH Research Hubs
