Community Post Type: News

Chester Literature Festival is welcoming some of the world’s most exciting writers, poets and thinkers to Storyhouse this autumn. Origin stories and how our childhoods shape who we are is a running theme in this year’s festival.

With extraordinary stories of determination and hope in the face of discrimination and adversity from some of the UK’s biggest cultural heroes David Harewood, Lemn Sissay and Kit de Waal. You can even create your own origin story in their Re-inventing British Political Superheroes workshop.

Literary heavy weights Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Clare Mackintosh and Patrick Gale join us to discuss their latest books and aspiring writers will enjoy their debut writers panel and flash fiction events.

Their brilliant Storyhouse library team have a myriad of free events that can help you find your next great read – go on a blind date with a book or head along to their book pharmacy for a literary remedy for your maladies.

Or if you like to party with your poetry then look no further than their poetry pub crawl, Cocktails and Cinquains and Luke Wright’s Dance Floor Filler events. With a bumper programme of brilliant authors, workshops, panel discussions, performances and literary themed events they have something for everyone.

See here for full line-up.

St Helens based charity, Wonder Arts is celebrating today after being awarded £179,246 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to deliver a new project; Communities of Wonder.

Communities of Wonder will improve confidence and wellbeing, mental health and life choices and aspirations of young people in St Helens. This new National Lottery funding will support Wonder Arts to remove barriers and increase accessibility for children and young people from deprived communities providing them with improved access to positive and creative activities and help them to feel more included in their community.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes a share of this to projects to support people and communities to prosper and thrive.

Fay Lamb, Chief Executive of Wonder Arts said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this grant means that we can take the important work we do in to the very heart of communities. By providing positive, creative experiences, we hope to develop long lasting relationships with children and young people across St Helens and we can’t wait to welcome them to our very own unique world of creativity, inspiration and wonder.”

Gillian Halliwell, Head of Regional Funding for the North West at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players and the hard work and dedication of local projects like Wonder Arts, this funding will make a big difference to young people’s lives across St. Helens. We’re delighted that our funding is being used to increase opportunities and provide young people with the tools and support they need to prosper and thrive.”

During the pandemic, in 2020 alone, The National Lottery Community Fund distributed almost £1 billion to charities and community organisations across the UK.

Wonder arts is a charity and arts organisation creating wonderfully unique experiences for over 50,000 children, young people, and families across the North West – every year – inspiring wonder and delight, transforming lives and communities. Wonder arts began in 2022, but its heritage goes back 34 years as the former Citadel Arts, with much-loved arts activities in St Helens.

For further information visit the Wonder Arts website www.wonderarts.co.uk

Homotopia 2022 Festival, is happening 1^st-20^th November across venues in Liverpool.

The theme this year is ‘Queer Joy is a Protest’ and they’re all about celebrating their fabulous, out and proud lives in this heteronormative world!

Their artist-in-residence this year is Tabby Lamb, the Scotsman Fringe First Award winner 2022, and they’ll be bringing a unique array of events this November including walking tours, talks, and theatre shows.

More info here: https://www.homotopia.net/festival/

Artworks created as part of a ground-breaking photography programme – the first of its kind to be delivered within a social care setting – went on display at a unique exhibition at Liverpool’s Watch Factory today (31^st August).

Entitled RESIDENCE, the showcase was unveiled during a special launch event at the extra care facility in Prescott where social care charity Community Integrated Care supports people to live their best lives possible.

The event was the culmination of an innovative nine month photographer-in-residence programme designed to inspire creativity and encourage discussion between the residents and others in their community and is the result of a collaboration between Community Integrated Care and one of the UK’s leading photography spaces, Open Eye Gallery and the ‘Young at Art’ initiative, an arts programme working with those aged over 60 across the Liverpool City Region.

Artists Sam Batley and Marge Bradshaw were appointed photographers in residence at The Watch Factory in February and have since worked with people supported there to set up a Photography Club and engage in a range of creative projects which will be unveiled for the first time in the upcoming exhibition.

Originally the home of the Lancashire Watch Company, the factory is a significant part of Prescot’s local history and was converted into an extra-care scheme in 2018. Some of the people who are supported at the service remember the original factory and had relatives who used to work there, so the building represents the very fabric of the community for those who reside in it today.

The group have been looking into the area’s past, their personal connections to it and also their role as ‘watch factory custodians’ of the space today, all through experimenting with different photographic styles and creative endeavours including creative writing, film and digital photography, camera-less photography (creating lumen prints and cyanotypes) and mixed media collage.

The series of works produced will be exhibited both as a temporary installation within the public facing spaces of the ground floor, alongside more permanent framed works situated throughout the building as a legacy to the project and for future generations of the Watch Factory to enjoy.

Open Eye Gallery is also excited to announce that they will be supporting the group to continue running the project as a self-sustained Photography Club for Watch Factory residents, as well as people from their local neighbourhood.

Service Leader at the Watch Factory, Susan Widlof, said,“We’re really excited to see the exhibition come to life and to share the amazing artwork that the people we support have created. The programme has had an incredible impact on the group. It’s given them the opportunity to get creative and learn new skills, and they have really found a sense of community within the sessions.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Marge, Sam and our partners at Open Eye Gallery for this fantastic experience and we’re excited for the journey to continue.”

Marie, one of the people who attends the Photography Club, said, “I’ve really enjoyed coming to the Photography Club. I’ve learnt how an image can tell that story and coming along to the sessions has made me become more aware of my surroundings and my local area – such as nature and architecture. It’s also got my brain working and made me use my imagination. I’m really proud to have taken part in something that will be long-lasting and a legacy at the Watch Factory and am looking forward to the exhibition.”

Marge Bradshaw said, “It’s been a privilege to work with the Photography Club over the last few months. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together and can’t wait for everyone to see the exhibition. We set off with two main outcomes – for members of the group to enjoy themselves, and to help them connect (or reconnect) with one another after the lockdowns. If they learned something new in the process, then that was a bonus. I think we’ve achieved all of those things and more!

She continued, “Perhaps what I’m most proud of is that we’ve delivered an inclusive project – where labels are left at the door and everyone has been able to participate no matter what their need, ability or background. I can’t wait to see what the group does next!”

Fellow Photographer in Residence, Sam Batley said, “Developing the Photography Club and working with the people supported at the Watch Factory has been a really beautiful experience – getting to know the participants and hearing their stories has truly been wonderful. The work they have produced is testament to their efforts, showing up, taking part and learning new things each week. I think they’ve all gained so much out of it, and forged some new friendships in the process.”

After an enforced gap of two years, due to the Bebington Civic Centre been closed, the Wirral 3Ls Educational Charity will be offering a full prospectus of over 60 daytime courses starting from mid-September.

The courses include drawing, painting, crafts, photography, arts, local history, exercising body & mind, languages as  well as many other leisure interest subjects.

For enquires and more details see: www.wirral3ls.co.uk

Tel: 0151-645 0066

Top names from Liverpool and the UK will be appearing at events in South Liverpool this September as part of the annual literary festival – the Smithdown Litfest.

Now in its sixth year, The Smithdown Litfest hosts author talks in community venues along the Smithdown Road corridor ‒ from Toxteth to Allerton. The authors chat about their writing lives and books, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of their books.

This year’s Litfest takes place from Thursday 22nd to Wednesday 28th September 2022 with these special guests:

GEORGE SEPHTON: LEGENDARY LFC STADIUM ANNOUNCER on being the “Voice for Anfield” for half a century;

KEN PYE: RESPECTED LOCAL HISTORIAN exploring historical Merseyside Murders and Misdemeanours;

C L TAYLOR: PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER AUTHOR, Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy pick talking thrillers and crime;

PADDY SHENNAN: FORMER ECHO FEATURE WRITER sharing stories about the fascinating famous people he’s met and interviewed from Liverpool and around the country;

BROOKSIDE CELEBRATION: celebrating Brookie’s 40th anniversary with a Corkhill family cast reunion and more;

ANYIKA ONUORA: LIVERPOOL’S OWN OLYMPIC MEDALIST revealing the ups and downs of her glittering career.

Children’s authors Jude Lennon and Susan Brownrigg will be appearing at special events at two local schools, and there will also be a free Poets for Peace poetry event in Greenbank Park.

Litfest patron and award-winning crime fiction author Margaret Murphy, who was born just off Smithdown Road says: “The Smithdown LitFest is for those who are passionate about books and those who are just starting on their journey as readers, it is for proud locals, and for visitors exploring our special corner of south Liverpool. So get inspired, have fun, bring your friends.”

Litfest founder and director Ian Skillicorn, a local publisher whose family connections to the Smithdown Road area go back to the 1800s says: “The Smithdown Litfest has something for everyone and it’s all on your doorstep! We look forward to seeing you there.”

The Smithdown Litfest raises funds for Al-Sabeen Children’s Hospital in Sana’a, Yemen to support health workers at the hospital to do their work, purchase vital lifesaving medicines, PPE, basic medical equipment and to pay for tests and investigations for families that cannot afford treatment for their child. The hospital treats children affected by war, severe and acute malnutrition, cholera, diphtheria, malaria, dengue and COVID-19.

www.smithdownlitfest.com

In light of the devastating news of a fatal shooting in Knotty Ash, childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish, share their condolences, support and guidance on how to talk to children about homicide-related death.

This sad news will be affecting many children and families across the city of Liverpool and beyond, whether they have a direct relation to the family or through reminding them of their own loved ones . As a society we find  it very hard to think of the impact of death by violence on the family of the person who died, yet sadly children and young people may be more aware of murder and manslaughter as a cause of death than almost any other.

Here are some tips of how you could talk to children about incidents such as shootings:

• Talk to children using words they understand; give information to younger children a bit at a time
• Try and encourage children to ask questions
• Answer questions honestly and simply; talking about it won’t make it worse
• Accept that some things can’t be ‘made better’
• Show willingness to talk about difficult things and use this as an opportunity to reassure them
• If children are asking questions, it is a good thing – it shows they trust you and it is better than keeping questions and worries to themselves
• Use the words ‘died’ and ‘dead’ with children of all ages. Although it can feel blunt, it helps children to be clear that ‘to die’ is different to ‘gone’ or ‘lost’
• Remember that ‘super parents’ or ‘super teachers’ don’t exist. Just do and say what you can
• Don’t be afraid to show children how you are feeling.

Children are also very inquisitive and want things to understand reasons for things happening. Explaining to children why events like this happen can be daunting as an adult who doesn’t know the answer yourself. You could say something like: ‘No-one can completely know why. We know it wasn’t an accident. It seems as if {they} were killed because they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s so, so difficult to understand why anyone would be so cruel as to kill someone else.’

Winston’s Wish provides support for grieving children, young people and for adults supporting them through our Freephone Helpline, email and crisis messenger. The charity’s website provides a lot of resources related to death here: https://www.winstonswish.org/death-through-homicide/.

The Helpline is open 8am-8pm on 08088 020 021 or email ask@winstonswish.org.

Launching this October, Milap’s Autumn programme is back bigger and better than ever, with a show-stopping lineup of Indian arts and culture.

The season kicks-off on 5 October at the brand new, state-of-the-art Tung Auditorium, with a performance from one of the UK’s most talented Indian classical singers, Prabhat Rao.

Prabhat’s performance is part of Milap’s ‘Great British Gharana’ concert series, featuring the UK’s own Indian music talents who are on a continuous quest to explore their unique identity, and the juxtaposition of Indian classical traditions and Western contemporary cultural influences.

Prabhat is a highly accomplished Hindustani (North Indian) classical singer, and has been a lead vocalist for the UK’s National Indian Classical Ensemble “Tarang”. Having performed at major festivals including The Edinburgh Fringe, his collaborations include working with Western Classical ensembles, Middle-Eastern musicians, and a fusion project incorporating a popular Beatles track for the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony.

The concert is presented in partnership with the Tung Auditorium, and is the perfect midday escape, with a selection of beautiful and poetic compositions with features from Pulkit Sharma on Tabla and Rishikesh Kardile on Harmonium.

Melting away the Autumn chill, a highlight of the programme includes a ‘Carnatic Weekend’, when the ‘Music for the Mind and Soul’ series returns to The Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room for the first time since 2007 for two captivating back-to-back concerts.

On 14 October, Ramana Balachandhran will take the stage in Liverpool for the very first time. A child prodigy Veena artist from Bengaluru, Balachandhran performs an Indian classical set, interpreting Carnatic ragas with refreshing perspective and unique virtuosity.

Balachandhran is known to make courageous choices as a musician, often selecting the most challenging compositions to perform, whilst blending his talents as a vocalist with his experience of the Veena.

On 15 October, one of the most sought-after Carnatic flautists of his generation, Flute J.A. Jayanth – affectionately known as Flute Jayanth by thousands – will take the stage.

His expressive, emotion-filled rendering brings out the depth and soul of the lyrical aspects of the compositions he presents, all while maintaining shruthi suddham (perfect pitching) and excellent tonal quality.

Flute Jayanth’s 1600+ solo concerts have won him lasting appreciation across the board, including praise from senior musicians, co-artists, connoisseurs and of course, rasikas (or, music lovers).

Jayanth will be joined by world-renowned mridangist Sai Giridhar and the extremely talented Sumanth Manjunath. The Carnatic trio will perform a selection of much-loved compositions from Southern India.

An exclusive discount is available when purchasing tickets for both shows.

On 29 October, the awe-inspiring Sonia Sabri Company will perform a spectacular dance performance of their latest production Roshni at The Capstone Theatre.

The Sonia Sabri Company is a dynamic dance organisation with an established international reputation for presenting Kathak dance in a contemporary context. Through work relevant to modern audiences, the company is inspired by presenting traditional Indian culture in a contemporary setting.

Roshni is a beautifully intimate crafting of dance and live music, transporting and uplifting the audience on a journey of joy. The production brings together Sonia’s distinctive style of dance, rooted in the traditions of Kathak from Northern India, yet reimagined in the context of her lived British experience. The performance includes diverse musical genres and artists, ranging from South Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, all celebrating the rich diversity of our global community.

On 9 November, LEAF on Bold Street will play host to Leeds trio Kinaara. The perfect backdrop to a dark, candlelit night with friends and family, LEAF’s bohemian atmosphere sets the scene for the band’s unique ‘Punjabi meets Western’ musical style.

Kinaara are a trio of vocal, electric guitar, and drum kit. They play a mix of Celtic and Punjabi folk songs, presented in Kinaara’s own distinctive arrangements.

Brought together by singer Satnam Gaussian in 2018, the trio aim to achieve an identity that reflects both her Punjabi heritage and their UK upbringing as a whole.

Galsian began working on arrangements of the songs of Surinder Kaur and Poor Jehan, with guitar player John Hogg. Though both musicians are schooled in Indian classical music, they soon realised that they wanted to keep an edge to the sound with an emphasis on electric guitar and drums. Jazz drummer Simon Henry completes the cross-genre trio.

Marking his first performance in Liverpool after almost 30 years, Milap’s Autumn series will conclude where it began; back at The Tung Auditorium for a final, show-stopping musical extravaganza from Talvin Singh OBE on 18 November.

Percussionist, producer and composer, Singh is renowned for creating a bridge between Indian and electronic music. Drawing inspiration from the Classical Indian arts, Singh has sculpted a unique sonic landscape.

Having worked as Björk’s percussionist and artistic director in 1993, and having won the Mercury Prize in 1999 for his debut album ‘OK’, Singh’s own unique synthesis of electronic music and Eastern aesthetic is often referred to as Asian Underground; one of the most exciting movements in the history of British music.

The past 30 years has seen Singh work and collaborate with a diverse range of artists such as Massive Attack, Madonna, Sun Ra, Yoko Ono and the late Ustad Sultan Khan. He continues to be explorative and imaginative in his solo career, in addition to curating new ventures in contemporary music.

See the Milap website here for more details and tickets.

Book now for dot-art’s ever-popular autumn season of art classes!

As summer draws to a close, get inspired with a class or course to get your creativity flowing. Treat yourself or a come along with friends to learn from their expert artist tutors! Discover your inner artist, try something new and develop your skills across a range of fantastic venues: The Bluecoat, The Reader, FACT, Baltic Creative, Liverpool Arts Bar and the dot-art Darkroom.

All courses are suitable for beginners, as well as those looking to develop or brush up on creative skills!

At The Bluecoat, starting in October and November, they will be delivering popular 3 week courses in Portrait Painting, Drawing for Everyone and Abstract Painting as well as 1 day courses in Introduction to Calligraphy, Introduction to Landscape Painting and Introduction to Kintsugi. This unique workshop will teach you the ancient Japanese technique of Kintsugi, using non-toxic adhesives to repair cracked pottery and celebrate imperfections.

At FACT on Monday evenings, they will be holding their popular course in Drawing Techniques; as tutor Sarah-Jane says, no matter what medium you enjoy using, be it paint, pastel or clay, learning the essential drawing techniques will magnify your creative ability,

The new home for their 10 week Life Drawing course on Tuesday evenings, Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street has been a great success. This historic building, with its high ceilings and airy events space, is the perfect setting to hone your drawing skills from a live model and receive expert tuition. Also at Liverpool Arts Bar on Friday evenings, is a 10 week course in Portrait Drawing, which will focus on the human face as subject.

Their ever-popular dot-art Club for creative children returns to Baltic Creative from 10.30am-12pm on Sundays. These sessions for 10-13 year olds run in six week blocks, with the next one starting on 24th September. Every week their young artists will be encouraged to develop their drawing skills and build a lifelong love of art under the expert guidance of teacher and renowned community artist Denise Wright.

At The Reader in south Liverpool’s Calderstones Park, they have 10 week courses in Landscape Painting and Collage Art Journaling. Popular one day workshops in Introduction to Cartooning and Cyanotype return, alongside 3 day weekend courses Sketching in the Park, and new course in Introduction to Printmaking, where you will get familiar with the methods of printmaking and develop your own print editions with linocut.

Over in the dot-art Dark Room they have two 1 day Introduction to the Darkroom workshops to learn to process your own negatives, and two Analogue Weekends, in October and December, where you will be taken through the whole process of shooting, processing and developing your own black and white film over 2 days.

Don’t forget, for experienced photographers and those who have completed one of these courses, we have also offer Darkroom Membership. Members have unlimited access to the space via their online booking system for just £195 per year or £25 per month.

And if you really can’t decide or would like to give a loved one a choice of courses, they also have art class gift vouchers available, online and through the dot-art Gallery.

Full details, prices and booking information can be found here: dot-art.co.uk/art-classes. These courses often sell out, so don’t delay!