Event type: Festival

It’s a proud moment for WoW to host the Liverpool launch of The Singh Twins‘ latest book, Slaves of Fashion: Art of the Singh Twins – Personal Reflections on Hidden Stories of Empire, Colonialism, and Their Legacies (Manchester University Press, 2025).

This richly illustrated, artist-designed book showcases ‘Slaves of Fashion’, an award-winning series of portrait-based allegorical and narrative works by contemporary British artists The Singh Twins. ‘Slaves of Fashion’ explores diverse histories and legacies of empire and colonialism through the history of Indian textiles. It is a global story of conflict, conquest, exploitation, slavery, intercultural exchange, and changing fashion.

The series connects these themes to the trade in luxury goods during an age of maritime exploration, colonisation, and industrialisation—all driven by the commercial interests of competing and expanding European imperial powers, from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. The book includes detailed interpretations of the artworks, representing The Singh Twins’ personal reflections on this story and its relevance to topical debates around racism, cultural ownership, decolonisation, ethical trade, and consumerism. It also offers insight into the making of the artworks, which draw on academic research, historical archives, and museum collections.

The Singh Twins will discuss their work and this incredible publication, illustrated with images from the ‘Slaves of Fashion’ series, and will be signing copies of Slaves of Fashion.

Slaves of Fashion has been produced with the generous support of Sikhlens, USA. Sikhlens is a non-profit organisation based in California that is dedicated to promoting Sikh history, heritage and culture across the globe through diverse educational and arts initiatives, and grants.

The Singh Twins are internationally recognised contemporary British artists, known for their highly detailed narrative, symbolic, and eclectic style, combining hand-painted and digital techniques. Through their work, which they describe as Past-Modern, they comment on modern-day society, politics, and culture, challenge Eurocentrism in the art world, and demonstrate the contemporary relevance of history and tradition. They have each received many awards, including being made Honorary Citizens of Liverpool in 2009.

Acclaimed poet Anthony Anaxagorou, and writer and performer lisa luxx, gather for an evening of poetry, discussion, and critical engagement with the ongoing crisis in Palestine.

In keeping with Writing on the Wall’s commitment to freedom, social justice, equality, and universal human rights, the event seeks to amplify marginalised voices while fostering deeper understanding and solidarity. Through powerful literary expression and lived testimony, the speakers will explore the cultural, political, and humanitarian dimensions of the Palestinian experience. This gathering offers a space for reflection, unity, and resistance, and affirms the call for a just and peaceful resolution that upholds the rights and dignity of all people in the region.

Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet, writer, and publisher. His books include How To Write It (2020), After the Formalities (2019), shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, and Heritage Aesthetics (2022), which won the RSL Ondaatje Prize. He is the artistic director of Out-Spoken, a poetry and music night at London’s Southbank Centre, and publisher of Out-Spoken Press. He also edits Propel Magazine, which features emerging poets, and curates WriteBack, a British Library literary series. During the lockdown, he was a Writer in Residence for WoW’s online centre, The Writer’s Bloc. In recognition of his contributions to literature, he was made an honorary fellow at the University of Roehampton in 2019 and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

lisa luxx is a writer, poet, and performer known for her powerful explorations of identity, feminism, and activism. Her work has been featured on BBC Radio 4, in The Guardian, and at international literary festivals. As a spoken word artist, she has performed across the UK and beyond, using poetry as a tool for social change.

Proceeds will be donated to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestine).

When is a Nazi salute not a Nazi salute? When performed – twice – by Elon Musk, Trump’s loyal Mitläufer (hanger-on). Orwellian dystopia unfolds: protesters jailed, activists punished, and the BBC bowing to right-wing pressure – all just in the UK. In the US, Green Card holders are detained for lawful protest, scientists deported over critical phone comments, and Venezuelans falsely branded as criminals. Meanwhile, Trump flirts with Putin, excusing an invasion his own supporters recently condemned.

And then there’s Gaza. ‘Never again,’ we said, but only one side meant it. As the Israeli State commits genocide in broad daylight, democratic leaders barely raise a whisper in protest.

Yet, as Dr. Martin Luther King said, ‘Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.’ WoWFEST’s panel, featuring Chris Nineham, Niheer Dasandi, and Roger Hill, discusses democracy under attack—and how we can fight back.

More guests to be announced!

Chris Nineham is a founder and vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition. Arrested in 2025 during a pro-Palestinian march, he pleaded not guilty to Public Order Act charges. He helped organise the historic 2003 anti-war protests, the 2001 Genoa G8 protests, and the European and World Social Forums. A regular media commentator, he writes for Stop the War, Counterfire, and others.

Niheer Dasandi, author of Is Democracy Failing (2018), is Professor of Global Politics and Sustainable Development. His research focuses on human rights, development, climate change, and foreign policy. He co-chairs the Lancet Countdown’s Public and Political Engagement Working Group. Niheer’s has published a range of books, and his work appears in leading journals.

Roger Hill hosted the UK’s longest-running alternative music show on BBC Radio Merseyside for nearly 40 years. A key figure in Youth Theatre, he has worked at Liverpool Everyman and beyond, now focusing on Live Art and storytelling.

Join the team for an insightful conversation as Sam Wetherell discusses his critically acclaimed work Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain, a profound exploration of the city’s role in shaping the narrative of modern Britain. Sam will be interviewed by Janaya Pickett in the magnificent Concert Room of St George’s Hall, Liverpool, as part of the Writing on the Wall Festival 2025.

Expect an engaging dialogue that delves deep into themes of history, identity, and the radical rethinking of Britain’s story, all set against the backdrop of one of the most storied cities in the UK. This event promises to be a thought-provoking evening for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of Liverpool’s past and its far-reaching impact on the present.

This is an unmissable event for lovers of history, literature, and the evolution of British identity. Book your tickets now and join us for a conversation that will challenge and inspire.

Writing on the Wall are delighted to welcome back historian John Rees to present his compelling work of narrative history, The Fiery Spirits: Popular Protest, Parliament and the English Revolution.

As WoW proudly celebrates 25 years of radical storytelling, John uncovers the hidden stories of influential MPs and their allies who envisioned a kingdom without a crown. The so-called ‘fiery spirits’ who brought a desperate nation to the brink in the Civil Wars include the future regicide Henry Marten, the firebrand William Strode, the formidable colonel Alexander Rigby and Sir Peter Wentworth, descendant of a long line of anti-monarchists.

More than a book of political intrigue, The Fiery Spirits is a testament to the power of the people. Its reflections on mass demonstration resonate deeply today as four independent candidates sit at Westminster as a direct result of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

John Rees is an influential historian, broadcaster, campaigner. His books include Timelines: A Political History of the Modern World, The Leveller Revolution and A People’s History of London, co-authored with his partner Lindsey German. He also produces documentaries and presents current affairs programmes for the Islam Channel. Currently, he is a Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a National Officer of the Stop the War Coalition, which opposes the British establishment’s disastrous addiction to war, and a founding member of the organisation Counterfire.

In December 2023, the world lost a singular voice. Refaat Alareer, poet, editor, teacher, and mentor, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, along with six members of his family. His final poem, If I Must Die, written just weeks before his death, echoed across borders and languages, giving voice to the grief and resistance of a people under siege.

Refaat Alareer was a Palestinian writer, poet, and professor of English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza. A passionate educator and mentor, he was a co-founder of We Are Not Numbers, a platform amplifying young Palestinian voices. His poetry and essays captured the struggles and resilience of life in Gaza, making him a vital literary figure. Through his teaching, writing, and activism, he shaped a new generation of Palestinian storytellers.

But Refaat’s legacy did not end there. A towering figure in Palestinian literature, he helped shape a new generation of writers and thinkers, not only through his words, but through his presence, his mentorship, and his belief in the power of storytelling.

Join them for a special evening of remembrance, reflection, and resistance, as they celebrate the life and work of Refaat Alareer and the community he built around him.

With readings from his poetry and prose, and reflections from three people who knew him personally: Yousef Aljamal, Gaza-based writer, translator, and editor of If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose, a tribute to his former teacher, Ahmed Nehad, writer, translator, and fellow lecturer at the Islamic University in Gaza, who Refaat mentored for many years, and Basma Ghalayini, translator and editor of Palestine +100 and Palestine -1, two ground-breaking science fiction anthologies imagining past and future Palestine’s.

This event, in partnership with Comma Press, is part of Liverpool’s growing cultural response to the ongoing crisis in Palestine, rooted in solidarity, shaped by stories, and driven by the belief that voices like Refaat’s must continue to be heard.