Join us for an engaging Shared Reading Masterclass exploring Janet’s Repentance by the prolific George Eliot, a remarkable novella that tells the story of Janet Dempster’s struggle with addiction, domestic abuse, isolation, and ultimately, hope and renewal.
Through guided close reading and discussion with The Reader’s founder, Jane Davis, we will explore how Eliot crafts a profoundly human portrait of a woman facing personal crisis and social judgement. Together, we will consider themes of empathy, resilience, forgiveness, and transformation, examining why Janet’s story continues to resonate with readers today.
Whether you are a lifelong Eliot reader or discovering her work for the first time, this session will provide fresh insights into a powerful text that challenges us to look beyond judgement and recognise the complexity of human experience.
Come and join the conversation as we uncover the enduring relevance of Janet’s Repentance and experience the unique connections that Shared Reading can create. Tea, coffee, cakes and a vegan friendly light lunch included.
We strive to make all our spaces and events as accessible as possible to all, please see our accessibility page to help you plan your visit.
Event type: Literature
Autumn Wellbeing Workshop: Autumn Poems & Stories
‘Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall’ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
As the leaves in the park turn golden brown and the air becomes crisp, join us for an afternoon dedicated to slowing down and spending time with autumnal literature.
Throughout the afternoon, we will explore a curated selection of autumn–themed prose and poetry including Wendell Berry, Rita Dove, Walter De La Mare, Emily Dickinson and many more. The workshop will give the group a moment to reflect, share and discuss what this change of season means and will include a short walk in Calderstones Park to return to nature.
All reading material will be provided. Tea and coffee are included, plus a selection of poetry to choose and take home.
BlackFest 2026 Visual Arts Workshop – Nina Edge
BlackFest 2026 presents a special visual arts workshop with artist, writer and urban design activist Nina Edge at Granby Winter Garden.
Join Nina as she shares her artistic practice and explores different approaches to creativity, materials, community and public art.
Nina Edge is a visual artist, writer and urban design activist whose multidisciplinary practice spans radical textiles, ceramics, street performance, public art and short films. A dual-heritage British Asian woman, Nina trained as a ceramicist and became known for using low-status craft materials to challenge established artistic hierarchies.
Her practice developed alongside the political Black British Art movement of the 1980s, leading her to work across textiles, performance, film and sculpture.
Nina has also worked extensively with communities to develop individual and collective creative interests. Her collaborative work can be seen in projects including Princes Park Health Centre and Granby Winter Garden in Liverpool, as well as West Close in Cardiff Bay.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to connect with Nina’s practice, explore creative ideas and engage with the possibilities of visual art, materials and community-led creativity.
BlackFest 2026 Presents: Awakened ft. Kelechi Okafor
BlackFest 2026 presents Awakened ft. Kelechi Okafor, an evening of literature, conversation, culture and ideas at the Palm House, Liverpool.
Kelechi Okafor is a British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist, writer, presenter, actor and political commentator. She is the creator of the acclaimed podcast Say Your Mind, which has grown to more than 280 episodes and explores self-reclamation through an unflinching critique of society.
Her work spans literature, media, performance and political commentary. She has written for children, young adults and adults, exploring Black identity, systemic injustice and the experiences of Black communities. Through her creative and advocacy work, Kelechi uses her platform to challenge inequality and encourage meaningful action in support of Black communities.
Awakened invites audiences into an evening of thought-provoking conversation, storytelling and reflection, celebrating Black creativity, literature, identity and lived experience.
Come and join us for a powerful evening with Kelechi Okafor as part of the BlackFest 2026 programme, at the beautiful Palm House.
BlackFest presents: Short Experimental Performances, and One Woman Short Plays
BlackFest presents: Short experimental Performances, and one woman short play’s exploring works from Black writers, playwrights, musicians and actors performers.
Join us for an incredible night featuring performances from BlackFest Creatives Collective.
Short performance from MD Productions from Miguel Doforo, Mariam Jama presents, ‘My Friend Fiona,’ a 3 hander play set in the near future.
Loisha performs in her one woman play ‘Brit-tish,’ She’s Black and British is Britain truly home? Mariam Abood AKA Emmy showcasing her debut, ‘Frenemies,’ Friends that are enemies?
Come support new writing, exciting stories, Being Brit-ish, and covering concepts around race, AI, dystopias, grief, relationships and friendships.
BHM26: L8 Activism Walking Tour
The L8 Activism Walking Tour invites you to take a stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined Victorian boulevard and explore the rich history of Liverpool 8 — the traditional home of the Black community since the mid-20th century. This tour traces the area’s development from its origins as a merchant-class neighbourhood in the mid-to-late 19th century, when Liverpool was considered the second city of the British Empire — its prominence largely built on the Transatlantic Slave Trade — through a period of economic decline, and finally to its resurgence as one of the most desirable places to live in 2025.
As the tour progresses, we cover the vibrant nightlife and culture of the 1950s and 60s and the Black and anti-racist activism that developed throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and which responded to local and international issues. We consider the discrimination faced by Liverpool’s Black community, which Lord Gifford in his enquiry into the causes of the 1981 uprisings, described as ‘uniquely horrific’ which brought worldwide media attention to the area. At the Rialto which, during the uprisings, was set ablaze, we view the area where battle lines were drawn and consider why certain buildings were targeted.
The L8 Activism Walking Tour culminates on the former site of the Liverpool 8 Law Center, an organisation which arose out of the ‘81 Uprisings and which played a key role in the support and empowerment of L8 and the Black communities and then onto empty plinth where William Huskinson once stood. Join us to find out what happened to him and much more history that you won’t find in books.
Starting point: Princes Park North Gates, L8 3TA
End point: Former site of Huskinson statue, Princes Road, L8 1TH
Testimonials
“The tour was excellent, really informative and guides were very well informed.”
“Fantastic. Would love more things like this.”
“Very good + interesting.”
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy: Read, rage, repeat
After the success of Jim Stanton’s year-long Ulysses reading group, he returns with Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy. Three plays, three evenings, three chances to laugh at people having a terrible time! Across the series, Jim will guide readers through The Shadow of a Gunman (12 Oct), Juno and the Paycock (2 Nov) and The Plough and the Stars (9 Nov), exploring the plays’ harsh realism, sharp humour and unflinching portraits of working-class Dublin.
O’Casey’s relationship with Ireland’s nationalist audiences and the Abbey Theatre was famously volatile. Were his unsparing satires of tenement life an authentic working-class perspective, or caricature that played into anti-Irish tropes? Come and argue it out.
Shared reading builds connection, sharpens language skills and supports mental well-being. Please note: booking is a commitment to all three sessions with limited spaces available.
Image credit: Sean Casey © Mina Turn (1924), colourised in Dola AI.
September Writing Advice Desk
The Windows ProjectWRITING ADVICE DESK
WEDNESDAY 2nd SEPTEMBERat Liverpool Central LibraryWilliam Brown Street L3 8EW
Drop in between 5.30pm and 7.00pmfor one-to-one appraisal of scripts, stories, poemsand details of publishing opportunities, performance venues, workshops and courses
with
ALISON DOWN Screenwriter and poetBAFTA Rocliffe’s Emerging Children’s Writer.
DAVID WARDAuthor and poetEditor ‘Smoke’ magazineNominated for Carnegie Medal
Please book in on arrival. Each individual session usually lasts 20 minutes.
Black History Month 2026: Professor Stephen Small: Black Liverpool
Professor Stephen Small returns to Liverpool to launch Black History Month with a special discussion of his acclaimed new book, Black Liverpool: ‘the real thing’. West African, West Indian and Afro-American culture at the end of the twentieth century.
The 1970s saw giant waves of cultural and artistic creativity, resourcefulness and vision from individuals and organisations in Liverpool 8. The L8 community defiantly refused to accept the silence and denial around the city’s massive involvement in the slave trade and slavery; they refused to accept the silence and denial around how Liverpool exploited the people and lands of West Africa during slavery and imperialism. They refused to accept the lies and contempt for Africa and Africans inflicted upon them in Liverpool schools and schoolbooks. In other words, they refused to let them colonise their minds. Instead, they used their initiative, determination and perseverance, and they reached out to Afro-Americans, West Indians and (West) Africans, for motivation, inspiration, consciousness and self-respect.
Community elders shared insights into the truth about Liverpool’s role in slavery and imperialism. L8 residents listened to soul and funk music, to reggae, Calypso and West African music. They watched Shaft and Superfly, The Harder They Come and Rockers, and read books by Angela Davis, Huey P Newton and Walter Rodney. Some organisations and individuals highlighted how Black women were at the forefront of so many activities. Reggae music, the Rastafari movement, and L8 reggae sound systems enriched our lives with music, knowledge and faith. Visitors from America, Africa and the Caribbean came to the city to share knowledge and insights; and L8 residents visited America, the West Indies and nations across Africa to make connections and raise awareness. And the distinctive African presence in the city became more and more visible.
In this presentation – based on his recently published book – Black Liverpool: ‘the real thing’. West African, West Indian and Afo-American culture at the end of the twentieth century – Professor Small brings to life the memories and achievements of the L8 community; and highlights some of the people and organisations that made them happen. Professor Small’s book draws on interviews with over seventy people and on information from documents and reports produced by the organisations themselves. This is a story that has never been told in full before. It is Liverpool 8’s legacy. And it is a stark reminds that no history of Black Britain is complete without a history of Black Liverpool.
Date: October 1st
Time: 7pm
Venue: Kuumba Imani Millenium Centre
Tickets £5
[Photo credit Dave Clay]
Black History Month 2026: Dean Atta: Big Man
Join award-winning author, poet and filmmaker Dean Atta for a special event celebrating the publication of his adult literary debut, Big Man — a tender, funny and deeply moving novel about love, identity, ageing, family and the lasting impact of trauma.
Big Man follows Big, a middle-aged Black British gay man living a gentle life in East London with his boyfriend, Little. Their world is one of friendships, holidays, yoga at home and runs along the Hackney canals. But when Big reconnects with Mother — an African American trans woman who provided a refuge for queer young people during his youth — he is forced to confront a long-repressed experience from his past.
Full of warmth and gentle humour, Big Man explores what it means to grow older as a queer person, and the ways in which friendship, love and community can sustain us. It is also a love letter — sometimes complicated, sometimes joyful — to the people and places that shape who we become.
Dean Atta is a multi-award-winning author and poet, as well as a BAFTA-winning and BIFA-nominated filmmaker. His books include the Stonewall Book Award-winning YA novel The Black Flamingo, the memoir Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body, and the poetry collections I Am Nobody’s Nigger and There is (still) love here. His poetry has appeared on the BBC, BET, Channel 4 and MTV.
Come and hear Dean discuss the inspiration behind Big Man, writing across poetry, memoir and fiction, and the importance of telling stories about queer lives in all their complexity, tenderness and joy.
Date 6th October
Time 7pm
Venue: The Black-E
Tickets £5