Event type: Talk

An evening with Ferdia Lennon

West Kirby Bookshop are thrilled to welcome debut novelist Ferdia Lennon to the bookshop, to celebrate the paperback publication of his award-winning book, Glorious Exploits.

Join them on Thursday 13th March, 7pm when Ferdia will be reading from the book, before being in conversation with Jordan from the bookshop, answering questions from the audience and signing copies of Glorious Exploits.

Tickets are £6/ £13 (including a copy of the book) and complimentary drinks will be provided.

Tickets are non-refundable and if you can’t make the event and would like to reserve a signed/ dedicated copy of Glorious Exploits, do get in touch.

Meet the artist: Chris Shaw

Chris Shaw’s photographic series captures the battle between nature and the urban landscape in his hometown of Wallasey. The images show the resilience of plants as they break through tarmac and emerge from the water of the docks. Making the weed his subject, Shaw takes a traditionally unwanted and invasive species and shows the beauty in overlooked places.

Tate Liverpool’s display The Plant that Stowed Away takes its title from one of these photographs. The display looks to the series as a starting point to explore ideas of migration and the movement of people. Starting in Liverpool and its surroundings, we travel across time and geographies through works from the Tate Collection.

Join curator Christine Eyene and Chris Shaw for an exciting discussion. They will discuss the agency of plants and the importance of maritime enterprise in Liverpool. Looking closely at Weeds of Wallasey, they will explore the importance of natural forms to the development of the city.

Lanre Bakare: We Were There

To celebrate the publication of acclaimed writer Lanre Bakare’s first book. Hear from the author and special guests at Tate Liverpool.

We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain is about a Black Britain that for too long has been unknown and unexplored – the one that exists beyond London.

Lanre Bakare has a stellar reputation as a Guardian writer, covering the intersection of art, race and culture. Lanre believes that when people think about the recent history of Black Britain, they inevitably think of London. Having grown up in Bradford, Bakare wanted to write a corrective to that; this book is that corrective. He takes us on an epic journey across the UK, visiting Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bradford, Wigan, Manchester and more.

This insightful event with Bakare and special guests, will spotlight the extraordinary voices and stories of Black Britons and Black British culture.

We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain will be available to buy at this event.

In conversation: Maria Fusco

Award-winning working-class writer Maria Fusco will be reading from her recent book Who does not envy with us is against us. This will be followed by a discussion with fellow working-class writer Mike Pinnington, co-founder and editor of The Double Negative.

Fusco’s book is a collection of essays on working-classness, capturing experiences and emotions that unite people across the world. She pays tribute to the resilience and tenacity of these communities, inviting readers to join in a deeper understanding of their struggles and triumphs.

Who does not envy with us is against us will be available to purchase during the event.

A Natural History of Ghosts

Author and podcaster Isaac Hart, the host of the popular ‘Ghost in the Museum’ podcast, discusses the history of ghosts and hauntings from the Bronze Age to the present day.

Exploring the origins of ghosts in human culture, the fears and folklore behind centuries of ghost sightings, and how belief in the restless undead continues even into the digital age.

Attention All Shipping: A Celebration ...

‘Dogger, Fisher, German Bight’: Charlie Connelly brings the shipping forecast vividly to life in his hilarious and moving celebration of an iconic cultural institution. Charlie explores the broadcast’s remarkable history, unlocks its beguiling mysteries and tells rip-roaring stories of his own adventures among the sea areas, ensuring the forecast will never sound the same again.

As the shipping forecast embarks on its second century following its 2024 centenary, bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Charlie Connelly’s hilarious and informative show brings the quirky broadcast vividly to life, celebrating what he believes to be the greatest invention of the modern age.

How did a weather forecast for ships capture the hearts of a nation, from salty old sea dog to insomniac landlubber? How is it possible for ‘rain later’ to be ‘good’? And where the hell is North Utsire?

Delving into the history of the forecast and the extraordinary people who made it, Charlie explains what those curious phrases really mean, celebrates its wide cultural impact, shares riproaring adventures from his own extraordinary journey through the 31 sea areas – the times he was accused by the media of trying to annex Rockall from the British government and sang sea shanties with Tom Hardy in a Manx hotel bar while Scary Spice pulled the pints – and presents his case for the shipping forecast being our finest achievement.

Inspired by Charlie’s bestselling book, which has sold more than a quarter-of-a-million copies worldwide, this pacy, moving and hilarious show takes you all the way from Viking to South-East Iceland to ensure the shipping forecast will never sound the same again.

“Charlie Connelly is one of the funniest people I have ever had the pleasure of sitting in a studio with…He has a natural wit that doesn’t get crushed by an over-zealous ego with a lovely personality attached to it.” Fi Glover, broadcaster

“Charlie is always warm, funny and engaging…I actually sent him a fan letter – and I’ve never done that to anyone in my life before.”  Bernard Sumner, New Order

“I can thoroughly recommend an evening spent in the company of the very funny and very lovely Charlie Connelly whose knowledge of what I call ‘the ships’ is excellent. Sou’westers optional.” Corrie Corfield, BBC Radio 4

 

An Evening With Marian Keyes – M...

Superstar novelist Marian Keyes comes to Liverpool next month for a very special event at St George’s Hall.

The much-loved Irish author will appear at the Lime Street landmark on Monday, 17 February in an ‘evening with’ to celebrate the paperback release of her latest book, the heartwarming and hilarious Sunday Times number one bestseller My Favourite Mistake.

The unmissable evening is being organised by independent retailers Linghams Booksellers and Booka Bookshop.

And all tickets include a signed copy of the paperback.

Keith Grant in conversation with Judit...

To celebrate the exhibition at The Atkinson, ‘Elemental Nature: Keith Grant’, artist Keith Grant will discuss his work with biographer Judith Le Grove.

Keith, who studied at Bootle School of Art and then the Royal College of Art in the 1950s, has had a remarkable career spanning more than 70 years. The artist will discuss his work, illustrated with his distinctive imagery of elemental nature, from icebergs and marine volcanoes of the Arctic to tropical rainforests and the archaeologically rich landscapes of England and Wales.

The talk is free however booking is required.

Exhibition continues until 15 March 2025.

Event

https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/exhibition/keith-grant/

RESORT: A Creative Weekender at BOARC

A creative weekender at Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre all about failure, sharing secrets and learning from our own (and each others’) mistakes, hosted by Heart of Glass in collaboration with Short Supply.

On Friday, we begin with workshop Reading for the Restless; an opportunity to read and discuss Jack Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure, thinking through how we might apply this to our own lives, work and practice.

On Saturday, Short Supply, and invited speakers will lead a day of talks about what goes wrong in the art world, what’s going right and what could be better. Speakers TBA.

This weekend of discussion and workshops is designed for artists, cultural practitioners, facilitators, and youth and education workers. The programme (Reading for the Restless and The Art World is… Dead) are free and include food. If you’d like to stay overnight at BOARC, accommodation is £10 / night – make sure you choose the overnight option when booking your ticket.

More information: heartofglass.org.uk/project-and-events/events/resort

An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane ...

Following her sold-out Agatha Christie tour, acclaimed historian Lucy Worsley leads us into the life of one of English literature’s most cherished figures.

For these live, beautifully-illustrated talks, Lucy invites audiences to step into the world of Jane Austen, the beloved author of timeless classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.

Through the houses, places and possessions which mattered to her, Lucy takes a fascinating look at what home meant to Jane and to the women like her who populate her novels. Austen famously lived a ‘life without incident’, but with new research and insights Lucy reveals a passionate woman who fought for her freedom. A woman who, far from being a lonely spinster, in fact had at least five marriage prospects, but in the end refused to settle for anything less than Mr Darcy.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged” that this is an event not to be missed!