The Storybarn are so excited to feature the vibrant and light-hearted book Gustavo the shy ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, for this October Half Term.
Head along and meet Gustavo a multi-talented ghost with a big heart and a love a music! He’s a master hider, he plays the violin and is an expert at glowing in the dark the only thing is he is a bit shy and has gone missing. Help them find Gustavo and give him the courage to put on his very first concert.
They will create some shadow puppets, learn about the day of the dead, read stories and have a spooktacular time.
Infants under 1 go free but still require a ticket.
The well-loved Everton treasure is 125 years old this October.
Head along on 9 October and join the community celebrations for the past and future of Everton Library.
Opened as a Public Library and Technical Institute on 9 October, 1896, many people remember the building as a haven for learning.
From 2pm: Talks, family-friendly workshops, cake and tea.
From 6.30pm: Music, poetry, projection and Scouse.
Special guest appearance from 3pm.
Join writer and creative practitioner Bernadette McBride for her talk on writing short fiction where she will discuss the art of writing short stories and share her writing processes.
The event is held University of Liverpool, 10 October, 11.30am-12.30pm. See here for tickets.
A PhD candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Liverpool, Bernadette’s short story For the Man who Died in the Wood was shortlisted for the UK’s biggest unpublished writing prize, the Manchester Fiction Prize, and her work has appeared in several anthologies.
She has delivered a number of creative writing initiatives for the University, including a course for The Great Read competition as well as a ‘Writing for Wellbeing’ course aimed at keyworkers, which was delivered via the University’s English department during the first lockdown.
Join BlackFest to celebrate the launch of Malik Al Nasir’s ‘Letters to Gil, A Memoir’, held Downstairs at the Everyman.
Letters to Gil is Malik Al Nasir’s profound coming of age memoir – the story of surviving physical and racial abuse and discovering a sense of self-worth under the wing of the great artist, poet and civil rights activist Gil Scott-Heron.
The event is held Downstairs at the Everyman, 29 September, 7pm. See here for tickets.
Born in Liverpool, Malik was taken into care at the age of nine after his seafaring father became paralysed. He would spend his adolescence in a system that proved violent, neglectful, exploitative, traumatising and mired in abuse and racism.
Aged eighteen, he emerged semi-literate and penniless with no connections or sense of where he was going – until a chance meeting with Gil Scott-Heron turned everything around.
2021 marks the 10th anniversary since Gil’s passing, and in honour of his legacy, Malik Al Nasir releases Letters to Gil, a frank and moving memoir, which tells the story of Malik’s empowerment and awakening while mentored by Gil; from his introduction to black history, to the development of his voice through poetry and music.
Written with lyricism and power, it highlights how physical abuse and institutional racism can debilitate and disadvantage a child, but also how mentoring, creativity, self-expression and solidarity can help unleash a person’s full potential, despite the odds being stacked against them.
Nineteen Black and ethnically diverse writers from across the North of England will pen personal letters to be read out live on stage, as part of a theatre piece exploring moments left unsaid, with letters addressed to those who need to hear it the most.
My White Best Friend – North invites commissioned Northern artists to write a series of personal letters exploring the personal and politics we don’t dare say, which are sealed in an envelope, then opened and read by actors for the first time on the night.
Performed across venues in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, the production is a collaboration between Eclipse Theatre, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres and Royal Exchange Theatre.
The production visits the Everyman, Liverpool for two nights, 15 -16 October, 7.30pm. Creating work for the Everyman stage are writers Dominique Walker, Kiara Mohammad, Brodie Arthur, Levi Tafari, Yasmin Ali and Chantelle Lunt.
The project builds on the ground-breaking My White Best Friend (and other letters left unsaid) by Rachel De-Lahay, first performed at The Bunker and the Royal Court in London to critical acclaim.
Tickets for My White Best Friend – North are on sale now. For tickets and more information visit Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres.
Celebrating National Poetry Day – the annual mass celebration that encourages all to enjoy, discover and share poetry.
The event is held The Reader, Calderstones Park and online, 7 October, 7pm-11pm. See here for tickets.
Head along for an evening of literary discovery and exploration as they read poetry that touches upon ‘choice’, the theme of National Poetry Day 2021.
In keeping with the theme of ‘choice’, there’ll be a selection of Shared Reading workshops to enter into, offering your own personal pathway into the world of poetry. You’ll go to two workshops on the evening – both of which you’ll get to choose on the night.
If you choose an online ticket, your sessions will take place on Zoom.
University of Liverpool are holding their 2021 Liverpool Literary Festival in October. The festival once again features an incredible line up of writers.
Their 5th festival will take place in-person and online from Friday 8-Sunday 10 October. Events start 6pm, 8 October, 10am, 9 October and 10am, 10 October.
For more information, and to book your tickets, please visit their website.
Opening their festival this year is celebrated television presenter, actor and comedian, Andi Osho, who will be discussing her new novel, Asking for a Friend, and the joys and challenges of publishing fiction for the first time.
They also have award-winning biographer Dame Hermione Lee who will be joined by Mark Da Vanzo, CEO of Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, to talk about her major new biography of Tom Stoppard, as well as Kate Summerscale, author of The Haunting of Alma Fielding, to discuss the unique skills involved in discovering the suspense and mystery hidden in history.
They will also be welcoming Clare Mackintosh who will be in conversation with ITV News presenter Ann O’Connor to discuss her hard-hitting new thriller Hostage, and novelist and winner of the Betty Trask Award, Okechukwu Nzelu, who will be reflecting on the way her life has changed as her career has developed.
From fiction to biography, and from screenwriting to memoir, there really is something for everyone to enjoy!
Wing It is pleased to announce the most thrilling, live storytelling event in Merseyside. Six original stories will be told in the intimate setting of The Bunker, located deep below the Liverpool Arts Bar based on Hope St.
The event is held 29-31 October, shows start 7pm, 8.30pm and 10pm. See here for tickets.
The space has been transformed for this site-specific event and will create a distinct and unique atmosphere for audiences.
A bare stage transforms into a visual, verbal and musical feast as our storytellers and foley artist (live sound effects) transport the audience into an alternative Halloween night of creeps, chills and things that go bump in the night. This truly promises to be one Hell of a night!
This is the first piece of work brought to you by Wing It created and run by former Artistic Director of Spike Theatre – Mark Smith (The Games, Hoof!, Sink or Swim et al). Mark is a multi-award-winning director and will be working with regional story tellers, Angie Waller (AKA Nana Funk) Eavan Seasman, Emma Reilly, Mark Smith, Munro Scott, Paul Skinner (Tmesis Theatre, Spike Theatre) and Trevor Fleming (Impropriety).
Wing It have numerous other projects lined up for 2021-2022 including more story events in unusual places, a new improvised show called Honesty! created in association with immersive artist Sarah Hogarth and a festival of improvisation; the first to be held in Liverpool.
Liverpool Year of Writing 2021 are delivering an event to bring writers, independent publishers, booksellers and partners together at Central Library.
A Writers Boot Camp and Marketplace for adults and young people, held Central Library, 18 September, 11am-3pm.
There will be some of their favourite local, national and even international writers taking part, workshops, seminars, 1:1 tutorials, meetings with editors and publishers to give everyone a real insight into the industry.
They will have several stalls showcasing a variety of arts organisations including partners, independent publishers, agents and local authors.
The Writer’s Bloc presents Workshop 2: Turning Pain into Purpose Through Poetry with Toria Garbutt.
The event is free and held online, 15 September, 6pm-7.30pm. To book see here.
The workshop will be visiting some of our difficult past experiences and bringing them out into the light; considering how our painful life events can propel us into transformation and how we can make sense of our difficult emotions through writing. Let’s dig deep: vulnerability is the birthplace of connection.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2014, Toria has been a regular tour support for Dr John Cooper Clarke, most recently his ‘Luckiest Guy Alive Tour’ on which Toria performed her first European date.
In 2016, Toria released her Debut album ‘Hot plastic Moon’ via spoken word label Nymphs and Thugs and, in 2018, her first poetry collection ‘The Universe and Me’ published by Wrecking Ball Press.
Toria’s words have also been featured in Not Too Tame’s Northern Souls show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and recently in The Guardian for their feature on The Rise – and Rise – of the New Poets.
