Liverpool (Or, how I learned to stop moaning and love the arts)

As a Drama & Creative Writing (soon-to-be) Graduate, I can’t help but feel people are just eagerly waiting for you to renounce your degree and denounce the arts altogether. As graduation dawns ever closer, more and more people seem to question you on the doom of your impending ‘future’:
“Do you know what you want to do with your life?”
Some of you will know the fallout of doing an arts related degree, when the questions are even more pervasive, if not downright cheeky, and usually asked by smarmy uncles at family parties:
“Are you sure you want to go down that route?” Why not get a nice graduate job at a bank?”
No. I am not in 27k worth of debt just to throw in the towel and get a ‘nice’, ‘safe’ or ‘proper’ job. I want to make a living in the field that I’ve dedicated three years of my life to.

The phrase ‘Liverpool Arts’ seems like an oxymoron at first. After all, tell anyone you want to make it within theatre in Liverpool and, however politely they may say it, all their answers seem to merge into the same response:
“Wouldn't you be better moving to London for that?”
The question I ask back is simply “Why?”
The Liverpool arts scene is thriving. This isn't a new development. The city has always been synonymous with culture. Even though we roll our eyes any time someone mentions it, the city won European capital of culture back in 2008. The idea that Liverpool has nothing to offer when it comes to culture is ridiculous. The Young Everyman and Playhouse offer specific courses for theatre-makers to learn their craft; most of which are free. The Under 27 and Above Club (Soon to be Liverpool Arts Society) are helping like-minded creatives meet up with each other and letting them know that there is a support network to create art within Liverpool.  The stage is there, TAKE IT!

A week ago, I seen the Under 27 and Above Club pose a question to their followers over Twitter: “Do you think Liverpool could cope with a similar festival to the Edinburgh Fringe?” This included a poll with either a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. As of the last time I checked, 95% had said Yes. Clearly there is a demand for a festival celebrating all Liverpool has to offer in terms of their culture. But the next question is, how do we achieve this? In my opinion, we need to invest in Liverpool’s cultural economy. We need to go out there and see all Liverpool has to offer. The Under 27 and Above Club is not just there to help further your own needs, it’s to help everyone. To get the support that we need, we need to be willing to give it back in kind.

For this festival to work, we have to prove how necessary it is. Liverpool already has a few festivals under its belt, LIMF (Liverpool International Music Festival), Liverpool Food & Drink Festival and Sound City to name but a few. However, these all happen in big outdoor spaces or stadiums. Furthermore, these all happen outside of the city, the city centre itself does not reap the economic benefits because everyone is so far out. There is no sense of mixing with Liverpool’s culture. The charm of the Edinburgh Fringe is the festival happens right in the nucleus of the city and the amount of work that happens outside of the expected venues: in the bars, pubs and street corners. Some may ask how can Liverpool accommodate such a thing? Has it been done before? Yes it has, for sixteen years in fact...

Liverpool's Writing on the Wall (WoW) Festival is a literary festival based in our wonderful city. From the 1st to the 28th of May different events happen throughout the city, in venues such as The Black-E, Bluecoat, The Casa, Leaf Tea, Siren Café, District, to name but a few. This is a real mixed bag of literary talent with something for everyone, whether your interests are theatre, film, television, poetry, fiction, or anything in-between. There is even the chance to get published if that sort of thing floats your boat, with the festival running two competitions:

Flash Fiction & Pulp Idol Competitions

Events in particular that grabbed my eye are Hip Hop Shakespeare, The collected works of Dinesh Allirajah and Gender in the 21st Century. Before you sneer at the thought of ‘Hip-Hip Shakespeare’ and think to yourself people should just leave the bard well enough alone, have a look at this... 

It’s a workshop led to examine rhyme and rhythm within Shakespeare through the use of hip hop, not some out-of-touch hack trying to make Shakespeare more ‘down with the kids’. Dinesh Allirajah was a poetry tutor at my University, he sadly passed away last year. Although never having been taught by the man, I had the pleasure of seeing one of his readings and he was as stunning a performer as he was a presence. This event is sure to be as poignant as it is stimulating. Finally, Gender in the 21st Century a topic that I have seen increasingly discussed recently and what it means to be ‘Transgender’. Led by Juno Dawson, formerly James, and The Vivienne, Liverpool’s very own UK Ambassador for RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Abigail Tarttelin author of Golden Boy, discuss gender identity in the 21st Century and ask the question: Mainstream or Minority?

    

What I am essentially trying to say is, if you want more investment in the arts in Liverpool, do the investing yourself. You will see the benefits. Show people that festivals such as Writing on the Wall are popular and successful. You will have more sway when you say Liverpool should have a fringe theatre festival. If we the ball rolling and our momentum will carry us on to a point where people finally stop saying “There’s nothing going on in Liverpool.” There is. And there is so much more to come.

www.festival.writingonthewall.org.uk 

By Tom Chivers
March 30, 2016

WoWFest 2016 Full Line Up Announced!

1st May – 28th May 2016

Dave Gibbons. Isy Suttie. Hollie McNish. Juno Dawson. Linton Kwesi Johnson. Maram Al-Masri. Alexei Sayle. Levi Tafari. Francesca Martinez. Stephen Baxter. Ramsey Campbell. Pat Cadigan. Kevin Barry. Lord Puttnam. Phil Redmond. 

WoWFest 2016 is all about exploring the future past and present (well, it’s all relative isn’t it, Einstein?) through sci-fi, super heroes, graphic novels, comics and…a Time Machine! What can sci-fi teach us about climate change or our climate of fear, are graphic novels a real literary art-form, and just how long will it take us to get to The Ninth Planet? We’ll be featuring the best of SF classics, voyaging into the wonderful world of Afrofuturism, Girl’s Comics, technologies for creating and living, and, with our regular eclectic travelling companions of star struck festival guests, WoW is tilting to the future with a whole star ship full of new and up and coming writers. Countdown begins now…Lift Off scheduled for May 2016.

SEE FULL LISTINGS HERE

Linton Kwesi Johnson & Hollie McNish

WoWfest 2016 proudly welcomes the return of the pioneer of Dub poetry, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Now an iconic figure within literature and reggae Music, LKJ exploded onto the scene with the powerful, angry Dread Beat and Blood, heavily influencing the punk and reggae movements of that era and political thinking in the decades to follow. For LKJ ‘Writing was a political act and poetry was a cultural weapon’; his rhythmic stories of Brixton life and the realities faced by young black people in a racist and oppressive Britain had an international resonance. In 2002 LJK became the second living poet and the first black poet to have his work included in Penguin’s Modern Classics series. In 2012 English PEN awarded him its prestigious Golden PEN Award for lifetime literary achievement, an accolade that raised a few high brows among the literary elite. During a career spanning 40 years LKJ has released 15 albums and has toured extensively as a poet and as a reggae artist with the acclaimed Dennis Bovell Band. His words are as relevant today as they were in ’78 because for many ‘Inglan’ is Still a Bitch’.

Linton Kwesi Johnson has radically changed the way poetry is perceived and many young poets wouldn't be around without him. In this unique event he is joined for the first time by rising star Holly McNish. The first poet to record at Abbey Road Studios, Holly won the UK Slam championship in 2013 and has published two acclaimed poetry collections, Mathematics, Nobody Told Me, and three poetry albums, Touch, Push Kick and Versus.

Holly has some high profile fans including Kate Tempest, Tim Minchin and Benjamin Zephaniah, who 'can’t take his ears off her'. A night not to be missed!

Date: 7th May 2016

Time: 8pm (Doors open at 7pm)

Venue: Black-E (1 Great George St, Liverpool L1 5EW)

Ticket Price: £10/8 BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

Check out our Festival Website for more updates and tickets 

From Watchmen to Kingsman: An Evening with Dave Gibbons

Writing on the Wall welcome Dave Gibbons, the UK’s first Comics Laureate to WoWFest 2016. Best known for his work with Alan Moore in creating the legendary Watchmen graphic novels - one of the biggest-selling graphic novels of all time, Dave heads up WoW’s 2016 exploration of all things sci-fi. Regarded as one of the world’s most talented comic artists, Dave Gibbons’ numerous creations include the characters American Belle, Green Man, Rorsach and Nite Owl. He has contributed to many iconic comics and graphic novels including Doctor Who, 2000AD, Batman, Green Lantern, and his own graphic novel, The Originals, featuring hover-scooter riding Mods and Rockers. His most recent collaborations are graphic novel Kingsman: The Secret Service, now a major feature film starring Samuel L. Jackson, and Masks, with Gillian Flynn, author of the global bestseller Gone Girl. Described by Author Lev Grossman as ‘a genius’ in Time magazine, and as ‘one of the major comic book artists of the 21st century, or the 20th, or really any other century you care to name’, Dave will be talking about his career to date, his inspirations, and how to practically develop creative ideas and bring them to life on the page.

Date: 5th May 2016

Time: 7pm

Venue: The Bluecoat 

Ticket Price: £8/5

Buy your tickets here

Black Poppies Exhibition

On 19th December, Writing on the Wall unveiled the Black Poppies exhibition in Liverpool Central Library. The poppies were hand crafted by members of the community and curated by artist, Faith Bebbington. The Black Poppy sculpture is designed to raise awareness of the events of 1919 and the historic experience of Liverpool’s black community and to highlight the sacrifices made by Black families during the First World War and the period that followed. 

Thank you to Levi Tafari, Faith Bebbington and Anna Rothery for all their help on the day and support of the Great War to Race Riots project. Remember the archive is available to look at online here. 

 

Get down to the Liverpool Central Library to see the exhibition and learn about the history From Great War to Race Riots. (Archive on 3rd floor). 

Pulp Idol Firsts 2016

We had a wonderful evening in the new beautiful Music Room to celebrate our local authors.

On Thursday 10th December, we celebrated our Pulp Idol writers first chapter. 12 writers made it to our Pulp Idol final and have had the opportunity to work with established editors before getting their work published. With great success from previous finalists Pulp Idol is an inspiring opportunity for writers. Pulp Idol focuses on supporting new original voices and getting them heard. We provide a platform for up-and-coming writers, helping with exposure to new audiences and providing contacts with key publishers and agents. Thank you to all who joined in the celebrations! 

You can buy Pulp Idol Firsts 2016 in News From Nowhere

or get it on kindle here 

On the night we also held an interesting and insightful Q&A with previous Pulp Idol winner, John Donoghue to discuss his debut novel, The Death's Head Chess Club. The book has sold to America and is being translated for Norway, Poland, Italy, Greece, China and Brazil. It's an incredible tribute to the success of our Pulp Idol novel writing competition. 

John says, 'I really do feel that, to a great extent, I owe this to Pulp Idol. My agent (Carolyn Whitaker from London Independent Books) contacted me after seeing the anthology of the finalists' first chapters. It was she who managed to get me in front of a highly respected editor, Ravi Mirchandani, leading to the subsequent book deal.'

To end the evening we heard an amazing set from upcoming Liverpool artist, Rosenblume. A perfect way to end a very successful night, celebrating local talent.