Thursday 24 September 2015

Handle with Care

Tuesday evening I went along to Writing on the Wall’s heritage project, From Great War to Race Riots. I didn’t know what to expect, it was my first time. The group, made up of community members and led by Tutors Madeline Heneghan and Emy Onuora, attended a weekly two-hour session, and had already started exploring the archives of letters and telegrams that date back to 1919. The project consists of an array of letters that reveals the horrific plight of black soldiers and seafarers, who had fought for Britain in the Great War, and who had now been told to leave these shores and my city. As the group worked tirelessly putting the documents into date order, it was evident that they had everything under control.


Although I was made to feel welcome, I must admit, I felt like a spare part.  It was suggested that I read through the documents, in order to familiarise myself with the project. I have to say, that after the first couple of letters I was hooked. I had been transported back in time. A time seeming so surreal, you could hardly imagine it.

The group had stopped for a well-earned tea break and I eased in as a new comrade, once I realized that each and every one of us had at least one thing in common. We had bonded over our shared passion as we engaged in a time gone before us.  On some level, and in our own way, I wouldn’t be wrong in saying, that each of us had made a connection sharing this specific time in British history, and that it had led us on an extraordinary journey.


What I have come to understand is that, like the rest of the group, I had grown fond of the men and their families that leapt out from the pages heading straight towards my heart and have remained there since.  These archives are such an important insight into our cities heritage.  It’s only fitting that they should be handled with care in every sense of the word.

I cannot wait to return next week.  
Thanks everyone! :) 
Miriam O’Carroll

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Off The Page 2015

It's back for the second year - Readings, workshops, games and displays for all the family, showcasing the variety offered by the Merseyside Literature Partnership.

Off the Page is coordinated by a consortium of venues, organisations and university departments offering a wide range of activity in the region. From community projects to readings by established writers, the day provides a taste of the richness of literature currently available on Merseyside. Come along, join in and find out more about what’s happening - both on and off the page. All events are free, but booking is required for some events.

Have a look through this years brochure and see what you'd like to come to...

Writing on the Wall will be hosting two workshops during the day -

Marvel Comic Workshop, Studio, 1pm-2pm
Join the notorious Tim Quinn for an exclusive, hands-on workshop to make your own comic book creation! Tim Quinn: scriptwriter, illustrator and editor for the Beano, The Dandy and Dr Who Magazine, before heading State-side to work for Marvel Comics on the world famous Spider-Man, X-Men and the Incredible Hulk
Free, Booking Advised


What's Your Story? Taster Workshop The Art Box, 2.30pm–4.30pm
Everyone has a story to tell, all you need are the right words. Join WoW for an exciting and exclusive one-off creative writing What’s Your Story? workshop. Professional poet and creative writing teacher, Sarah Maclennan will be sharing his expertise and guiding aspiring writers through the creative process through a range of different writing genres.
Free, Booking Advised


Wednesday 16 September 2015

The Writing on the Wall: A Visual History of Northern Ireland’s Troubles

The Writing on the Wall is a stunning chronological history of Northern Ireland as told through its wall murals, the iconic images depicting the Troubles, conflicts and struggles of its people across religious and political divides. Beginning with representations of the Irish legend CĂșchullain, claimed by both Republicans and Loyalists as a founding father of their respective causes, Stuart Borthwick’s work explores landmark events that have shaped Ireland’s history; the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, before focusing on ‘the Troubles’ of more recent memory through chapters dedicated to the formation of Loyalist and Republican paramilitary groups in the late 1960s, the prison protests and hunger strikes of the 1970s and 80s, and the long war of the 1980s and 1990s between the IRA, the British state and armed loyalists.

With 200 of Stuart’s original photographs accompanied by an extensive 30,000 word text, The Writing on the Wall is a valuable addition to our understanding of the Northern Ireland of today. The book launch will explore the Troubles, the politics of modern Ireland, Stuart's photographs and how the book came to fruition. Evening hosted by Phil Scraton.

Wednesday 21st October at the Bluecoat, Free. All welcome. 


Friday 11 September 2015

Some Came By The Sea

September 3rd 2015 saw the launch and celebration of a brand new book called What’s your Granby Story? The directors and staff at ‘Writing on the Wall’ arranged the launch event following a six-week writing project involving the local community. The publication is a collection of monologues, poems and stories.


Granby, or if you prefer, L8, seems to have shaken off the darkened image of the infamous Toxteth Riots; an unrest that branded Granby as a predominant ‘No go area’, a place to avoid at all costs.  The repercussions of those riots led to years of national ignorance and neglect.

The launch night however did not reflect any of its notorious history and instead revealed a mixed community that still exists and continues to make everyone feel welcome. The books sentiment shows the resilience and tolerance that the people of Granby have endured over the years. It is a collection of written works that highlights real grit, determination and character.  This can be found in poems such as Martha Said and Liverpool 8 and a monologue entitled Abdi’s Story, that gives a brief emotionally charged account of settlers who came to Liverpool to avoid conflict in their homeland.

 

Another theme that underlines this book is the strength of women.  Mothers and daughters alike are the very backbone of both past and present times; each generation standing firm in order to claim and shape family identities. They are active and continue to reinvent the Granby area. There is a strong presence of the seafarer and stories are told and worn like a time-honoured badge. Settlers of Granby came from as far and wide as Trinidad, Jamaica and Somalia to name but a few places. Granby came from the sea, so a badge comes with the territory.


Ultimately, the real impact of reading What’s your Granby Story is a sense of the warmth and nostalgia that we find within these memories, displaying a human instinct for survival that makes past struggles and sorrows become bearable for those families who affectionately call Granby their home.

Miriam O’Carroll


The book is available on Kindle and in News From Nowhere Book Shop

Thursday 3 September 2015

Professor Green to Appear in Liverpool on World Mental Health Day!

COMPETITION CLOSING DATE: 5pm, Monday, 14th September 2015
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT AND CELEBRATORY EVENT: Thursday 8th October 2015
VENUE: Liverpool Central Library, The Discovery Room
TIME: 6pm – 8pm


Rapper, Singer-Songwriter, Stephen Manderson Aka Professor Green will be making an exclusive appearance in Liverpool on Thursday 8th October at Liverpool’s Central Library to announce the winners of the Mental Health and Me competition on 8th October 2015 as part of the World Mental Health Day celebrations running through the week. Professor Green is a proud patron of male prevention suicide charity, CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). With the death of his father in 2010 as well as his own personal battles with depression and anxiety, preventing male suicide and encouraging young men to open up about their mental health issues is a cause close to his heart. Professor Green has talked about his own demons and his father’s suicide in several of his songs including Lullaby, Goodnight and Read All About It.

“I’m delighted to have Professor Green’s support for this year’s Mental Health and Me competition. He’s someone who’s been through some very difficult personal experiences and written about them honestly and movingly and I know he’ll connect with what our competition entrants have written about and experienced. Likewise, they’ll be encouraged by his support for their creativity and his willingness to stand up and address mental health issues head-on. Like Professor Green, the Mental Health and Me writers and spoken word performers are doing powerful things to challenge stigma around mental distress and to get people talking about how they feel. Not only is that a positive thing for the individual writers and performers but it’s a positive thing for all of us! Thanks to Professor Green and thanks to all our competition entrants – you’re all inspirational!”
Claire Stevens, Liverpool Mental Health Consortium  

The Competition
Liverpool’s Mental Health Consortium & Writing on the Wall are delighted to announce that the ‘Mental Health & Me’ writing competition is back for its second year!
To celebrate World Mental Health Day on Saturday, 10th October, the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium have created an action packed week of activities. As part of these celebrations, we are inviting you to send us an original response to the expression ‘Mental Health & Me.’ Last year’s competition was one of the highlights of the World Mental Health Day programme & attracted a wide selection of creative work across 6 categories – poetry, short stories, diary pieces or blog posts, letters, a piece of journalism, or even a tweet. This year, we’re adding a brand new category - Spoken Word - which we hope will appeal to the creative flair of even more people.

Competition entries should be sent via email to: competition@liverpoolmentalhealth.org
Postal entries should be sent to: Writing on the Wall c/o Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre, 4 Princes Road , Liverpool , L8 1TH

We encourage entries from anyone with an interest in Mental Health & wellbeing. If mental distress has affected you or someone close to you; if you have experience as a carer or a professional; or if you have a particular interest in the subject of mental health for any reason, we want to hear from you. Critical voices are also welcome!

This year’s competition is open to anyone living within Merseyside (Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens) & to all age groups.