Word Live in Libraries

Word Live In Libraries was a tour of diverse authors and creative practitioners to 20 libraries across the South West of England, beginning in May 2023 and ending in early 2024.

Twenty libraries across the region, embracing public, university, college, school and NHS hospital libraries came together to form a unique touring network to host a proliferation of novelists, poets, playwrights and spoken word artists drawn from different backgrounds and cultures, both resident in the South West and new to the area. Each writer was invited to facilitate one or more creative workshops – reading groups or writing classes – followed by a live ‘In Conversation’ evening event. As well as engaging with the general public, each library chose the audience it would most like to reach, ranging from LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent members of the local community, to young adults, refugees and new arrivals. Most tour events were held live, in person, at each library with many also available for simultaneous online broadcast and accessible to all.