Launching Word Live in Libraries 2023
Word Live in Libraries 2023 is here! A tour of diverse authors and creative practitioners to 20 libraries across the South West of England opens this month – first stop Sherborne Library, Dorset, welcoming novelist Patrick Gale.
Funded by Arts Council England, the tour is organised by South Western Regional Library Services (SWRLS) in partnership with Literature Works.
Twenty libraries across the region; public, university, college, school and NHS hospital libraries are all coming 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 will 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 has chosen 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. The events will be held either live in person, online or both, to ensure the tour is accessible to all.
‘As the national development agency for culture and creativity, we strive to ensure that every person has access to the remarkable creativity and culture on their doorsteps. This collaboration between South Western Regional Library Services and regularly funded organisation, Literature Works, helps us to achieve that mission. We’re excited to see its debut at Sherborne Library in Dorset and witness the positive impacts throughout the tour through to Autumn.’
The first event is on Thursday 25 May at Sherborne Library where novelist Patrick Gale opens the tour with a reading group discussion about his latest book Mother’s Boy followed by an ‘In Conversation’ event, both live in person and broadcast online. Crime writer Vaseem Khan follows on 8 June at Clevedon Library during Crime Reading Month and further tour dates introducing new writers across the region will be added right through to the end of November. Tickets are all offered on a ‘Pay What You Can’ basis and bookable via ticketsource here.
Keep an eye on our Project page and our social media as more events are announced.
