WORD

Word2012 came to a close on Thursday 31 May 2012, bringing to an end a fabulous three weeks of amazing events and projects across Islington. Word2012 involved hundreds of local people, authors performers and artists of all ages and celebrated the work of literary giants Edward Lear and Charles Dickens, as well as Robin Van Persie! We saw events, exhibitions and performances in shopping centres, football stadiums, libraries, pubs, parks, theatres and train stations! Thank you to all our partners, participants and audiences. Word2013 pre-festival programme will be launched at the Free Word Centre on Monday 14 January 2013 with the festival taking place throughout May 2013. More details to come shortly…

31 May 2012 – it’s the last day of the festival today – still time to catch Edward Lear Exhibition at Finsbury Library, Politics and Olympics exhibition at Free Word Centre, A Twist in the Tale at Islington Local History Centre, Talking Buildings at Platform, and Where are you going? hoardings at Farringdon Station too…

Check out this Word2012 festival review on the Islingtonblog

Wednesday 30 May, 7-9pm at Islington Assembly Hall. Cubitt Education presents their 3rd annual Spring ball a contemporary tea dance and multi-media extravanganza that explore the power of the written and spoken word through the visual arts. The Spring Ball 2012 features a host of exciting new works created by local older people through collaborations with artists, musicians ad writers including: contemporary dance pieces inspired by concrete poetry by local young people – spoken and recorded soundworks, poetry and prose – live life drawing and automatic writing and much more…
The event is led by the local older community and celebrates the wisdom, creativity and inspiration of our elders. All ages welcome. Booking essential contact Cubitt at 020 7278 8226

Tuesday 29 May, 7pm – Michael Rosen will be joined by the fabulous Pegasus Poetry Group from Hilldrop Community Centre, Paul Lyalls and Year 5 pupils from Thornhill Primary School for a special evening of poetry to celebrate the bicentennial of Edward Lear. Tonight at Platform. SOLD OUT.

28 May, 5pm Farringdon Station, Cowcross Street – launch of Where are you going? hoardings poetry by All Change artists Sarah Butler and Yemisi Blake, designed by Magpie Studio. As part of an exciting collaboration for Word2012 Crossrail and their contractor Laing O’Rourke/Strabag Joint Venture have worked with All Change to create poetic artworks for the public hoardings surrounding Crossrail’s station worksite at Farringdon. Sarah and Yemisi have worked with local people to explore ‘Where are you going?’ to inspire the artworks and will launch them today with a live spoken word performance on specially designed soapboxes!

Monday 28 May, Lewis Carroll Children’s Library – Apples & Snakes present SPIN whirling, twirling, twisting tales reeling rhythm, giddy rhymes, playful poems pirouette, listen as we spin some sounds Fantastic poets and performers – Jan Blake, Charlie Dark, TY and John Hegley present an interactive performance for 4 local primary schools. Invitation only.

Don’t miss a whole range of incredible Word2012 events this Saturday 26 May:
10am-12.30pm Bumper Book of London @ Waterstones Join local authors Becky Jones & Clare Lewis for a fun packed morning of quizzes for 7-12 year olds and a drawing competition for 4-6 year olds. Using their recently published Bumper Book of London to explore everything you need to know about London.
11am-1pm Grandads, dads & lads at The Emirates (Sold Out) Paul Lyalls leads a poetry workshop and stadium tour for all ages
11am-1pm Graphic Novel Workshop at Central Library for 11-16 year olds with James Parsons from Crazy Comic Club
12-5pm LIFT Launch the launch of the new youth hub on White Lion Street with loads of activities for all ages!
2-5pm Gift-Wrapped, N1 Centre look out for poets Paul Lyalls, Kat Francois and Raymond Antrobus in the N1 Shopping Centre
2.30-4.30pm Graphic Novel Workshop at North Library for 11-16 year olds with James Parsons from Crazy Comic Club
6-10pm The Saturday Night Project at Sobell Centre a range of activities for 13-19 year olds including B Writing for young women
6.30pm Wordsearch at Central Library Islington Community Theatre’s Speakeasy project take over the library and invite you to join them for a unique game of hide and seek!
7.30pm Are you sitting comfortably at the Clerk & Well White Rabbit brings you an extraordinary cabaret-style storytelling night! Topsy turvy tearoom, vintage visuals, short story readings and old fashioned music! Tickets £4 (£3 Conc)

Friday 25 May 11am-12.30pm, Inspire! young parents group with poet, Paul Lyalls host a morning of stories, rhymes and singing for parents and children under 5 at the new LIFT youth hub on White Lion Street. With coffee and cakes, admission free.

Celebrating the art of letter writing as a form of creative self-expression and global citizenship, this week young people in Islington will be writing letters to young people in Freetown, Sierra Leone as part of Wish You Were Here – a collaboration between English PEN and Sierra Leone PEN for Word2012. Writer – Kayo Chingonyi will be working with young people to get them telling and sending stories and questions through the international post.