WORD

Congratulations to the all young people, staff and artists for their hard work in transforming the Cornwallis Play and Youth Project on Saturday 19 May with amazing designs and poetry! Cllr Catherine West joined the group to celebrate their achievements and everyone enjoyed a tasty barbecue provided by the Cornwallis team.

99 parents and children enjoyed a noisy and fun afternoon at Central Library on Sunday with Prof Patel, Punjeet and Judy Gee!

Wednesday 23 May 6.30-7.30pm, Central Library – A celebration of crime literature in three courses! Islington based authors Christopher Fowler (creator of the best-selling Bryant and May series), Laura Wilson (winner of the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger) and comic crime writer LC Tyler explore the richness and diversity of detective fiction.

Pop Up and Little Angel Theatre have been working with Islington International Families and Somali Speakers Women’s Group as part of Word2012 on a puppetry and story-telling collaboration. Today sees an invitation only work-in progress sharing at Little Angel Theatre at 6pm. A public performance will take place at Pop Up Festival of Stories, Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July at King’s Cross Central.

Where are you going? – Crossrail hoardings are now live on display at Farringdon Station, Cowcross St. EC1. As part of an exciting collaboration for Word2012, Crossrail and their contractor Laing O’Rourke/Strabag have worked with All Change to commission writers Sarah Butler and Yemisi Blake to create poetic artworks for the public hoardings surrounding Crossrail’s Farringdon Station worksite. Sarah and Yemisi have worked with local residents and workers, inspired by the question ‘Where are you going?’ to create the poetry. The hoardings have been designed by Magpie Studio. A special launch event takes place next Monday 28 May at 5pm.

Check out MyVoice Young Reporter – Elisa’s review of the Radicals, Rebels and Revolutionaries talk at Islington Museum last Friday here

Something Different – 12-4pm, Saturday 19 May, Cornwallis Play and Youth Project – join us to see and help complete the transformation of the building by young people working with All Change artists Carl Stevenson, Yemisi Blake and Chris McFazdean. Fun for all the family and free BBQ.
Heroes and Villains, Graphic Novel Workshop 2-4pm, Saturday 19 May, Islington Museum for young people aged 11-16 with Crazy Comic Club’s best-selling cartoonist, James Parsons. Sponsored by Gosh!
Bollywood Punch and Judy, 3pm Sunday 20 May, Central Library Prof Patel performs his unique version using characters drawn from the diversity of modern day Britain.

Friday 18 May: 6pm Radicals, Rebels and Revolutionaries talk, Islington Museum followed by 7pm Visit to the Marx Memorial Library Free Admission.
Talk: Clerkenwell Green has been an important focus for radicals for over 600 years. From rebels of the Peasants’ Revolt to the Tolpuddle Martyrs and Chartists the Green has been used as a rallying point. The Marx Memorial Library at 37 Clerkenwell Green has previously hosted Eleanor Marx, Friedrich Engels and Vladimir Lenin. The Green retains its political association with an annual Workers’ Day march. Walk: After the talk, take a short walk with us to the Marx Memorial Library where John Callow – Director, will lead a tour of this historic building, built in 1738 as a Welsh Charity School. Highlights include extensive archives of the working class movements, a mural of the working classes overthrowing the symbols of capitalism and the editing office where Lenin produced the revolutionary newspaper called ‘Iskra’ (The Spark)

Thursday 17 May 6.30-7.30pm, Islington Central Library
Limehouse Book’s three debut novelists take to the stage to discuss life, work and literature. We begin with Sophia Blackwell’s brilliant After My Own Heart, a light-hearted romance where the course of true love is never straight. Model and blogger, North Morgan follows with Exit Through the Wound – a post-nihilistic journey through office emails, three-way relationships, drugs and decadence. Finally Bobby Nayyar will read from West of No East, a novel of love and protest written concurrently to real-world events from November 2010 to April 2011. The authors will read selected passages from their novels followed by a panel debate. Admission Free.

Waterstones, Islington Green 5pm Wed 16 May Since March over 180 young people have been voting across the borough. Last night 38 of them joined Islington-based authors Katie Dale, Sara Grant, Sophie McKenzie and Candy Gourlay for the Islington Teen Reads vote 2012 announcement and lively panel discussion. Jeff Kinney’s ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ won the vote! – read a review by young reporter, Elisa and more pictures here