I spotted some interesting and... errr.... interesting events on this year...
Hear Her Roar: Fighting for Feminism series
‘You didn’t mess with the Founding Mothers, the First Ladies of Humanity, because we gave as good as we got, we fought back like the beasts we all were, we women didn’t run screaming when we were confronted with human foes and expect men to defend us… we owned our physical strength,’ wrote Bernardine Evaristo in her trailblazing short story The First Feminists.
So many aspects of this bold and raw reimagining of the existential struggles women faced from the very dawn of the human race still strongly resonate with women in their ongoing battle for equality today. This August, we hear from some of the most influential voices fighting on the front-line for feminism across the world.
Hallie Rubenhold: The Problem with Great Men
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara: The Female Gaucho
Lola Olufemi & Minna Salami: Critical Reflections on Feminism
Bernardine Evaristo with Nicola Sturgeon: The Triumph of Girl, Woman, Other
Selva Almada: Giving Voice to the Victims of Femicide
Mieko Kawakami: Three Daughters of Osaka
Susan Abulhawa: Grace in the Face of Violence
Young, Fierce and Proud series
In her 2017 book The Gender Games, Juno Dawson writes: ‘I dare to dream of a world where people can dress, speak and behave how they want, free from mockery, derision, judgement, harassment and danger’.
The fact that this seemingly simple dream is one that needs to be ‘dared’ highlights the plight faced by so many young – and not so young – people today. This year’s series of events for young adults takes a fearless and unflinching look at those issues which still hinder many from being accepted.
From tackling racism and gender stereotypes, to celebrating diversity in all its forms, and empowering people to make their voices heard, these events offer exciting and challenging perspectives for all of us to heed – whether you’re sixteen or decades older.
Dean Atta & George Lester: Shine On AGE 12+
Representation Matters with Hannah Lee & Jessica Love
Retelling Tales with Joseph Coelho, Juno Dawson & Kiran Millwood Hargrave AGE 14+
Nikita Gill & Nic Stone: Writing Resistance AGE 12+
Paul Mendez & Derek Owusu: Thorny Intersections
Children's Programmes
Formidable Females with Lari Don & Eilidh Muldoon AGE 8+
Get Adventurous with Lily Dyu & Helen Skelton AGE 8+