News from library authorities:
LANCASHIRE
February got off to a chilling start in Lancashire with an event by Lucy Christopher, author of the young adult books 'Stolen' and 'Flyaway'. With its theme of kidnapping, 'Stolen' tied neatly with our crime theme and we were pleased to be able to promote this as a crossover event with adults and young people. Lucy gave an energetic and highly engaging talk about her books and the writing process and was able to inspire some of Lancashire's own young writers.
Throughout February we ran a series of six 'Living Libraries' events which promoted tolerance and understanding of different cultures and lifestyles. Topics covered by our living books were wide and varied, showcasing the breadth of backgrounds, beliefs and interests people in Lancashire have, these ranged from sessions on Morris dancing and its folk history through to people's experiences with terminal illness. The stories people presented were life-affirming and poignant. It was heartening to see how well received the events were, they stimulated a lot of positive feedback for the service.
Towards the end of the month we ran a four day mini-tour of events across the county with debut novelist Jason Wallace. Jason's book 'Out of Shadows' is set during the start of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe and is a gritty and thought-provoking read. We were keen to explore the crossover potential of the book and ran events jointly with teenage and adult reading groups. Jason spoke to over 350 people during his tour and there was a real buzz of excitement regarding his writing. He established a fantastic rapport with his audience and the book posed some very real ethical dilemmas, adding a new and unusual slant to our year of crime.
March saw the announcement of the Lancashire Book of the Year Award shortlist. Students from twelve high schools across Lancashire have actively been reading and reviewing the longlist of eighty books since September and had voted for their favourites from these. Collating the results gave us the shortlist as chosen by young people and it's an impressive and varied list with a range of written styles, genres and a good balance of new and more established authors. For further details please visit:
Which will you be championing as this year's choice of winner?!
World Book Day was an exciting event for us with libraries arranging free reservations on stock, mystery loan displays, the opportunity for customers to feedback their choice of favourite book on a crime body-outline cut-out and much more. Local crime author Neil White visited Poulton library for a special evening event. Neil works for the crime prosecution service as a lawyer and gave an insight into crime writing. At Fleetwood library we had Zoe Sharpe give a talk and launch the short story competition we are running this year to tie with the crime theme. Zoe has written us a brilliant first line for people in Lancashire to use as the start of their stories... 'I always swore, if ever I came back to Lancashire again, I'd kill him.' Who would be killed and why? You tell us!
Continuing the writing theme, back in October we ran a series of events and activities to tie with the Learning Revolution Festival. These were all based around words and the way we use these to communicate ideas, stories, learning and our past. A booklet of writing, together with information on each of the partner organisations who were involved in the project and the informal learning opportunities they provide has been published and, as you read this, is being sent out to libraries, museums and adult colleges across Lancashire.
For further information contact : Jake Hope Tel: 07791 880 239
e-mail:Jacob.hope@lancashire.gov.uk
