FREE, open-to-all events will be taking place across the city next week to mark national Libraries Week, covering topics including crime writing, poetry and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The events run from 4-10 October and incorporate National Poetry Day on 7 October.
The aim is to inspire and encourage reading and discussion, recognising reading as a life-changing activity which can help people to take action and make a positive difference to their communities.
Among the events on offer are an evening of poetry with published poet Emma Lee, a workshop on writing a novel and talks from authors on how getting published has changed their lives.
And as part of Libraries Week, National Poetry Day and Black History Month, an event at Westcotes Library on 7 October will allow readers to reflect on the importance of poetry and reading in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, focusing on the 2020 work ‘Black Lives Matter – Poems for a New World’.
Visitors to any city library between 4 and 7 October will also be able to contribute to a community poem to mark National Poetry Day. Matthew Vaughan from the city council’s libraries service explains: “We’ve provided a four-line starter and to take part, simply drop your words into the ‘poetry drop box’ at any city library. On Thursday 7 October, all contributions will be combined into a poem for Leicester, which will then be posted online, printed and displayed in libraries.”
Assistant city mayor for neighbourhoods Cllr Kirk Master said: “It’s been fantastic to welcome people back into our libraries. Now, for Libraries Week, we have a chance to celebrate the vital role that they play as spaces where communities can join together to share knowledge, engage in discussion, learn and simply socialise.
“Libraries Week events will give people the chance to meet local authors, discover how reading can inspire action and join in with National Poetry Day. But above all, they will help people to rediscover how something as simple as a visit to the library can bring joy.”
The full programme of local events and activities on offer for Libraries Week can be found at www.leicester.gov.uk/librariesweek
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