A raft of new events will take place as part of Liverpool’s Year of Writing (LYOW) thanks to a funding boost.
Literacy events, workshops, a writing bus and writer’s boot camp will be just some of the activities for adults and children, all designed to improve literacy in the city and inspire through creativity.
The new programme has been made possible thanks to Arts Council England funding worth £45,974 which has been awarded to arts organisation Writing on the Wall which is working in partnership with Liverpool City Council and a number of other partners to deliver the special year. The activities include:
- More work in schools; writing competitions; Letters to Liverpool; Sharing/Caring words; writing for online games; coding and make-fests; blogging and book reviews and Zine making.
- A Youth Steering Group will be established with a budget to commission new work for and by young people.
- Pop up writing centres in local highstreets and libraries.
- A mobile writing bus.
- High profile Liverpool Writers in Residence throughout the year.
- A Writer’s Market Place/Boot Camp.
- Competitions: Playwriting, novel writing, flash fiction and short stories, with a series of themes including the environment and recovering after the lockdown/pandemic.
The year of writing is part of a three-year initiative across the Liverpool City Region to help support literacy and learning with all residents across the region. The Year of Reading was delivered throughout 2020 and the third year will be the Year of Oracy/Spoken Word in 2022 looking at developing literacy through speaking and listening.
Liverpool Mayor, Joanne Anderson says:
‘This is fantastic news for the city and will play a key role in continuing to inspire and engage people from our diverse communities, many in areas that struggle with literacy and have limited access to libraries, to take up reading and creative writing and offer people a way to express themselves, find their voices and tell their own stories to add to the many, many amazing stories our city is famous for.’
Writing on the Wall Co-Director and Chair of the 2021 Liverpool City of Writing, Mike Morris says:
‘The Year of Writing is an initiative that we at Writing on the Wall are proud to have been asked to lead on for Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool. The pandemic and Lockdowns have shown just how vital creative activity has been for people of all ages and from all communities in keeping them engaged, outward looking and mentally active. The wok of arts organisations across the city has been inspiring on so many levels, and this brilliant funding award will help us keep the momentum going.’
Liverpool Year of Writing Coordinator, John Maguire says:
‘Liverpool is renowned for its writers. People are natural born story-tellers and this funding will really enrich the continuation of our activities for the year and celebrate the talent we have in the region. Allowing us to reach even more people by getting out on the Writing bus. Just the tonic needed at this current moment in time. A real boost to literacy.’
#LiverpoolWrites is a celebration of writing in all its forms, and involves writers, artists, and arts and cultural organisations coming together to inspire young and old to put pen to paper to improve literacy in the city.
Liverpool’s 2021 Year of Writing launched in January and is a year-long digital and live programme, including city-wide writing exercises, masterclasses, discussions, performances, writers’ in residence online and in local communities and schools.
Already there are 145 Local Arts Partners activelyinvolved in this year of activity, 111 events and activities have been amplified online, everything from book launches, to writing workshops, competitions to festivals. Working with LAAF, Dead Ink Books, Comma Press, Black Fest, Luma Creations to name just a few.
Objectives for The Year of Writing:
You can find out more on the LYOW website
@LiverpoolWrites
Contact the team:info.2021yearofwriting@gmail.com
