Showing posts with label Working Class Movement Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working Class Movement Library. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

Radical Women at Working Class Library

RADICAL WOMEN:

 1880-1914
CONFERENCE

Saturday 17 September 

9.30am-4pm

This one-day conference will celebrate the battles and
achievements of working-class women in the drive to
achieve a fairer and more balanced society. The decades
spanning the turn of the twentieth century saw an upsurge
in female activism as women began to organise
themselves into trade unions, take part in the socialist
debates on social and economic change, and demand the
vote.

Radical women not only battled against the gender-
conservative males within their family or community
but also those who claimed to be fighting for equality.

There will be keynote addresses by Professor Sheila
Rowbotham, University of Manchester and Professor
Karen Hunt, Keele University. Papers include the Cabin
Restaurant waitresses strike of 1908; the life of Crewe
tailoress, campaigner, activitist and author Ada Neild Chew;
the forgotten history of domestic servants in women’s suffrage;
radical women and the bicycle; suffragette Constance Lytton
# and the cause of prison reform; plus many more.

Full programme details: 

Tickets: £20 (£7.50 unwaged) including lunch and refreshments
Book in advance from trustees@wcml.org.uk


Saturday Library Opening 

Don't forget we're open on the first Saturday of most
months - the next one is Saturday 6 August 2016, 
10am to 4pm.




FREE TALK
Wednesday

14th September 2pm 

Pit Props: music,

international solidarity

and the 1984/85

miners' strike

A new book from the Campaign for Press and
Broadcasting Freedom, edited by Granville Williams,
marks the end of an era in coal mining in the UK
and highlights how the year-long struggle by the
miners in defence of jobs and communities still
resonates today. Details here.

This free talk is part of our autumn Invisible
Histories series. All welcome.
 

EXHIBITION 'We Only

Want the Earth'
28 September

- early 2017

On the centenary of the Easter Rising an exhibition
exploring the life of one of its leaders, James Connolly,
will be on display here at the Library.
  

No Power on Earth - Living History performance

Based on the true story of Salford man, James Hudson,
this monologue tells the story of an ordinary school teacher
at the start of the First World War who finds himself at odds
with the popular mood. The story, written by Sue Reddish,
celebrates his courage to stay true to his beliefs despite
considerable pressure, and asks the audience to consider
what they would do in such a circumstance.

This was performed at both the Library and in local schools
earlier this year. The script is now available for download
from this page on our website. Although the copyright is ours,
we would be delighted if others use it and put on their own
performances; just let us know so we can help publicise it.
 

CALLS FOR PAPERS
 Radical Footnotes

Radical Footnotes is an independent typographic space
committed to bring forward the printed expression of the
Working Class. Call for proposals: submit a short
discourse addressing problems, analyzing developments,
points of contention, methodologies, approaches and
insights concerning:
‘DAS KAPITAL’ the one hundred and fiftieth
anniversary of its publication

Deadline: December 2016

Details here http://www.socialhistoryportal.org/news/articles/308422

The Women

and Girls of Crewe,

the North of England,

and Beyond 1880-2016

One Day Conference -
Wednesday 7th, December 2016
Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe 

Proposals are invited for this free one day interdisciplinary
conference inspired by the life and works of the suffragist,
author and labour rights campaigner Ada Nield Chew and
the forthcoming centenary of the Representation of the
People Act.

Deadline: 7 August 2016

Details here:
http://www.localyouthengagement.org/uncategorized/call-for-papers/   

Copyright © 2016 Working Class Movement Library, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Working Class Movement Library
51 The Crescent,
Salford, M5 4WX
United Kingdom

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*|ELSE:|* Copyright © 2016 Working Class Movement Library, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Working Class Movement Library
51 The Crescent
Salford, M5 4WX


Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Working Class Movement Library Events

Our film mini-

festival reaches

its finale

Wednesday 1 June 6.30pm
To begin the world over again:
the life of Thomas Paine 
Today there is the Occupy movement, back then
there was Thomas Paine...
This film of Ian Ruskin’s one-man play addresses
a multitude of contemporary issues that challenge
us today. Thomas Paine was a man who changed
the face of the world through his writings. Common
Sense inspired the American Revolution, Rights of
Man defined the French Revolution, and The Age of
Reason called on us to use our ability to reason as
the basis for our beliefs and morality. This telling of
the story of Paine, ‘a man who changed the world
with his pen’, also inspires us to always speak the
truth as one sees it, no matter the consequences’.

Free screening - with popcorn...


Talkin' 'Bout That Representation
In 1969 the Representation of the People Act,
which allowed people aged 18, 19 and 20 to
vote in elections, was passed. During the 2014
Scottish Referendum 16 year olds were allowed
to vote for the first time.
The People’s History Museum and the Working
Class Movement Library want to bring together
the youth of the 1960s and today’s young people
to discuss all matters relating to the right to vote
and youth culture. We’re holding a joint event on
Friday 3 June at 2pm at the Library, as part of the
Manchester Histories Festival.

To book a ticket for the event visit

https://representation.eventbrite.co.uk.

 
Manchester Histories Festival 3-12 June 2016
Ten days  of  events  celebrating  the  familiar  and 
revealing  the  new and hidden  histories  and 
heritage  from  across  Greater  Manchester. 
Whether people  would  describe  themselves 
as  histories  fans  or  not, MHF2016 
will have something for everyone.
manchesterhistories.co.uk


Fishing in the
Dustbowl
fundraising
concert

The Library's second musical fundraising
concert takes place on Sunday 5 June from
2-4pm in Peel Hall, University of Salford, in
conjunction with the University, and features
Will Kaufman, performing and talking about
some of his Woody Guthrie songs, and John
Conolly performing and talking about  his
own songs about life and work in the east
coast fishing industry. This event is also part
of the Manchester Histories Festival
and as such we are promised a couple o
f Ewan MacColl’s songs as well...

Tickets at £10 (£8 concessions) are now

on sale from the University
online shop at shop.salford.ac.uk -
or you can pay on the door.


Conscientious objector exhibition and a repeat performance of 'No Power on Earth'There is an exhibition at the Friends Meeting
House in Manchester marking the centenary
of the introduction of conscription in 1916. 
Conscience and War tells the untold stories
of Manchester Quakers who resisted WW1 and
runs until Sunday 12 June, 9am-9pm Mondays
to Fridays and 9am-5pm Saturdays. It features
a textile installation by Sonja Andrew.
On Sunday 12 June a closing event will feature,
at 1pm, a Living History performance,
No Power on Earth, originally commissioned
by the Library and again featuring Joel Parry
as Salford conscientious objector James
Hudson.  Admission free.Friends Meeting House,
Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS.

Wednesday, 6 April 2016

Working Class Movement Library Talks

Easter Rising talk

On  Wednesday 13 April at 2pm Robin Stocks visits the Library to talk about his book on Manchester and Salford volunteers in the Easter Rising.

We mark the centenary of the Rising with an account of how, in the middle of WW1, members of the Irish community in Manchester and other British cities resolved to travel to Dublin to prepare for a rebellion to achieve independence for Ireland.  Admission free; light refreshments after.


Last chance to see our WW1 exhibition - and news of our next one!Our exhibition To End All Wars,
marking the centenary of the introduction of conscription in early 1916, ends on Thursday 14 April at 5pm It is open during our drop-in times of Wednesday to Friday 1-5pm.

Our next exhibition
To Make That Future Now! - 150 years of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council opens on Friday 29 April and runs until 26 August. It's open Wednesdays to Fridays 1-5pm and the first Saturday in May, June and July 10am-4pm.  More information here.


Poetry, fiction and painting at the LibraryOn Wednesday 27 April at 2pm artist Richard Milward presents Luddites’ Nightmares.

Taking inspiration from the machine-breaking Luddites of the early 19th century, Richard is producing a series of paintings which, in his words, ‘expose, exaggerate and ridicule the ways in which modern technology encroaches on – and distorts – everyday life’.  A loan to WCML of one of these paintings is marked by this event, when we are delighted to welcome three authors to read from their own work on themes surrounding our relationship with technology.
Joe Stretch, novelist from Stockport who recently won the W Somerset Maugham Award for his book The Adult, will be reading, alongside London poet Salena Godden and Richard Milward himself.

Admission free, light refreshments after.


Richard's painting ‘TV Interference’ can be viewed at the Library between 20 and 27 April, Tuesdays-Fridays 10am-5pm.  The painting is based around the idea that today ‘technology is in the saddle and rides humankind’ (Kirkpatrick Sale, Rebels Against The Future), as well as the potentially disruptive influence of mass media on the general public.

The Luddites' Nightmares paintings are being exhibited individually at a series of events this Spring/Summer (with readings from other contemporary authors on the technology theme) in what was the ‘Luddite Triangle’ where the original revolts took place 200 years ago: Lancashire/Cheshire to Yorkshire to Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire.


'TV Interference' (finished version)


Frow Lecture A reminder that Richard Cleminson will give the Library's 7th annual Frow Lecture in the Old Fire Station, University of Salford on Saturday 7 May at 2pm. His topic is “A new world in our hearts”: anarchism and the Spanish Civil War. Admission free; light refreshments after.  All welcome.
Salford's Sarsaparilla SoundsThree institutions, Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Islington Mill and ourselves, join forces to fly the flag for Salford on the evening of Thursday 12 May as part of Manchester After Hours 2016. Using WCML and Salford Museum as locations, Islington Mill will curate a live programme of music and spoken word that’s in tune with these unusual locations.

The night starts from 5pm onwards at WCML with the focus on spoken word performance. We will hear from:
Louise Woodcock / Sue Fox / Bob Clowrey / Lauren Bolger / Alex Cook / Rachel Margettes / Rebecca Hurst - and more TBA.

In keeping with the ethics of the library founders there will be no alcohol served for the spoken word performances -  instead Steep Soda will be running a temperance bar, serving delicious and unusual soft drinks.

After 7pm the audience will be led across the road to Salford Museum & Art Gallery where they will spend the rest of the evening. Islington Mill will produce a live music programme, and there will be a bar serving alcohol and other refreshments.

More information here.

For more information about events across the cities on Thursday 12 May visit manchesterafterhours.com.

Benny Rothman book launchOn Friday 8 April at 1.30pm the Library hosts the launch of a new book about activist Benny Rothman.  Unite the union's biography Benny Rothman: a fighter for the right to roam, workers' rights and socialism, written by Mark Metcalf, covers not only the part played by Benny in the Kinder Scout mass trespass but also his battles against Mosley's fascist Blackshirts and his wide-ranging campaigns as a trade unionist and environmentalist.

Benny's son Harry will be in attendance at the event, and everyone who comes along will get a free copy of the 64-page book.   All welcome.


A poem, a cup of tea and a biscuit... The first of a series of events devised by University of Salford Chancellor Jackie Kay takes place on Thursday 21 April at 4pm at the Clifford Whitworth Library at the University.  Flight, Feathers and Quilt is an opportunity to view the Curated by Jackie Kay exhibition and to hear Jackie talk about her selection from the University Art Collection. Poet Patience Agbabi will read from Refugee Tales and Anna Pincus from the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group will also speak - the exhibition includes a unique quilt made by refugees from the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group..

All are welcome to this free event. Booking is essential.  Please reserve a ticket here.
 
Manchester May Day Festival 2016A series of events including talks, plays and music takes place on Saturday 30 April to mark May Day in Manchester.  Full details here. The Library is compiling exhibition boards at the Manchester Mechanics Institute about our collections, and specifically about the 150th anniversary of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council which falls this year. (Our exhibition about the Trades Council opens shortly - see above).

In the evening (8.30pm) Banner Theatre presents Chicago: the great teachers’ strike. Chicago tells the story of the 2012 teachers' union strike and explores the successful organising agenda that empowered the union members and mobilised parents, students and the wider community.  Tickets price £10 available here.

Marie Stopes symposiumThroughout her life Marie Stopes courted controversy and it is sometimes difficult to disentangle fact from the fiction that she created about herself. An international symposium on 23 June at the University of Manchester draws together leading experts from a variety of different disciplines to investigate 'the real Marie Stopes'.
The Symposium is open to both academics and members of the general public. It is free but must be booked in advance as places are limited. To book a place please email: info@symposiummanchester.com
More information at www.symposiummanchester.com.

Message from Salford Community Theatre

Salford Community Theatre are now recruiting for a team of volunteers to help with the running of their play
Love On The Dole which will be performed from 5–10 July, with two performances on the 10th.
They say: 'You don’t have to be available for all of these dates, if there is an aspect of theatre production, be that in costume and props or front of house and marketing, that you would like to try your hand at we will come up with a schedule to match your availability.
If any of this is sparking your appetite for community and theatre, or even just your curiosity we have a couple of events coming up where the production team and the cast will be more than happy to tell you more.
You can register your interest with an email to Rose.Fowler@salfordcommunitytheatre.org or give us a call on 07519344668'.

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Anarchism in Spanish Civil War

WCML: Frow Lecture 2016 – anarchism and the Spanish Civil War


Richard Cleminson
THE Working Class Movement Library is delighted to announce that Richard Cleminson will give the annual Frow Lecture. His topic is “A new world in our hearts”: anarchism and the Spanish Civil War. Richard is Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Leeds.
The event, on Saturday 7 May at 2pm at the Old Fire Station, Crescent, Salford, is the seventh annual Frow Lecture, held in honour of the Working Class Movement Library’s founders Eddie and Ruth Frow.
In this lecture Richard will outline and critically assess the anarchist political and cultural contribution to social progress in the 1930s and anarchist participation in the revolutionary period of the Spanish Civil War. The talk focuses on the revolutionary changes made possible by the anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist movement in respect of the agrarian collectives, the collectivisation of workplaces, changes in gender patterns, the contribution to cultural and education change, and the “revolution of mentalities” fostered by the anarchists over this period.
The lecture is free, with light refreshments available afterwards. All are welcome.
WCML is grateful to the University of Salford for making the Old Fire Station space available.

Photo: Richard Cleminson,
Image courtesy University of Leeds