This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster — an event that displaced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, contaminated land across Europe and irrevocably altered global attitudes toward nuclear power.
Bringing together four authors who have engaged deeply with its human and political legacy, this event explores the complex realities faced by those affected. From research conducted in the Exclusion Zone on the cusp of Russia’s war on Ukraine, to intimate poetry born of catastrophe, memoir reflecting on life in the disaster’s aftermath, and examinations of the long-reaching psychological impact of displacement, the discussion spans genres and generations.
Philippa Holloway, Alex Lockwood, Mario Petrucci and Kateryna Medvediuk will reflect on how they have navigated these histories — shaping narratives that centre lived experience, honour resilience, and ensure the legacy of 26 April 1986 is neither simplified nor forgotten.
Philippa Holloway is a writer and academic with a varied career history that includes being a goatherd, a medical technician at a racing circuit, and a library assistant.
Her short fiction has been published internationally, and her debut novel, The Half-life of Snails was longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje prize for ‘a distinguished work evoking the spirit of place,’ and has been featured in an international podcast, serialised in a national newspaper, and praised on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row as ‘powerful, evocative… a terrific book.’ Her second book, Untethered – a collection of short stories – was published by Parthian in 2024.
Mario Petrucci is an award-winning poet, ecologist, broadcaster and literary translator, widely recognised as a founding force and leading voice in Ecopoetry. A Cambridge physicist with a PhD from UCL, he has published numerous collections including Heavy Water: a poem for Chernobyl, which secured the Daily Telegraph/ Arvon prize. He has collaborated on major ecological films, commissioned by the Natural History Museum and shown on TV. A former Royal Literary Fund Fellow, he has fulfilled groundbreaking poetry residencies at the Imperial War Museum and BBC Radio 3, working at the intersection of science, ecology, war and public art. His archives are held by the British Library, and he is Ecopoetry Network Coordinator for the World Academy of Art and Science.
www.mariopetrucci.com
https://facebook.com/writingintofreedom
Alex Lockwood is an author, activist and former academic who lives on a narrowboat, currently moored in London. His fiction and nonfiction focuses on our relationship with the environment and each other, and his debut novel, The Chernobyl Privileges is a psychological drama that explores the traumatic experience of surviving disaster, praised for its sensitive and compassionate portrayal of the legacy of the event. His most recent novel (Daddio!, 2025) is a family drama wrapped inside a climate comedy. He is the co-founder of a number of grassroots organisations involved in direct action and is editorial director for the cultural think tank Absurd Intelligence. Daddio! is available via the Hard Art collective with a foreword from Jay Griffiths and music accompaniment from Brian Eno. You can connect on LinkedIn.
Kateryna Medvediuk has been writing since early childhood – talent from the grandfather (they say), who died age 45 in 1986, twp months after Chornobyl disaster, a pure accident (they say) – this inspired me to write a novel “Radioactive”. Me in 2026: Recently moved to Munich, living and working in Germany in IT for 10 years now. Organising Writing Salon in English for international women to promote creative writing for beginners. Working on 2 novels and collection of short stories. Taking part in various Ukrainian literature events abroad.
Date: Tuesday 12th May
Time:6-7:30pm
Online
Date: May 12, 2026
Time: 6:00 pm
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Join Professor Stephen Small as he shares insights from his forthcoming book.
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To kick off the WoWFEST 25th anniversary celebrations with a massive boot up the proverbial, we’re delighted to bring you Irvine Welsh: Resolution!
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Writing on the Wall’s 25th Birthday Party with Special Guest Frank Cottrell Boyce
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Date: May 6, 2025
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the RIBA Writing Academy has become one of the most important institutions of our times, empowering Ukrainians all over the world to preserve their language, culture, literary heritage and to document and archive the war through poetry, prose, novels and non-fiction.
Date: May 8, 2025
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Beyond Black America: Insights from Brazilian History is the focus of this compelling online talk by friend of WoW Professor Stephen Small, urging us to look beyond familiar narratives of the Black experience.
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6:00 pm
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Brian Bilston and Henry Normal appear together for the first time in a show which one critic has described as “two people reading some poems."
Date: May 14, 2025
8:00 pm
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Date: May 14, 2025
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This event sees John Finucane MP, in conversation with Prof Paddy Hillyard of Queens University, Belfast to discuss the impact of MI5’s secret intelligence-led counter-insurgency strategy in the context of both the Stalker investigation and the killing of John’s father Patrick.
Date: May 15, 2025
7:00 pm
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A poetic exploration of Oglet Shore, a fragile green edgeland clinging to the Mersey that is being threatened by local industry.
Date: May 15, 2025
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Gary Younge returns to WoWFEST to highlight how black people, despite the huge role that they played in WW11, have been written out of the story.
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7:00 pm
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Come together for an unforgettable night of music and spoken word, celebrating diversity and combating racism in one of Liverpool’s most iconic venues.
Date: May 17, 2025
7:00 pm
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The Singh Twins. 'Slaves of Fashion' explores diverse histories and legacies of empire and colonialism through the history of Indian textiles.
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2:00 pm
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WoWFEST’s panel, featuring Chris Nineham, Niheer Dasandi, and Roger Hill, discusses democracy under attack—and how we can fight back.
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WoWFEST’s panel, featuring Chris Nineham, Niheer Dasandi, and Roger Hill, discusses democracy under attack—and how we can fight back.
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A special screening of powerful one-minute films created by emerging filmmakers from our most recent Digital Filmmaking Bootcamp
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Sam Wetherell discusses his critically acclaimed work Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain, a profound exploration of the city’s role in shaping the narrative of modern Britain.
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When more than ever before politics feels like parody, what role does satire have left to play? Can laughter still challenge authority, expose hypocrisy, and spark change — or has the joke already worn thin?
Date: May 22, 2025
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Date: May 23, 2025
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Join us for a special evening of conversation and performance with English performance poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke.
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7:30 pm
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Date: March 18, 2025
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Join us for the launch of Silent Victims: Part One by Gary Millar! In 1958 Thalidomide, marketed as a new ‘wonder drug’, was first used in the UK, promising relief from morning sickness for expectant mothers. It’s impact was devastating, leading to countless miscarriages and causing over 10,000 children to be born with a range of severe …
Date: February 27, 2025
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The Great War to Race Riots tour, delivered since our first Black History Month festival in 2016, explores anti-black race riots that occurred in Liverpool and other seaports across the country in 1919.
Date: October 6, 2024
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The Dorothy Kuya Walking Tour explores the impact of Dorothy Kuya's anti-racist activism in modern Britain as we explore the Liverpool and the L8 area.
Date: October 13, 2024
11:00 am
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Join us in remembering and celebrating the impact and legacy of sound system culture in Liverpool, with an evening of discussion, deejays and dancing. Featuring music from the original Strugglers' Sound System, from the days of The Frontline.
Date: November 23, 2024
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