Join legendary poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson for Desert Island Dissent — a powerful in-conversation event exploring art as a force for resistance.
In this special event, chaired by Professor Mykaell Riley, Linton will consider the music, poetry and political works that have most profoundly shaped his life and activism. Drawing on his experiences of 1970s Britain, the rise of the National Front and the cultural resistance that followed, he will reflect on the moments that forged his voice and defined decades of struggle.
From dub poetry to political literature, the evening will explore the enduring power of creative expression to confront injustice, challenge dominant narratives and inspire collective action. At a time when old ideologies are resurfacing and reactionary politics are gaining ground, Johnson’s perspective offers a vital reminder that culture can provoke change — and that resistance has its own soundtrack.
An evening of reflection, performance and urgent conversation with one of the most influential political voices of our time.
Linton Kwesi Johnson
The award-winning reggae poet and political activist was born in Jamaican 1952 before moving to London in 1963. He studied at Goldsmiths College, was a member of the Black Panthers and was poetry editor of Race Today, introducing new voices to the British public, including Michael Smith and Oku Onuora. In 1974, the Race Today Collective published Linton’s first poetry book, Voices of the Living and the Dead.
In 2002 he became only the second living poet and the first black poet to have his work included in Penguin’s Modern Classics series, under the titleMi Revalueshanary Fren. Penguin continue to publish him, now in their Selected Poems series.
Linton’s first album Dread Beat An Bloodwas released in 1978. Since then, he has released fourteen albums made with long-time collaborator and producer, Dennis Bovell, and has been running his own record label, LKJ Records, since 1981. He is also a Trustee of the George Padmore Institute and Chair of 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning.
Professor Mykaell Riley
Prof. Mykaell Riley is a pioneering musician, academic and curator. In 2024 he initiated and co-curated the first national exhibition on Black British music with the British Library, the National Sound Archive and the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU). He is Music Director of the BBC drama Boarders (on iPlayer), currently working on series three, and Principal Investigator on AHRC-funded project Equalize, working with Young Sounds UK to research access to electronic and Black music in schools.
A founder member of the British roots reggae band Steel Pulse, Mykaell has performed, produced, managed and consulted across TV, film and theatre, achieving 11 UK Top 20s and three No.1s. He founded the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra—Britain’s first Black pop string section—and has composed widely for BBC One/Two, ITV and Sky.
He established the BMRU in 2004, co-authored landmark jazz reports, and has secured over £1m in competitive research funding. Awarded the AHRC “Bass Culture” grant in 2016, he led research on Jamaican music’s impact in Britain, championed the Grime Report that informed policy change in 2017, and produced the Bass Culture exhibition (2018) and film (2019).
Mykaell serves on the academic board for the London Museum and Leeds Arts University, and is a trustee of Tavaziva Dance.
Date: Thursday 28th May
Date: May 28, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Date: May 20, 2026
7:00 pm
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Juno Dawson discusses her explosive new dystopian YA novel Survival Show in a bold online event on fame, power and resistance
Date: May 20, 2026
7:00 pm
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Democracy on Trial: Stephen Kapos, Chris Nineham and Basma Ghalayini debate power, protest and the future of democratic rights.
Date: May 21, 2026
7:00 pm
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Black Women Speak Volumes: Cathy Tyson, Yvvette Edwards, Maria O’Reilly and Linda Loy in conversation, chaired by Dr Rebecca Loy
Date: May 26, 2026
7:00 pm
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Joelle Taylor brings a staged reading of her new poetry collection Maryville to WOWFest; a searing, poetic excavation of 50 years of lesbian counterculture.
Date: May 14, 2026
8:00 pm
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Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear from one of the most celebrated writers of our time, Colm Tóibín, in conversation with Professor Frank Shovlin.
Date: May 31, 2026
7:00 pm
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Join WoW for the book launch of Silent Victims: Part 2, the powerful sequel to Gary Millar’s acclaimed Silent Victims: Part 1.
Date: November 24, 2025
6:00 pm
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The Liverpool & Slavery Walking Tour was developed and inspired by our Dorothy Kuya Archive Project, in collaboration with National Museums Liverpool. The Tour explores the many sites with direct links to the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Liverpool city centre
Date: October 4, 2025
11:00 am
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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 11, 2025
11:00 am
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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 18, 2025
11:00 am
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Join acclaimed author Attica Locke, as she explores the themes of her latest novel, Guide Me Home.
Date: October 24, 2025
6:30 pm
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The L8 Activism Walking Tour invites you to take a stroll down the beautiful tree-lined Victorian Boulevard and explore the history of Liverpool 8, the traditional home of the black community since the mid 20th century.
Date: October 26, 2025
11:00 am
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Join Professor Stephen Small as he shares insights from his forthcoming book.
Date: October 28, 2025
6:30 pm
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Join Patrick Graham, Natalie Denny and Blue Saint for a morning of African and Caribbean storytelling from Liverpool artists
Date: October 29, 2025
11:00 am
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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!
Date: May 2, 2025
7:00 pm
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Writing on the Wall’s 25th Birthday Party with Special Guest Frank Cottrell Boyce
Date: May 4, 2025
1:00 pm
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From 1979 to today, Phil Scraton’s research exposes decades of institutional abuse and the challenge of turning cases into issues.
Date: May 6, 2025
7:00 pm
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Environmental writers and activist Mike Berners-Lee and Simon O’Brien plus guests from the Liverpool Shift Sustainability Network, invite you to join with them continue raising our voices to highlight the ongoing Climate Emergency, and share ways we can continue to force action.
Date: May 7, 2025
7:00 pm
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Spycops is a powerful talk exposing decades of state-sanctioned abuse, where undercover police officers infiltrated activist groups and deceived women into intimate relationships
Date: May 8, 2025
7:00 pm
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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
5:00 pm
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Join us for a special performance by internationally acclaimed poet and urban griot Levi Tafari, as he performs from his new powerful new collection, Being Human.
Date: May 9, 2025
7:00 pm
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Dive into the raw, untamed heart of storytelling with 'Wild Writing,' a festival exploration of memoir, fiction, and the spaces in between.
Date: May 12, 2025
7:00 pm
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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.
Date: May 12, 2025
6:00 pm
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We're welcoming Kit de Waal back to WoWFEST to discuss her new novel The Best of Everything
Date: May 13, 2025
6:00 pm
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Join our panel to reflecting on our shared experiences and learn from the evolving story of Ireland. It's more than just a conversation — it's about connecting the dots between communities and cultures.
Date: May 13, 2025
7:00 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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Join author Stephen May for an evening exploring Green Ink, a gripping reimagining of Victor Grayson's mysterious disappearance amid scandal, secrets, and post-war political intrigue.
Date: May 14, 2025
7:00 pm
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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
6:30 pm
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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.
Date: May 16, 2025
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.
Date: May 18, 2025
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.
Date: May 19, 2025
7:00 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.
Date: May 19, 2025
5:00 pm
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Anthony Anaxagorou, lisa luxx, and Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah explore the Palestinian crisis through poetry and discussion, amplifying marginalized voices and advocating for justice and peace.
Date: May 20, 2025
7:00 pm
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A special screening of powerful one-minute films created by emerging filmmakers from our most recent Digital Filmmaking Bootcamp
Date: May 21, 2025
5:30 pm
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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.
Date: May 21, 2025
7:00 pm
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At this special hybrid event we will be joining all schools together for a sharing performance event, as well as announcing competition winners.
Date: May 22, 2025
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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
8:00 pm
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Whether it be the amazing professional artists and writers we’ve worked with, some of our thousands of project and festival participants, or our dedicated staff, we want to raise a glass to all that women have achieved through Writing on the Wall.
Date: May 23, 2025
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‘From Spellow to Southport…with Love’ is a day for all families, young people and children, featuring three of the UK’s best, and best-loved poets, lyricists and performers, Michael Rosen, Jackie Kay and Jordan Stephens,
Date: May 28, 2025
12:00 pm
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Join us for a special evening of remembrance, reflection, and resistance, as we celebrate the life and work of Refaat Alareer
Date: May 29, 2025
7:00 pm
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Join us for a special evening of conversation and performance with English performance poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke.
Date: May 30, 2025
7:30 pm
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Calling creatives, commissioners, health providers, community/voluntary sector organisations and individuals with lived experience connected to arts and health. Health inequities are on our doorstep – avoidable and unfair differences in health across the Liverpool City Region which, if left unaddressed, will only get worse, resulting in poorer health outcomes for the most vulnerable people in our region. Whilst these …
Date: March 18, 2025
10:00 am
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Writing on the Wall’s Pulp Idol 2025 Grand Final is Here! For seventeen years the Pulp Idol competition has uncovered the best new novelists the city of Liverpool has to offer and 2025 is no different. Many new novelists, including Ariel Khan (Raising Sparks, Bluemoose Books), James Rice (Alice and the Fly, Walk, Hodder and Stoughton …
Date: February 21, 2025
7:30 pm
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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
6:30 pm
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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
11:00 am
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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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We're thrilled to welcome Diane Abbott and Gary Younge to BHM 24 to discuss Diane's new book: A Woman Like Me
Date: October 23, 2024
7:00 pm
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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
6:30 pm
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