Photographer: Zaki Grant (Instagram: @caseusphoto)
A woman walks into a tattoo parlour. But this is no ordinary woman, and this is Hackney in 2233. Jones’ body is covered in tattoos but she wants to add one final inking to her gallery – a thin line of ink mixed with blood that connects her body art together, creating a unique map.
As the two artists set to work, Jones tells them the story behind each tattoo. As Jones is no ordinary woman, these are no ordinary stories: each one represents a doorway to a life Jones fell into, a ‘remembering’. Some of these lives were in the past, others in the future, some are sideways, but each of them connects Jones to the two tattoo artists in some way, though they are unaware of it.
We visit the dystopian cities of the Quiet Men, the coal mines of 19th century Lancashire, join a gang of vigilante sex workers, enter the world of an INCEL murderer, haunt the old Maryville gay bar, and uncover plans to genetically modify female children. Each of the stories brings us closer to Jones’ truth, and how her life is intricately interwoven with that of the women tattooing her body.
Set across geographies and timespans,The Night Alphabet is a dazzlingly bold and original work, a deep investigation into human nature and violence against women.
Joelle read from The Night Alphabet and was in conversion with Roger Hill, freelance director, performer, writer, lecturer and broadcaster.
Joelle Taylor is a T.S Eliot Prize 2022 Prize winner for C+NTO & Othered Poems, Joelle Taylor is the author of 4 collections of poetry and a novel. C+NTO is currently being adapted for theatre with a view to touring. A former UK SLAM Champion she founded the national youth poetry slams SLAMbassadors through the Poetry Society in 2001, remaining its Artistic Director until 2018. She is a co-curator and host of Out-Spoken Live, resident at the Southbank Centre, and an editor at Out-Spoken Press. Joelle is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and the 2022 Saboteur Spoken Word Artist of the Year.
Roger Hill has presented the nation’s longest running alternative music programme on BBC Radio Merseyside for nearly 40 years. He played a prominent and active part in the development of Youth Theatre in the U.K, and worldwide beginning in the 1980’s with chairing the National Association of Youth Theatres (NAYT). From his roots at Liverpool Everyman Theatre to freelance ventures and lecturing, Hill’s journey has evolved, most recently delving into Live Art performance and storytelling courses, alongside his own creative projects and autobiographical performance works.
Thursday 30th May, 8pm
Philharmonic Music Room, Sugnall St, Liverpool L1 9BP
£11
Tickets for this event include a £1 venue restoration levy, included in the ticket price. This fee supports building investment at the Grade II-listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
If you would like to purchase a gifted ticket for someone who can’t afford it, please buy directly from the event page and we will offer your ticket out.
Date: May 30, 2024
Time: 8:00 pm
Black Music Exhibitions Collection Available to View Throughout October as part of Liverpool’s Black History Month Celebrations - Monday to Wednesday and Saturdays
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WoW have been invited to deliver The National Archives impact seminar and to present WoW’s unique Creative Heritage model and approach to curating archives.
Date: October 3, 2024
1:00 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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Join us in Black History Month for a powerful event featuring a documentary by local filmmaker Bea Freeman, exploring the causes and aftermath of the 1981 Toxteth Riots.
Date: October 16, 2024
7:00 pm
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Your Local Arena special screens Rudies Come Back, the energetic 1980 BBC Arena film made by Jeff Perks right at the moment that 2-Tone was emerging, capturing its unique blend of 1960s blue beat and ska with 1970s reggae, soul and punk.
Date: October 17, 2024
7:30 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 19, 2024
11:00 am
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The George Garrett Walking Tour explores the life, writings and activism of George Garrett a 'militant advocate of tolerance' who travelled the world and whose work explored the poverty and struggle of the working class in the 1920's and 1930's.
Date: October 20, 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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In Babylon’s Burning author and activist Rick Blackman explores impact and connections between three musical movements
Date: October 24, 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: October 26, 2024
6:30 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 27, 2024
11:00 am
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Join us for the fourth session of the Writer’s Bloc 2024! IMPORTANT: Please do not turn up to a Writer’s Bloc session without registering and being invited. Numbers are limited and session attendance is by invite only. We are unable to allow entry if you have not been accepted onto the session.
Date: September 6, 2024
11:00 am
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Join us for the fourth session of the Writer’s Bloc 2024! IMPORTANT: Please do not turn up to a Writer’s Bloc session without registering and being invited. Numbers are limited and session attendance is by invite only. We are unable to allow entry if you have not been accepted onto the session.
Date: August 16, 2024
11:00 am
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Join us for the second session of the Writer’s Bloc 2024! We are thrilled to welcome acclaimed Liverpool novelist and poet, Ashleigh Nugent. Ashleigh will be talking about his debut novel, Locks and sharing his journey of turning personal experiences into compelling stories. The session will take place on Friday 14th June at Toxteth Library. Please sign …
Date: June 14, 2024
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Date: May 13, 2024
11:00 am
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Tony Wailey's latest book, Lights Bearing West, is about memory, place and distance, messages sent, delivered, picked up, put down, kept or discarded. Going away, having adventures and coming home, whether these adventures are first hand or tenth hand, is part of everyone’s trilogy in Liverpool – even for those who have never left the river.
Date: May 22, 2024
7:00 pm
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Date: May 23, 2024
7:00 pm
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