Working in tandem with the British Library and their current exhibition, ‘Fantasy: Realms of Imagination’, Inspire are bringing a whole programme of fanciful and folkloric entertainment to our city...
Ursula Le Guin, one of the very best fantasy writers, said that adults were afraid of dragons because they were afraid of freedom. Personally, I think it’s because they can breathe fire. Whatever the reasoning, it’s hard to deny the appeal of imaginary realms, especially in the post-New Year lull, where everything really does feel ‘always winter, never Christmas’.
But do not lose hope! Inspire, the group who run Nottinghamshire libraries, have decided to charge up their magic and come to our rescue. Working in tandem with the British Library and their current exhibition, ‘Fantasy: Realms of Imagination’, Inspire are bringing a whole programme of fanciful and folkloric entertainment to our city.
So, a touring taster of the British Library’s full fantasy exhibition will be featured in Worksop Library from now until the 28th of January (you’ve not got long!), and then in Kirkby-in-Ashfield Library from the 1st until the 24th of February.
As well as this, you can find Inspire’s own complementary pop-up exhibition in Sutton-in-Ashfield library from the 1st to the 24th of Feb, taking visitors on ‘a lighthearted quest back in time’, diving into local archives to discover Nottinghamshire’s own fantasy heritage.
There’ll also be jigsaws, postcard activities and a bespoke range of fantasy books available on request across all Notts libraries. But in case you were thinking that that doesn’t quite add up to a Fellowship, there’s a succession of one-off-events for children and adults, too:
Saturday the 3rd of February: two children’s writing workshops at Mansfield Central and Worksop Libraries with Anna Kemp, the author of the Into Goblyn Wood series.
Thursday the 8th of February: an evening with local bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood, M.A Kuzniar at Beeston Library.
Saturday the 10th of February: A Small World Cinema shadow play activity and short film screening, including a fairy tale by a silhouette artist, at Kirkby-in-Ashfield Library.
Tuesday the 20th of February: An interactive film workshop, Monstrous Flesh: Women’s Bodies In Horror with Clelia McElroy, a Nottingham-based film events producer.
There! We have delivered your quest markers, and you must do the rest. You can find out more using this link. Fellow adventurers, wrap up warm, we trust we will see you soon.
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