2023 - Programme
We'll update this page as workshops for this year are confirmed. Please contact us if you are interested in booking a stall or running a talk/workshop
Bookfair main space
Stalls and the vegan cafe will be in the gallery space (ground floor) all day.
Workshops Timetable
Room 1 is on the first floor of the venue, Room 2 is on the second floor & the Theatre Space is in the basement. There is a lift.
- 12pm till 12.50pm (Room 1) - Las Abejas in Chiapas, Mexico and how they organise - International solidarity - a talk about the experience of spending two weeks going on a civil observation brigade (BriCO) in Chiapas with the Abejas of Acteal. The Abejas are a tsotsil speaking social movement, whose demands for land and indigenous autonomy have allied them closely to the better known Zapatista cause. Unlike the Zapatistas, the Abejas are pacifists, but their support of the Zapatistas has led to reprisals and, in 1997 a terrible massacre for which they are still seeking justice. This talk will give some history of the Abejas, situating their struggle in the context of broader political conflicts in Chiapas, and giving some personal observations on the contemporary situation.
- 12pm till 12.50pm (Room 2) - War Against Trans People - How Can We Build The Resistance? - The war on trans is being used as a wedge issue to drive sections of the working class against the left. Trans kids in particular are under constant attack. Faced with a media that's pushing anti-trans narratives and creating a climate of fear, the political establishment is again and again accommodating to transphobia rather than challenging it. The involvement of far right organisations in anti-trans campaigning is one of many aspects that have never been called out by those in positions of power and influence.
- 1pm till 1.50pm (Room 1) - Solidarity Federation - Sexism Is A Workplace Issue - A direct action approach to sexism at work
- 1pm till 1.50pm (Room 2) - Palestine Action - How To Shut Elbit Down - We are a direct-action focused organisation. This means that while we use social media and workshops as spaces of education and awareness making, direct-action is our first and last priority. We believe that there is enough education out there to understand the situation in Palestine, now is the time to use that knowledge to take action. We use a variety of tactics from direct-action to civil disobedience to pressure companies to either end their complicity in Israel’s Apartheid regime, or to leave.
- 2pm till 2.50pm (Room 1) - Print Culture and the Formation of the Anarchist Movement in Spain 1890-1915 (book talk) - James Yeoman's book tells the story of the origins of one of the largest anarchist movements in history, through its newspapers, pamphlets, books, and flyers - more info about the book
- 2pm till 2.50pm (Room 2) - Making Things Happen & Being Safe - Two Mini-Lessons For Multi-Tasking Anarchists - A couple of Liverpool Social Centre members will share some experience and work with you through a couple of tricky scenarios: facilitating and participating in a difficult meeting and dealing with difficult or distressed people in a crowded environment. This workshop may be fun.
- 3pm till 3.50pm (Room 1) - No War But The Class War - A discussion on internationalist opposition to war in Ukraine and the current wave of strike action in the UK and elsewhere
- 3pm till 3.50pm (Room 2) - Word Vomit – a poetry/spoken word workshop which discusses therapeutic writing & broadcasting
- 4pm till 5pm (Theatre space) - Resisting The Rise Of The Far Right (discussion) - given the recent targeting of asylum seekers it’s really crucial to resist the far right. Let’s get together to listen to each other & talk about what more needs to be done, in the spirit of opposition & community care