Residency in Focus

As it is nearing the end of 2006, I thought it would be as good a time as any to take stock of what I have achieved in my time as Writer in Residence at the Lit and Phil and what I have planned to do during 2007.
I started way back in September 2006, when the weather was just turning cold and I was full of hope. This month would be spent trying to get to grips with the library's tract collection as the computer catalogue was down. So I had to do everything the slow way, going through each and every single tract booklet to find anything related to slavery and the region. What I established was a general knowledge, for myself, about the issues surrounding slavery and why it should or should not be abolished. The long Wilberforce speech to the House of Commons comes to mind here.
October was the month that the Lit and Phil went public with its new image of bringing in the new;in terms of audience, readers, writers and events. National Poetry Day showed nearly 30 poets, from around the region, reading a poem and then a group poem at the end. It was a successful evening, if I say it myself, and there are souvenir copies of the poetry anthology that was produced for the night still circulating. It was October when I also started working with a special group of children at Moorside Community Primary School. What a talented bunch of writers they turned out to be. The work culminated is a visit to the Lit and Phil and there will be an exhibition of their work going up in the library in the New Year as a way of sharing their creations with the library's members.
November, with the nights drawing in, was a time to consolidate the information I had collected, from my own readings and those of my volunteers,to ascertain the extent of the region's industries, societies, groups and people's involvement in the trade and abolition of slavery. And it turns out to be a long list!
All these months were a creative time for me, where I was being inspired by what I was reading to then go away and write a number of poems.The public display of this work and research was evident in my first solo reading in December. And as you might have read in the other postings , it was a tremendous evening, in so many different ways.
So I would argue quite strongly that we have established a good relationship with the Lit and Phil, a relationship which is proving beneficial to all the parties involved. I would even go as far to say that there has been more people, and different people, through the library's doors, and some even joining as a result of the increased profile of the Society.
What does 2007 have in store for the library and me?
More workshops happening within its walls, if not facilitated by myself then by fellow writers from around the country. More hosting of reading events, lectures, storytelling and discussions. Hopefully with ACE funding the Lit and Phil will be able to host their first writing competition. There will be a postcard campaign coming out of my research, including images and key facts that link the region with the slave trade and abolition. Also the creative pieces inspired by this research will see the light of day again as we plan to put the pieces to music with an orchestra and choir, and showcase it with other pieces of written, visual and art work.
I'll stop there as this could be a case of information overload but I'd just like to say that these past few months at the Lit and Phil have only been the beginning. Watch this space!