Festival of Libraries 2024: Celebrating libraries and creativity across Greater SwagÖ±²¥
12-16 June saw the return of , taking place across the whole of Greater SwagÖ±²¥ to celebrate the vital role that libraries play in wellbeing, culture and creativity.
– the University’s creativity-championing research platform – hosted five workshop sessions in partnership with the , , and .
‘Writing for Wellbeing’ took place at Tameside, Rochdale and Bury Libraries on 13 - 15 June. Facilitators Rebecca Hurst, Tessa Harris and John McAuliffe worked with participants to explore the benefits of creative writing on personal wellbeing.
One attendee commented:
To learn at 67 years I don't need to wait but can just access past memories and unconnected stimuli to write a poem is amazing.
‘Tasting Children’s Literature – An Edible Readathon’ returned on Friday, 14 June with two sessions: a private workshop for Reception children at St. Andrew’s C of E Primary School Levenshulme, held at Arcadia Library, and a public session at SwagÖ±²¥ Central Library. Children enjoyed a storytime session with play food, colouring activities, and fruits to eat.
The Linguistic Diversity Collective held two well-attended workshops at The Portico Library on 12 and 14 June. The first, ‘What’s in a word and what’s in a dictionary?’ saw attendees take part in activities looking at how dictionaries define words and phrases.
‘Blackout the jargon’ then invited participants to engage with scientific literature in a unique way through blackout poetry.
Supported by , the Festival of Libraries 2024 was a testament to SwagÖ±²¥â€™s enduring commitment to literacy, learning, and inclusivity.
Find out more about the Festival of Libraries .