A message from TAYLOR BURNS & CLIVE JUDD, co-curators of STORIE.
In November 2023, we launched our project STORIE, a bi-monthly experimental prose night that takes place in Digbeth, Birmingham. Since the launch event, we have platformed 20 writers of all stripes with 15 of these writers from or currently residing in the West Midlands. At our most recent event, we asked the audience, consisting of writers & new literature lovers, to contribute their personal reflections on the importance of libraries to their lives in support of the Birmingham Loves Libraries campaign.
But before we share some of these reflections, a personal note from us:
We are both proud, working-class, West Midlands writers, & growing up in our respective communities here in Birmingham—in the case of Taylor—& in Worcester—in the case of Clive—access to literature came first & foremost through the library systems in our cities. Whether this early access be via the physical environments themselves, a haven for the codex, spaces that foster a love for the written word, & respect for the quiet intimacy of one’s relationship with the humble book, or the mobile libraries that served our schools, or nearby rural locations, bringing a wider access to writers, stories, & ideas, libraries have played an essential role in giving us both a platform into the written, creative arts, still a place of intimidation &, sadly, lacking in authentic, diverse working-class voices. Taylor is a published & respected novelist & short fiction writer with his debut novel, a searing, personal & deeply moving account of a young man coming of age in the concrete streets of Birmingham set to be released on Zero Books in 2025, a vanguard independent publisher originally formed in part by one of Britain’s most important working-class thinkers, Mark Fisher. Clive is a published playwright, winner of the prestigious Papatango Prize in 2022, with his work described in the Guardian as ‘a truly exciting discovery with what feels like a quietly radical new form of genre-defying theatre'. We now find ourselves leading a literature project together, that sees us pool our respective experiences & tastes into a night that reflects the true depth & breadth of writing in the West Midlands, & further afield. These accolades were not simply bestowed on us from higher powers, or places of privilege. We have both worked tirelessly for our modest successes—the fact we even refer to them as ‘modest’ a signifier of the doubts that still haunt us as working-class artists—& if we scratch even slightly under the surface of our achievements, we find all routes leading back to the library. We need more writers like us, writers who are willing to look at the world through an alternative lens, & the threat to spaces that foster thought & provide free—we’ll say it louder FREE—access to literature at any level of experience or age, is one of the gravest we face here on the ground as artists & activists ploughing a furrow in the field of contemporary letters.
We hope with these words - & those of our audience at STORIE—we offer a brief reminder of the importance & reach of this most fundamental public resource—the library.
“... Libraries are a symbol that a culture believes in the intellect, the soul, the creative spirit, & the arts. It is a symbol that a society believes in more than money & shopping. A library is a secular temple, & should be treated with the same reverence...’
JACKSON REES, writer & artist
“...I’ve been a regular visitor to libraries for much of my life, using them in secondary school, university & throughout my twenties. Upon reflection, I can only see their necessity. As a child, the library was where I was encouraged to uncover & reinforce knowledge, to grip hold of tools that were to build life onward. Where friendships were steeled, while overcoming the frustrations of young ignorance. It was the raindrop into the river that set off the waves of curiosity throughout the rest of time. As a young adult, it was where I could relieve boredom, where the absence of duty meant the freedom of choice. The freedom of choice led to the freedom within creativity, where truths of the world are unveiled by the strength of imagination. As a man, I have spent hours & days & weeks & months tapping into that strength, becoming purposeful by engaging with potential. Change & greatness & prosperity has always come from potential. Potential has always come from the spark of an idea. The knowledge of those ideas, of imagination & will, has always come from the place where people meet, the centre of understanding, the library...”
CURTIS FALCONER, novelist
“... Some of my most vivid childhood memories are of libraries: standing too long in the school library, absorbed in the book I’d opened just to see what the writing was like; trying to pass for a teenager aged 9, to take out Point Horrors in my local library. When my own kids were little, we would regularly visit our local library in Kings Heath, to take out books, to go to story time or Rhythm and Rhyme, or just to sit & read together to pass the time. When we relocated to Auckland, NZ, for two years, the first thing we did once we’d settled in was join the local library.My kids are lucky, they’ve got books at home, but that doesn’t reduce the joy they get from visiting the library. For so many kids the library is the only access they have to books. And libraries aren’t just about the books. They’re a safe, warm place where anyone can go & sit for free, for as long as they like. They provide access to computers & the internet for those who don’t have it at home, they provide local information & support for newly arrived refugees.Libraries are community hubs, & if we lose them we lose one more thing that holds our community together...”
RUTH DONNELLY, literary translator
“... Libraries are a lifeline for everyone – all ages, all backgrounds. From mums with their children, to students revising, & older people seeking technical support. Libraries are so much more than just books. And this isn’t to undermine the value of books, of course! Libraries offer a warm, indoors space, computer access, arts & crafts groups, communities & more, all for free! We must not take them for granted, & we must certainly protect them! They’ve been a lifeline for me, & they should continue to be there for others to come...”
ALIYAH BEGUM, poet
“... The cuts always seem to focus first on the aspects of civic society that actually make life worthwhile, & that can consolidate resilience to adversity. If we switch off culture, heritage, information & literature first, we disarm ourselves from the story we can tell about defeating the invisible adversaries created by austerity. Otherwise, we are merely surviving, & getting used to daily survival as a standard condition. Instead, we should be living! Close something else! Keep the library open...!”
BEN WADDINGTON, writer & director of Still Walking
“... As a child, going in through the huge double doors of Acocks Green library, I can only describe the feelings I experienced as wonder, & excitement. That I would get to choose any book(s) I wanted from the vibrant children’s section was a gift. I used to take a small stack away with me, my mum holding my hand (& some books) as we walked home, then sit for hours reading once I was home.Now, being older, libraries are still to me a place of wonder. I’ve lived in various counties over the past decade, and each time I’ve moved house, I’ve checked: signed up to the local GP, sorted out my council tax, registered with my local library. Which is essentially to say that, for me, libraries are essential.They are a lifeblood for communities of sharing ideas, sharing knowledge, planting seeds. They are a place of solace. They are a place of parity - free access for all to computers & WiFi, books & magazines, (even DVDs & CDs!) & spaces for people to meet, for classes to be held, aiding bringing communities together & forming connections. In a society that is increasingly describing itself as isolated, as a lonelier place, we need libraries - we need them for meeting other people, for opening up opportunities for local communities. We need them to make things fairer. We need them for encouraging the next generation to read, to drink in ideas & develop their own, to propel us forwards; & we need libraries to demonstrate that we as a city, a county, a country place value on ideas, learning, education, equity, community, on writers, thinkers & artists.I was so lucky to walk to my local library as a child, and that I had that experience - one which I’ve carried through into adulthood. Children and young people now who could miss out on that, won’t know what they have lost - but we will, and we will feel those repercussions on communities in the years to come. Save our libraries, for they are essential...”
SASHA BUTLER, writer
“... Libraries take you to other worlds. The outside. When I was little, it was the same book about the English Channel. On repeat. Now it’s all about guide books. To anywhere. The outside. It is important...’
AUDIENCE MEMBER, Anonymous
“... Once upon a time, when I was a little boy, a lady from the local library visited my primary school. She came with a box full of beautiful books. She’d sit our class down & read to us. There were giants, monsters, & princesses – imaginary worlds bloomed in my young mind. I remember being fascinated by these stories & couldn’t wait to get my hands on them.
Our class were encouraged to join the library, & we did, & from then on, I was hooked: books, books, books.
As I got a bit older, books & music seemed to meld into one. I could borrow books & records (vinyl) from the library and take them home; for a while, they were mine. It was all about exploring & furthering my interests: self-education & enjoyment—food for the soul.
In 1990, when I was sixteen, I went off the rails a bit; I used to play truant from college as I didn’t enjoy it. However, during the college day, I’d ensconce myself in Birmingham’s Central Library. I read all of Orwell. Suddenly, I wanted to write and started scribbling some poetry down. Something in Orwell’s books made me think I would one day write a book. What I wonder now is, what would’ve happened to me if I didn’t have a library to hide in while skipping college? My college report stated that I was absent for 110 days. Where would I have gone, & what may have been the consequences? Luckily, the library was there for me. It saved me from taking a different path in life.
Many years later, I have written those books because of a library, two novels, & an academic interview with author Kevin Barry, published by Bloomsbury Academic, not bad for a working-class lad.
The Manic Street Preachers sang ‘Libraries gave us power’ in their song ‘A Design for Life’ from their album Everything Must Go, BUT we cannot allow our libraries to go anywhere. They foster community and nurture curiosity.
Ray Bradbury wrote, ‘A library is a miracle. A place where you can learn just about anything, for free. A place where your mind can come alive.’ He was right.
Save our libraries because they might save you.
STUART KANE, author
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