Glasgow Women's Library

It’s the Library’s twentieth anniversary on Wednesday 21 September 2011 and to mark this wonderful milestone we are launching a year of events, exhibitions and celebrations!

Come along to the library and share in poems of all sorts that will inspire and excite. Celebrating National Poetry Day with women’s poetry that lifts the spirits, makes us laugh and generally has a positive impact on our lives. Why not visit the library beforehand to dip into our collection and find a gem to share with others.

Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and to mark our anniversary we are holding an event for you to come and share your stories of the library and hear other people’s with a backdrop of inspiring materials that chart the library’s history.

Our popular drop-in Women Make History group will be going out and about again, this time visiting the amazing Scottish Screen archives, home of the filmed records of Scotland’s social, cultural and industrial history and the lives of ordinary Scots across the generations.

A very rare opportunity to see Margaret Tait’s debut film, Blue Black Permanent. A haunting and magical film about a daughter’s attempts to come to terms with her mother’s mysterious death. This is a delicate and poetic work of intense emotion. With time for discussion after screening.

Our Body Talk events use film to generate discussion about women’s health. This forth event will focus on how women’s health is affected by poverty, in particular fuel poverty. We will be showing a film, before having an audience discussion and ending with a practical workshop and information.

In 1997 lesbian activist Jackie Forster was featured in the BBC series ‘The Day that Changed my Life’. This session, part of the Glasgay! 2011 programme, provides a rare opportunity to see this documentary, which explores how a lesbian love affair in 1958 changed Jackie’s life.

Lesbian Avengers and other unruly women: a workshop exploring lesbian activism in Glasgow Women’s Library’s collections. Come along to hear about the history of key lesbian campaigns including the Glasgow branch of the Lesbian Avengers in the fight for equality, and if you were involved then let us know and record your story. Using the objects from the Lesbian Archive as inspiration, there will also be an opportunity to make your own campaign materials – badges, whistles and attitude welcome!

Bring a book. Bring yourself. Grab a cuppa. Grab a seat. Have a listen. Have a chat at GWL’s first Book4Book event. So bring along your favourite book by a female author, have a chat with the writers from Linen Press and maybe swap your book 4 someone else’s.

We welcome everyone who has been coming along to learning, events and activities at GWL to come along and share their views and ideas with other Library learners and members of the GWL Learning Team.