11 - 19 November 2011

TheWriteideaFestival2011FREE

12 authors, including:Michael RosenWilliam NicholsonDreda Say MitchellDorian LynskeyAlex WheatleCatharine ArnoldPaul WillettsLouise Raw

East London’s

Writei d e a

EAST LONDON’SFREE Reading Festival

11-19 Nov

ReadingFestivalival

Fri 11 November 2011The Gilda O’Neill Memorial Lecture

Striking a Light: Looking for the Real Matchwomen7:00pm

Louise RawThe story of the unexpectedly successful strike of ‘matchgirls’ against a powerful employer continues to exert a strong hold on the public imagination: but it’s a story in which the matchwomen themselves are curiously silent. Raw finds that, far from being the helpless ‘matchgirl’ image, they actually threatened violence to the ‘Ripper’, whose crimes in their neighbourhoods began shortly after their victory.

Louise writes a monthly column for the Morning Star newspaper and has appeared on radio and on television shows like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and ‘The Worst Jobs in History’.

Idea Store WhitechapelWelcome to Writeidea Festival 2011. This is the third year of Writeidea – East London’s free reading festival – and it’s now established as a highlight in the cultural calendar in the capital. In contrast to many other literary festivals across the country, all our events are free, as we think that everyone should have the opportunity to meet and engage with our best writers and hear them talking about their work.

We’re proud to be able to start the festival with the inaugural Gilda O’Neill Memorial Lecture, named in honour of the much loved East End historian and novelist.On Friday 11 November historian Louise Raw will talk about her book on the famous 1888 strike by women workers at the Bryant and May match factory in Bow.

Over the following week, our line up includes something for everyone. History, London and music (including live performance) as always are strong themes in Writeidea – and we have a selection of excellent authors throughout. The festival ends on Saturday 19 November with an extravaganza for children, with poet, novelist and broadcaster Michael Rosen, who is leading a storytelling workshop at Idea Store Whitechapel.

Idea Store – bringing writers and readers together.

David RosenbergThroughout the 1930s, Oswald Mosley’s blackshirts increased their campaign against the Jewish community, particularly in London’s East End. How did the Jewish community respond to this? What arguments came out of their response? Why did they build their own defence organisations? And how did 100,000 Jews, Irish, communists, trade unionists and others come to Cable Street to block the fascist blackshirts?

David Rosenberg leads guided walks around the East End. He has written for Channel 4, and is a freelance contributor to the Times Educational Supplement, Time Out and the New Statesman.

75th Anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.

Sat 12 November 2011Battle for the East End

2:00pm Idea Store Whitechapel

Photo: Julia Bard

Sun 13 November 2011Matthew Parker: The Sugar Barons

2:00pm

Matthew Parker‘The Sugar Barons’ tells how the West Indies became by far the most valuable and important colonies in the British Empire. It reveals how the importance of the West Indies made a crucial contribution to the loss of the North American colonies, and explores the impact of the empire on Britain, where it still constitutes perhaps the darkest episode in our history. “… racy, well-researched history … The Sugar Barons provides eloquent testimony to the mercantile greed of a few and the manifest misery endured by millions in the pursuit of sweetness.” Ian Thomson, The Guardian

Matthew Parker spent part of his childhood in the West Indies, acquiring a lifelong fascination with the history of the region. He has worked as a writer, an editorial consultant, a commissioning editor, and as a contributor to history television projects. His books include ‘Monte Cassino’, and ‘Panama Fever’ (published in the UK in paperback as ‘Hell’s Gorge’).

Idea Store Whitechapel

Family, Corruption, Empire and War in the West Indies.

Mon 14 November 2011Is Class an Issue in Fiction?

William NicholsonWilliam Nicholson began his career as a scriptwriter and was twice Oscar nominated for his work on ‘Shadowlands’ and ‘Gladiator’. In ‘The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life’ he introduces the characters we will follow through ‘All the Hopeful Lovers’ to ‘The Golden Hour’, which is published in October. He writes with insight about the emotional landscape of women as well as men, children as well as adults. His chosen milieu is the professional middle classes and he has recently been involved in a lively debate in The Guardian about the impact class has on writing and the likelihood of being published.

7:00pm

Alex Wheatle & William Nicholson in conversation.

Idea Store Canary Wharf

Alex WheatleAlex Wheatle is an award winning British novelist, playwright and DJ, who has written seven novels, the latest being the recently published ‘Brenton Brown’, a sequel to his bestselling debut ‘Brixton Rock’. Alex has also commented in the national media about the riots of last summer, offering the rare perspective of someone who has taken part in urban riots (Brixton 1981), and written novels around them.

“Alex Wheatle’s fiction focuses on a dimension of postwar black British culture that has been surprisingly neglected in available literary representation: the black male underclass.”Dr James Procter (British Council).

Geezer Girls and Hit Girls7:00pm

Women in crime fiction.

Dreda Say MitchellDreda Say Mitchell is an award winning crime novelist and all-round media personality. With her ‘Geezer, Gangster and Hit Girls’ novels she has created a group of smart and tough young girls and women who take the male world of crime on and make it their own. She was recently seen on Newsnight attempting to discuss the recent riots with David Starkey who treated us, as she said in her subsequent Guardian article, to his ‘random and confused thoughts on British youth culture’. Dreda on any topic is going to be interesting and worth hearing.

Idea Store Whitechapel

Tue 15 November 2011

Colin GrantThe Wailers are the undisputed kings of reggae and their music still has a massive influence across the world today. Bob Marley, Peter Tosh & Bunny Wailer produced a raft of classic songs such as, ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, ‘Get up, Stand up’ and ‘Stir it up’. Grant looks at how they came together and sadly moved apart.

Colin Grant is an author, historian and BBC producer. The son of Jamaican emigrants to the UK in the late 1950s, Colin has spent years travelling back and forth to Jamaica. His first book was an acclaimed biography of Marcus Garvey, ‘Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey’.

Women in crime fiction.

Wed 16 November 2011I & I The Natural Mystics: Marley, Tosh and Wailer

7:00pm

Stir it up!

Idea Store Canary Wharf

Thu 17 November 2011Total Sin: What Makes London Interesting?

7:00pm Bethnal Green Library

Panel discussion with Catharine Arnold, Paul Willetts and Jonathan Kemp.

Paul Willetts

Paul Willetts is the author of ‘Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond, Soho’s Billionaire King of Burlesque’ described by Lynn Barber as “An exceptionally interesting slice of social history”. He is also the author of two previous works of non-fiction, and has edited four much-praised collections of writing by the bohemian dandy, Julian Maclaren-Ross.

Catharine ArnoldCatharine Arnold is the author of the London trilogy: ‘Necropolis London and its Dead’, ‘Bedlam London and its Mad’, ‘City of Sin; London and its Vices’. (Simon and Schuster). A fourth title, ‘Underworld, City of Crime’ is due out in March 2012. Catharine read Engish at Girton College Cambridge and has a further degree in psychology. She is also the author of two novels, ‘Lost Time’, which won a Betty Trask Award, and ‘Changeling’.

Jonathan KempJonathan Kemp’s latest novel ‘Twentysix’ is a new erotic classic; audacious, sometimes shocking, and completely unforgettable. His first novel ‘London Triptych’ won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the inaugural Green Carnation Prize and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize.

Tower of DadTower of Dad formed in 2008, at a time when there seemed to be a gap in the market for middle aged men who wanted to strum electric guitars in a furious fashion. Their repertoire includes the best (or best forgotten) from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and the ‘90s. They share studio and parking space with, among others, Arctic Monkeys, Tom Jones and The Killers. ToD regularly perform in charity gigs all over East London, particularly in E9. This is their first show in E1.

Dorian LynskeyIn one of the best books ever written on music, Dorian Lynskey has taken 33 protest songs and looked at the social and political context in which they were written. From Neil Young, through REM and Public Enemy, he traces a set of songs that said something and still do today, but also asks: are today’s musicians saying anything, or is the protest song now dead?

Dorian Lynskey is a music writer for The Guardian. He was the Big Issue’s music critic for three years and has freelanced for a host of titles. He is the author of ‘The Guardian Book of Playlists’ (Aurum, 2008).

Fri 18 November 201133 Revolutions per Minute

7:00pm

A conversation with Dorian Lynskey on his book about protest songs in the twentieth century followed by live music from Tower of Dad.

Idea Store Whitechapel

Michael RosenMichael Rosen is a poet, scriptwriter, broadcaster and performer and has been writing for children since 1970. He says he became a children’s poet by accident - “I thought I was being an ironic adult poet but children’s literature ‘claimed’ me”. He has since become a very well-known poet, for adults as well as children and also writes plays. He has worked in television and radio too, in programmes from ‘Home Truths’ to ‘Playschool’. Michael Rosen has been involved in one way or another with more than a hundred books.He was Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009.

Sat 19 November 2011

A workshop for children aged between 6 and 11 years.

2:00pmMichael Rosen’s Storytime

Idea Store Whitechapel

Photo: Laurence Cendrowicz

First Come - First Served Event*

*Due to the popularity of Michael Rosen, this event will be on a first come-first served basis only. Please come in early to avoid disapointment.

Robert TressellRobert Tressell’s ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ is one of the most important books in the trade union and socialist movement and a must read for anyone who wants to fight injustice. We will be remembering his life and work and the influence the book has played on many lives (including Tony Benn,Ricky Tomlinson, Harold Wilson and many others) with a display of artefacts, letters and theatre company posters from the family archive over the last 100 years. We will also have a message board as part of the exhibition, so that everyone can add their thoughts on how the book has affected their lives.

12-19 November 2011

A workshop for children aged between 6 and 11 years.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Exhibition

An exhibition of letters and posters from the Robert Tressell family archives.

Idea Store Whitechapel

Writeidea Festival

For more information about any of our events visit www.ideastore.co.uk

FREE tickets are available at http://ideastore.eventbrite.com

This symbol indicates that this event will be British Sign Language interpreted

Signed books will be available to buy.All events areFREE

Venues

All venues are fully accessible (except Bethnal Green Library where there are no accessible toilets)

Bethnal Green LibraryCambridge Heath Road London E2 0HLTel: 020 8980 3902

Idea Store Canary WharfChurchill Place London E14 5RBTel: 020 7364 1250

Idea Store Whitechapel321 Whitechapel Road London E1 1BUTel: 020 7364 1735

Canary Wharf Station

Whitechapel Underground Station

Bethnal Green Underground Station

Writei d e a

EAST LONDON’SFREE Reading Festival

11-19 Nov