Tag Archives: Queenspark Books

Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Events, Heritage

Silver Foxes group to start!

Silver Foxes 

We’re pleased to announce that Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage is has received further funding for our reminiscence group aimed at older people called Silver Foxes. The group is based at Brooke Mead Sheltered Housing Scheme in Brighton  but open to anyone over 60 years of age.

The group  will be on alternate Fridays at 2pm starting on 15th November 2019 and will meet until end May 2020.

We will be exploring life memories and local history to encourage participants to try new things, improve their memories and meet new people – oh and tea and biscuits of course!

We’d like to thank our funders for supporting this who are the Healthy Neighbourhood Fund through the Trust for Developing Community and to Brighton and Hove City Council for in-kind support including the venue.

20181120_114329.jpg 

Arts, Books and Postcards, Editorial and design, Events, Heritage, Oral History, Reminiscence

Archives Alive – New reminiscence sessions across Brighton and Hove

We’re pleased to be delivering 18 distinct Reminiscence sessions with older people across Brighton and Hove for QueenSpark Books between now and March 2020 for their Archives Alive project, which is funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

Since 1972 QueenSpark Books has been dedicated to gathering, preserving and making accessible Brighton & Hove’s histories. They do this through publishing oral histories or creative responses to local history, via books, e-books, exhibitions, events, websites and other projects.

We’ll be exploring local memories and personal histories in Portslade with the Memories Past group, central Brighton at Brooke Mead Sheltered Housing Scheme & Kemptown through Hyman Fine House Jewish Care residence.

We’ll be using four books created by QueenSpark in summer 2019 which have been recently published and have encouraged researchers to delve into the archives of existing books to share memories in a more contextualised way.
You can find out more about these publications here: https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/projects/archives-alive-project/
Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Events, Heritage

Silver Foxes group to start!

We’re pleased to announce that Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage is has received further funding for our reminiscence group aimed at older people called Silver Foxes. The group is based at Brooke Mead Sheltered Housing Scheme in Brighton  but open to anyone over 60 years of age.

The group  will be on alternate Fridays at 2pm starting on 15th November 2019 and will meet until end May 2020.

We will be exploring life memories, local history, trying new activities including bocca, table tennis and chair yoga to encourage participants to try new things, improve their memories and meet new people – oh and tea and biscuits of course!

We’d like to thank our funders for supporting this who are the Healthy Neighbourhood Fund through the Trust for Developing Community and to Brighton and Hove City Council for in-kind support including the venue.

20181120_114329.jpg

Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Editorial and design, Events, Heritage

Mazel tov Brighton

MazelTovBrighton-Portraitsession8thJune2018(31of36).jpg
Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage created a magazine recently about Brighton and Hove Jewish history as part of our just completed Mazel tov Brighton project.
You can view the digital version of the magazine here: 18-323-NC Hyman Fine Mazel Tov Brighton Magazine
jewish shopThe project has celebrated the links between Judaism and Brighton and Hove lives with residents of the Jewish Care charity run home Hyman Fine House, many of whom were born in the city in the 1920s and 30’s and remember it well, including shops, people, places and rituals.
The project began in April 2017 and ran until autumn 2018. The project celebrates Judaism through active aging, finding physical as well as mental ways to address early onset dementia.
We have done this through dance activities and physical workshops, whilst exploring Brighton’s Jewish history, with residents of Hyman Fine House (HFH). Dance practitioners have encouraged physical activity with residents and carers that celebrate traditional Jewish performance including Sephardic dance, the Hora, and Flamenco which has links with this heritage.
Middle Street Synagog 1960Through this project, we have revitalised residents, generated energy, uncovered memories, and explored city heritage. This project ensures generational memories aren’t lost to dementia, preserving physical traditions and movement; celebrating Judaism’s rich tradition.
MazelTovBrighton-Portraitsession8thJune2018(1of36).jpg
Mazel Tov Brighton - Middle Street Synagogue visit, 1st June 2018

Arts, Books and Postcards, Carnivals and processions, Community Arts, Editorial and design, Events, Festivals, Heritage, Mosaic, Plays and musicals, Textiles

 
Strike a Light & QueenSpark Festive party - 6th December 2017.jpg

Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage is hosting a small festive soiree along with our studio partners QueenSpark Books on Wednesday 6th December 5-7pm  at our venue in Brighton.

If you have been involved with our organisations this year and would like to come along for a glass of wine and some nibbles, then please RSVP: strikealight@rocketmail.com

We look forward to seeing you to share some festive cheer.

Numbers limited so get in touch soon!

Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Editorial and design, Events, Festivals

Graphic Brighton – graphic novel event


University of Brighton College of Arts and Humanities present the third annual Graphic Brighton symposium with its 2016 theme of Conflict and Resolution, to connect with the Great War Centenary.
The symposium is aimed at scholars, creators, publishers and readers of sequential narratives, and follows successful conferences in 2014 and 2015, which featured such guests as Hannah Berry, John Higgins, Karrie Fransman, David Lloyd, Pat Mills, Chris Riddell and Emma Vieceli, discussing their work. This year’s conference dates are 9th and 10th December 2016.
For Graphic Brighton 2016, in addition to a practitioner based day, we are introducing an academic strand and welcome papers in response, but not limited, to the following topics:

  • The cultural memory of British War Comics such as Battle Action Weekly
  • Graphic Journalism in the work of Joe Sacco and Emmanuel Gilbert
  • Underrepresented stories of war such as the suffrage movement and conscientious objectors
  • Historical and contemporary global conflicts
  • Audience reception and expectation of war comics
  • The wartime memoir practiced by Art Spiegelman and Raymond Briggs
  • Beyond the front line – the impact of war on everyday lives in graphic novels by Barbara Yelin and Marjane Satrapi
  • Dramatising historical research in the work of Bryan and Mary Talbot
  • Comics propaganda from 1940s war bond advertising to the present day
  • Superhero publishers’ responses to war, such as Marvel’s The ‘Nam
  • Gender representation and conflict
  • War and exploitation in the pages of EC Comics

Keynote speakers include: Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot and Kate Evans, Featured creators include Tim Pilcher and Paul Collicutt, with more guests TBC.

The tickets page for Graphic Brighton 2016 is now live! To chose from various options, please visit the University of Brighton Online Store at shop.brighton.ac.uk The programme includes Academic presentations on Friday 9th December with talks by Irish cartoonist Fionnula Doran, broadcast journalist Alex Fitch, and Justin Wadlow, curator of the French comics festival Les […]

via Tickets page now live — Graphic Brighton

Arts, Books and Postcards, Editorial and design, Events, Heritage

Social Media Co-ordinator wanted

palace_pier_alt_brightonv2

QueenSpark Books is seeking a volunteer to develop its social media presence and content. We are seeking a self-motivated individual who can spare up to 5 hours per week, for three months, developing ideas, content and traffic for QueenSpark’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.

You will work in collaboration with QueenSpark’s Development Director and Administrator in order to identify the broad content of your role; for this next period, it is anticipated that the majority of your work will be promoting QueenSpark’s forthcoming publication, Brighton’s Graphic War.

You will be able to work from home, although we have office space if required.

Please note: This is a rolling programme, so a new volunteer will be recruited every three months. The role is unpaid, although reasonable expenses will be covered. Ongoing references following your three-month engagement will be provided.

Please send an expression of interest outlining your skills and availability to admin@queensparkbooks.org.ukby Wednesday 28th September. Please indicate whether, if you are not selected for this three months, you might be interested in the role at a later date.

Social Media Coordinator Wanted!

Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Editorial and design, Events, Heritage

Brighton's Graphic War

20160914_160355.jpgWe had a really enjoyable Conversation Cafe this week as part of the HLF funded The Boys on the Plaque project in Brighton with local community publisher QueenSpark Books who specialise in projects about Brighton and Hove’s history.
Thanks to QueenSpark Books for coming, our participants loved the session! ‘I thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon. A great idea and well presented. Thank you’.
Writer and mentor Tim Pilcher, and artist and mentor Paul Collicutt presented information to our group about a new WWI themed graphic novel project due for publication this November 2016, Brighton’s Graphic War.


QueenSpark Books have been working with young people (age 15-24) across Brighton & Hove, to produce a print and online graphic novel based on the lives of the people of Brighton & Hove up to and including the First World War. The project involves local stories and images from the period between 1900-1920 to create and tell some of the lesser known histories of the City.
Material has been drawn from the archives of QueenSpark Books, Brighton & Hove Museum and The Keep, to develop creative learning through exploration of the City’s history.
The 100th anniversary of the Great War marks a moment in time where the organisation could creatively engage young people in understanding the lives of their forebears, and the impact the War had on this city and its people. Under the guidance of experienced professionals from the comics/graphic novel world, participants have been encouraged to use their creativity to work on a graphic novel depicting the lives of the ‘ordinary’ people of the time.
dsc_4076
We also discussed our new project read Love Letters of the First World War which looks like it’s going to be a popular book.
October’s Conversation cafe will be on 12th October 2.30-4.30pm and this will be the final session of the project.
We welcome researchers from The Boys on the Plaque project who will discuss their findings about soldiers who served or fell in the Great War but who attended the Holy Trinity Church (now Fabrica gallery).
They will share these findings with the group, and Strike a Light will be compiling these into a small book in 2017, in time for the bi-centenary of Fabrica and its’ venue.
See you next month!
 

Arts, Books and Postcards, Festivals

Conversation Cafe – September

2 Comments

QS_Twitter Header.pngThis session will host visitors from the WWI themed Brighton’s Graphic War book project from QueenSpark Books, and a look at an earlier book Brighton the Graphic Novel on e-readers.
We’ll be meeting at the slightly later time this month on Wednesday 14th September of 3-5pm at Fabrica gallery, so that those who would like to can attend a related free WWI walking tour of the North Laine part of Brighton at 6pm departing from the gallery with the historian Dr Geoffrey Mead. See details here.
We are looking forward to welcoming writer Tim Pilcher and artist Paul Collicutt, to discuss their involvement in QueenSpark Books’ new World War One themed graphic novel project Brighton’s Graphic War.

9780230772830Love Letters of the Great War.jpgWe will also be reviewing the novel The Suicide Club which we’re finishing, and picking up our new and final WWI era book Love Letters of the Great War, which is kindly on loan from the Brighton and Hove Libraries and Information Service for the project.
Many of the letters collected here are eloquent declarations of love and longing; others contain wrenching accounts of fear, jealousy and betrayal; and a number share sweet dreams of home.
But in all the correspondence – whether from British, American, French, German, Russian, Australian and Canadian troops in the height of battle, or from the heartbroken wives and sweethearts left behind – there lies a truly human portrait of love and war.

This event is part of the The Boys on the Plaque project: Unearthing Hidden Histories of WWI Soldiers from Brighton & Hove, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
For those interested in finding out more about this project and these themes from WWI in the city of Brighton – join our Conversation Cafes for reminiscence activities, outings and events.
https://strikealight.org/…/the-boys-on-…/conversation-cafes/

Arts, Books and Postcards, Community Arts, Events, Heritage

Strike a Light moves to Brighton's Open Market


Strike a Light moved its’ premises recently to the up and coming Brighton’s Open Market. We’re now located on the Mezzanine level of the market in Studio 8. We’re really happy to be here.
We’re now based here for work, and also sell a selection of titles from local history publisher QueenSpark Books which you can buy at discounted prices. In the near future, we will be running activities, events and workshops here too.
To find out more about this, join our website mailing list and you’ll receive regular updates. Just press the Follow button on the website and add your email address.
We haven’t quite finished renovating the space yet so we won’t be having our launch party for a wee while, but we definitely will soon, so stay tuned, as we’d love you to come and celebrate with us!