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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

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Social Media Co-ordinator wanted

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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, Uncategorized

Brighton’s Graphic War

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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.

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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

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, Uncategorized

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!

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Get involved with our new project!

LITA - Black RockGet involved with our new The Orange Lilies project which has just begun and which is researching and commemorating the role of Brighton and Hove born Royal Sussex Regiment soldiers in the battle of the Somme in 1916.

We’re seeking volunteer researchers, project participants, young people who are interested in learning about making short films, and creative young people to participate in a series of free textile workshops between June 2016 and June 2017. If you would like to find out more, then have a look at our new project website here or email theorangelilies@gmail.com to participate in the project.

We’d love to hear your stories, find out about family history, uncover information about Brighton and Hove at home during the battle of the Somme, and those city soldiers abroad who served on the battlefields and what happened to them.

We’ve started to uncover stories about soldiers like Private Frederick George Stoner who died on 28th October 1916 and who’s name is engraved on the memorial at Thiepval in the Somme, France. Here he writes a postcard is to his sister Ellen (‘Nellie’) Elizabeth Stoner (later Simmons) in 1916. The front of the postcard shows ‘Inside of the church’ at Eclusier-Vaux in the Somme.

church in the Somme - lita.jpg

Images both with kind permission of the Letter in the Attic project from QueenSpark Books.

Arts, Books and Postcards, Events, Heritage, Uncategorized

Brighton and Hove in World War I – stories from the past

Help support a new graphic novel project from Brighton organisation QueenSpark Books   through Kickstarter and find out more about Brighton and Hove’s 100th anniversary of the Great War.
 
This marks a moment in time where they can creatively engage young people in understanding the lives of their forebears, and the impact the War had on this city and its people.
 
QueenSpark Books has been working with young people 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. Aiming to commemorate and share stories and tales of life in the city in the lead up to, during and immediately after the Great War. Watch Brighton’s war stories here.
 
The project uses 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

See quirky images from Brighton’s home front from 1914-1918 here or take a tour around the city during wartime. View local artefacts from this time including a local pass book which had to be carried by all British subjects and visitor permit books for travel were more detailed. The authorities even needed to know whether your male family members were ‘for or against His Majesty’s allies in the present war’.

Permit book from WWI in Brighton
Permit book from WWI in Brighton

“My mother, Amy Lee, who later became Amy Jones … had many jobs including being a cook at Divalls, Smiths in Lewes Road, a greengrocer in Lewes Road and Cooks the Jam Factory. When war broke out she went to Allen West to work on munitions and said that while she was there one of the floors collapsed. It was said that the weight of the munitions was too great. 

Afterwards she was sent to Royal Alfred Sailors Institute at Belevere. When she returned to Brighton she worked on the trams based at Lewes Road. The photo was probably taken as an advertising feature for a local paper…” – Ruby Jones

Buses in Brighton
Buses in Brighton
Arts, Books and Postcards, Events, Heritage, Uncategorized

Conversations Cafes sessions coming up

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BOTP LogoConversations Cafes still to come as part of the Boys on the Plaque WWI project in Brighton – All free and all welcome!
• March 9th – Meet at Jubilee Library
Presentation by Stoolball England Officer Anita Broad on sport in Sussex during WWI. WWI Book discussion session (part of World Book Day)
• April 13 – Meet at Jubilee Library
Dr Sam Carroll of Gateways to First World War talking about the project. Historian Douglas d’Enno also to present his new book ‘Brighton in the Great War’. We start reading Belonging by Umi Sinha.
• May 11th – Meet at Jubilee Library
Jo Palache from Brighton Museum talks about piecing together the stories of the Pavilion Military Hospital from it’s beginnings treating Indian Soldiers to its work with British amputees. She will also look at Indian Soldiers at the Royal Pavilion for the Dr Blighty project.
• June 8th – Meet at Jubilee Library
Professor June Purvis discusses the Suffragettes role in WWI and beyond.
• July 13th – Meet at Jubilee Library
Dr Anne Logan discusses the role of women in the First World War.
• August 10th – No Session
• September 14th – Meet at Jubilee Library
A final session and discussion of our themes and events. This 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.

 • October 12th – Meet at Jubilee Library

The Boys on the Plaque research group to give a presentation on soldiers from the city of Brighton and Hove to the group.
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The Digital War Memorial

Strike a Light has been checking out some new World War I related resources recently, since we’ll be working with Queenspark Books on their new A Graphic War project which starts in November 2014 and runs until September 2016.

downloadThe Digital War Memorial website is one such inspiring resource which brings together communities and artists across the UK to make unique creative responses to the First World War Centenary.

Using the rich resources of local libraries and archives as the starting point, these new artworks tell the diverse stories of how the First World War touched people’s lives and how it is remembered today.

One section we’ve particularly found touching, and a really great way of engaging younger audiences with the theme, is this page of graffiti art and writings by Lancashire artist Liam Dean. Have a look, it’s moving and modern and yet still relevant to young people.