Libraries unleash such happiness

“If it weren’t for libraries, I wouldn’t be here”, said Lemn Sissay MBE at the ‘Libraries Unleash Such Happiness’ (LUSH) conference, hosted by Friend of St Pauls Library (FOSPL) on the 4th March 2021, World Book Day. It was a whole-day online event, jam-packed with uplifting workshops and inspiring talks.

The theme was centred around the support, guidance, and flourishing that libraries can offer to their communities. A place where people can come together to organise for better futures, learn new activities and, through books and events, trigger journeys of discovery.

The conference was attended by representatives from other Library groups, as well as a rich selection of workshop facilitators and speakers, from Zambia to California.

The tone was set at the start by Euston Daley MBE and Lemn Sissay MBE. Overflowing with charisma and creativity, they both shared their love for libraries and highlighted their role as an essential building block in their careers. For them, libraries were the first places to ignite their imagination, the first places to provide them with a stage through which to connect to their communities and share their passion for words.

The attendees were then spilt into different workshops: drawing, storytelling, knitting, puppeteering, creative writing, yoga, singing, and gardening with St Paul's very own Judit Davis. A tremendous amount of talent was showcased, with endless ideas for workshops that can be run from libraries. All focused on sharing the joy of learning something new and, often, with therapeutic and social impact. The running feedback from participants made it clear that FOSPL had managed to organise something historic, of incredible variety and range.

At lunchtime we got the chance to mingle in expertly facilitated conversations. It was an absolute joy to hear about different people’s initiatives, whether it’s the food bank at the Malcolm X centre or Bristol Rainforests, who are tapping into children’s wild imaginations by planting tropical trees in their classrooms. All across the city there are people empowering their communities in creative and resourceful ways, and more collaboration and events like LUSH will be essential to create an unstoppable positive momentum.

We were then blessed by a performance by Chanje Kunde. The Manchester-based artist had prepared a special video for the event, exploring her relationship with books in beautiful spoken word and some stunning visuals that inspired everyone’s desire to bathe in words and the cosmology of knowledge. In the Q&A she spoke eloquently of the power in the intimacy of the African oral traditions and cited Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise as one of her inspirations. Chanje’s performance teaches us the importance of providing a safe space for intimate expression and of accessing a wide range of artistic forms and projects.

The conference followed with more workshops into the afternoon, all offering the chance to be technical, creative, and networked. The event was rounded off with the much-anticipated session with Ron Finley, who connected with us from his beautiful leafy garden in Los Angeles, where he had turned his empty swimming pool into a small jungle. Self-described as a “gangsta gardener”, Ron has been working for years converting vacant spaces around his neighbourhood into fruit and vegetable gardens where people can come together and tackle food poverty.

Ron stressed: “It’s not about food, it's about freedom”. Realising the resourcefulness of nature can empower all of us and be a catalyst for positive social and environmental action. When Ron was asked how to get started in such action, he chuckled and answered “the same way you got out of bed this morning. You just do it.”

The overall success of the LUSH conference is undoubtable, and its lessons and inspiration will stay with us for the months to come. A big thank you to Friends of St Paul's Library for putting it together and continuing their work promoting art, community and empowerment in the heart of our city!

written by Nico Powell

Friends of St. Pauls Library ceased to exist as a library organization since we felt obliged to disaffiliate from Bristol Library Service. Nonetheless, our new group Friends of St Pauls Luxuriance continues to advocate for change and to work in inspiring ways to elevate our community. Email: fospluxuriance@gmail.com our visit Facebook page to find out about free creative and well- being programme.