a film Showing of The True Reggae Story

24 June 2009 at 7.00pm £3

GPI Generation is a new group at the GPI encouraging participation from young people in the activities of the Institute. In 2007 GPI Generation showed the film Dream to Change the World to a group of young people and held a discussion about their responses to John La Rose’s legacy and their own lives and work. Since then they have held a number of discussion meetings and accomplished a video of Irma La Rose speaking of her early life in Trinidad and Venezuela. Today the group are screening The True Reggae Story a Nu-Beyond summer school project that involved six young women and four young men aged between 15 and 17. In 2006, these young people interviewed 32 artist/dee jays for a study of Reggae Dancehall Culture during the 1970s and 1980s in London. Most of the interviewees were artists who had operated Reggae Sound Systems during those two decades. The film will be followed by a discussion with participation from Lez Henry, the director of the project, some of the young people who took part in the making of the film, and members of GPI Generation, many of whom are involved in the music business..

A Reading & Talk by Olive Senior | Wednesday 1st July 2009 at 7.00pm £5

Jamaican born Olive Senior is the prize-winning author of four books of poetry, three books of fiction and four non-fiction books on Caribbean culture including the Encyclopaedia of Jamaica Heritage and Working Miracles: Women’s Lives in the English Speaking Caribbean. Her short story collections include Summer Lightning (winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize), Arrival of the Snake-Woman and Discerner of Hearts. Her poetry books include Talking of Trees, Gardening in the Tropics (winner of the F.J. Bressani Literary Prize), Over the Roofs of the World (finalist for Canada’s Governor- General’s Award and Cuba’s Casa de la Americas Prize) and Shell (finalist for the Pat Lowther Award). She is the recipient of many other fellowships and awards including the Gold Medal of the Institute of Jamaica

Olive Senior’s stories and poems have been broadcast widely, including the BBC Book at Bedtime and Radio 4 (UK), and CBC Radio, among others. Her short story ‘You Think I Mad, Miss?’ was produced and performed as ‘Mad Miss’ by Theatre Archipelago May 27-June 12 2005 at Artword Theatre, Toronto. Olive Senior will be reading and discussing her poetry and prose, including recent material from the new Tell Tales Volume 4 book, Global Village.

Also on Wednesday 1st July Sable presents

a one-day workshop with Olive Senior ‘Writing as Craft’ to be held at the George Padmore Institute 11.00am to 5.00pm

Olive Senior conducts writing workshops internationally and is on the faculty of the Humber School for Writers, Humber College, Toronto. She has also been writer in residence at many venues including Bermuda’s Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and the University of Adelaide in 2009.

The aim of this workshop is to enable participants to rely less on ‘inspiration’ and more on developing their craft. Through discussion and exercises, participants will be encouraged to see writing as a process which requires the constant feeding of the creative imagination together with the acquisition of tools and techniques. Handouts will be provided to reinforce the salient information provided in each session.

If you are interested in attending please contact:

kadijageorge@gmail.com or by telephone: Kadija - 07980 269138; Nkechi – 07831 163332

George Padmore Institute Project News

The GPI is currently coming to the end of its HLF-funded Crossing Borders Project to conserve the archives of the International Book Fairs of Radical Black and Third World Books 1982-95 and of European Action for Racial Equality and Social Justice. An invaluable resource will soon be available for organisations and individuals on how to organise, campaign and stimulate discussion. The GPI is now looking for funding for our Dream to Change the World Project, to open up to public access the archives of our late founding chair, John La Rose (1927-2006), one of the most important activists in Black British and Caribbean history. The GPI hqas passed Round One of the HLF Funding Process and will be spending the next six months in developing its detailed application for the Second Round. Watch this space!

All talks to be held at the George Padmore Institute, 76 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EN

Tickets for all 3 events available at £10.
For more information or to book a place at one or more of these talks,
please contact the GPI at info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org or call tel. 020 7272 4889

New Beacon Books
76 Stroud Green Road London N4 3EN UK
Tel. +44 (0) 20 7272 4889