From feminism to marigolds – volunteer Philippa reports on the Harpies, Fechters and Quines festival

Joan, Karen, Claire and Philippa at the Harpies, Fechters and Quines Poetry Slam
Joan, Karen, Claire and Philippa at the Harpies, Fechters and Quines Poetry Slam

I got in touch with the GWL earlier this year. I’d heard about its work, and as a literature graduate, it combines two of my favourite things – feminism and books! The library put me in touch with Morag, who was organising the Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival in Edinburgh. Since most of the exciting feminist activity seems to take place in Glasgow, I was delighted to be able to help organise a feminist festival on my doorstep. The theme of the festival was women and words, and it was organised as a partnership between the GWL, the Edinburgh City Libraries, and the Bonnie Fechters history group. All of the women organising it brought different interests and skills to the group, and it was exciting to see the festival take shape. As a volunteer, I was made to feel an important part of the group, and Morag and the other organisers were happy to let me suggest and even run events.

Performer at the poetry slam on 24th June
Performer at the poetry slam on 24th June

As I am currently working full-time, I wasn’t able to make it to all the events but the ones I did attend were excellent. On Wednesday 24th, we organised an all woman poetry slam, judged and compered by Anita Govan. The idea behind the event was to encourage women who had never performed before to get behind the mic, in a supportive and friendly atmosphere. We managed to pack out the Forest Cafe, and had 11 performers in total, varying in age and experience.

Their poems ranged from the funny to the tragic, taking in topics as diverse as gender, the holocaust, marigolds and teenage angst! Singer-songwriter Genesee provided a beautiful musical interlude with original material and some acapella cover versions. The winning contestant, Tracey Rosenberg, treated us to three amazing performances which ranged in tone from humorous to dark and poignant.

 

The final event I took part in was a feminist book group which I organised with help from Lena Wanggren, a research fellow at Edinburgh University and organiser of a Feminism and gender reading group. The event was fully booked and it was great to discuss works of literature which had inspired or moved us with a diverse group of women (and one brave man!). Morag Smith brought along a range of feminist texts from the GWL collection, and people chimed in with suggestions of their own – including works by Margaret Atwood, Jeanette Winterson, Simone de Beauvoir, and Maya Angelou.

I absolutely loved being involved with the festival, my only regret is that I didn’t have time to go to more events.

Even if you don’t live in Glasgow, you can still volunteer with Glasgow Women’s Library through our national project. Get in touch with Morag on info@womenslibrary.org.uk

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