Glasgow Women’s Library is a haven for women writers and readers in Scotland. Scotland’s literary heritage has been passed from father to son, from Burns to Hogg and Stevenson, to Kelman and Gray. In this new age dominated by so much excellence in women’s writing, when women are being published internationally, to great acclaim and to great popularity, we want to celebrate a new canon.
In that spirit, the festival is named for the writer, Catherine Carswell, and her ground-breaking 1920 novel. Because in spite of women writers’ achievements, there are still doors to be opened. And so we will commemorate those literary mothers of the past as we celebrate the daughters of the present.
Open the Door is intended not to be just a new literary festival that puts women to the fore, but also the first of a new kind of format, where the more formal audience and speaker setting is replaced by a convivial, memorable shared experience.
Paying it Forward
We want to ensure that as many women as possible can benefit from this unique literary event and so we are inviting donations to our Pay it Forward scheme. The idea behind the scheme is simple: if you donate to the Pay it Forward fund, you’ll be supporting those who currently can’t afford the ticket price. The fund will enable us to offer free tickets to community members and groups who would not otherwise be able to attend, and also help us support writers involved in Open the Door. So if you can, please consider contributing to the Pay it Forward fund by selecting the Pay it Forward donation on either of our Open the Door events.
Tickets
Follow these links to see more about our Open the Door 2019 events and to buy tickets.
Women’s Words Exhibition
Save the Date: Open the Door 2019
Open the Door: Friday Evening Herland
Open the Door: Saturday Daytime Discussions
Open the Door: Saturday Evening Herland