Mixing The Colours @ Portobello Book Festival

Since June 2013, the Glasgow Women’s Library Mixing The Colours project has supported and facilitated women’s discussion and creative writing on the theme of sectarianism and how it affects women in Scotland, their families and communities.

Sectarian identities in Scotland and Northern Ireland

In our recent anthology of women’s creative writing, Mixing The Colours, Glasgow Women’s Library explores sectarian identities in Scotland through stories and poems.  This event places us in discussion with Paul Burgess from Northern Ireland who is similarly interested in sectarian identities, both in his recent novel White Church, Black Mountain, and his most recent academic work The Contested identities of Ulster Protestants.

The Mixing The Colours: Women Speaking About Sectarianism, anthology was published in March 2015. An anthology of creative writing by women on the subject of sectarianism, much of the work recounts the memories of childhood and young adulthood. It conveys the words of parents, warnings about how to behave at Orange Order parades, and reflects on the feelings and challenges they experienced as children. Many of the stories share aggressive or violent incidents, forbidden friendships and love-interests. They tell of the physical restrictions placed on women as young people, places they could not or should not go, and cautions of where they wouldn’t be welcome.

This body of work is of particular importance given that there has been very little written by women on a subject that goes right to the heart of Scottish religious and political history.

This event is part of Portobello Book Festival 2015.

The event will begin with a selection of readings by writers featured in the anthology followed by questions and discussion – and attendees will also receive their very own copy of the book!

Book your place in person at Portobello Library, through Glasgow Women’s Library online below or by calling 0141 550 2267/email info@womenslibrary.org.uk