Independent radical bookshop October Books in Portswood, Southampton, has a packed schedule of regular events as well as special one offs.
Regular events include a weekly vegan cafe using foodwaste, a radical reading group, climate cafe, yoga, meditation and more.
There are also a number of one-off events for June.
On Thursday, June 1 at 7pm there will be a talk on conserving Hampshire swifts.
Hampshire Swifts was formed in 2016 with the aim of reversing the decline of Swifts in Hampshire by conserving existing nest sites, by providing nest sites on existing and new buildings, and by working with planners, developers and ecologists to try to ensure that all suitable new developments have integral swift bricks.
Catharine Gale, a trustee of the charity, will talk about identifying and distinguishing swifts from swallows and martins, the life history of this enigmatic species, their distribution, tracking, their current status, possible reasons for their decline, and the work Hampshire Swifts is doing to reverse this. Volunteer James Gavin will give advice on you can help swifts.
On Monday, June 5th at 7pm there will be a workshop and talk on the topic ‘Is it still legitimate to protest?’.
The workshop will consider the themes of BLM, growing climate protests and the calls to demolish the police.
Matt Clement has been a socialist activist in Southampton for many years who has been a community worker, teacher and worked with young offenders before becoming a lecturer in criminology. He edited the book No Justice No Police to respond to the growing climate of protest in recent years, focusing on the growth of the BLM movement in particular. Professor Jonathan Havercroft is a political theorist and campaigner who, like Matt, has written extensively on social movements of riots and protest and the ways that authority tries to de-legitimise them.
This event will be in a workshop format so attendees will be able to hear not only some insights from the book but be able to join in conversations about some of the themes.
On Friday 23rd June, from 6.30pm it’s October Books Open Mic night.
There is a growing hub of authors, poets, and storytellers in Portswood – something we’ve always celebrated and championed at October Books. Alongside the established Writers’ Circle, October Books’ is holding its first open mic event! Whether you’re a poet, playwright, essayist, or novelist, reading your own work or someone else’s, all are welcome!
Attendees are asked to register for events via Eventbright, so the organisers know how many people to expect. To for more information and to register, click here.
For details about regular events, click here.
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