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Michael Cashman in Conversation, presented by Ian McKellen

Michael Cashman has lived many lives, all of them remarkable: as an actor; as a campaigner for gay rights; as an MEP; and as a life peer. To mark the publication of his biography, One of Them, he joined Ian McKellen in conversation about his extraordinary life. Ian McKellen is an actor and activist, who says his proudest achievement is to have been, with Michael Cashman, a founding member of Stonewall.

This event took place on 28 February 2020 in partnership with Gay's the Word. The event was livestreamed from the British Library to public libraries across the UK. Due to the nature of the conversation this event is recommended for adult viewing only.

Speakers

Michael Cashman

Actor and Activist

Ian McKellen

Actor and Activist

Literature Matters: Young Rebels with Malorie Blackman

Former Children’s Laureate, Malorie Blackman, reflected on her writing career and how her work has been adapted into graphic fiction, plays and TV series, ahead of the release of the 2020 TV adaptation of her award-winning YA series 'Noughts and Crosses'. She was joined by 'Noughts and Crosses' scriptwriter Nathaniel Price and journalist Nicolette Jones. This event was programmed to coincide with the British Library's exhibition on rebels in children’s literature, in partnership with The Royal Society of Literature.

Resisting Self-Censorship, with Elif Shafak, Rachel Long, Jacqueline Woodson and Urvashi Butalia

Join us here live: 30 September. 19.00 – 20.15.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the resultant global Black Lives Matter protests, it has been clearer than ever before that the voices of some are prioritised to the exclusion of others.

As part of Banned Books Week 2020 – an annual celebration of the freedom to read – the RSL, in partnership with British Library, Index on Censorship and English PEN, brings together a panel of writers who have committed to sharing their stories, to creating without compromise, and to inspiring others to do the same. Rachel Long, Elif Shafak, and Jacqueline Woodson explore what ‘freedom’ means in the culture of traditional publishing, and how writers today can change the future of literature. Chaired by Urvashi Butalia.

This event is available to the audiences and users of public libraries through the Living Knowledge Network.

Storytalks: Graphic Novels

Polarbear is joined by two of the UK's most exciting and talented graphic novelists, Joff Winterhart (Days of Bagnold Summers, Driving Short Distances) and Katriona Chapman (Follow Me In). Together they discuss their inspiration, and how they are breaking new ground in their use of graphics and storytelling to create dynamic work for this ever popular medium. This event is part of Storytalks, a series of talks from the UK’s storytelling experts programmed as part of Evolve, an imaginative programme of events and artworks within Devon’s Libraries. This event was livestreamed from Exeter Library on 10 October 2019.

An Evening with Dolly Parton

Watch again now.

Multiple Grammy award-winning entertainment icon Dolly Parton is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, author, businesswoman, the queen of country and a Glastonbury show-stopper. She was born in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee, the fourth of 12 children. Her father was a sharecropper who couldn’t read or write, but Dolly credits him as the inspiration for her Imagination Library, a book gifting programme devoted to giving children a love of reading, with over 100 million books distributed so far. Dolly’s prodigious musical output includes such classics as 9 to 5, Coat of Many Colours, I will Always Love You and Jolene. She also loves libraries, a lot.

Sara Cox celebrates 25 years of broadcasting by chatting to her all time hero Dolly Parton! Over her career Sara has hosted various shows on BBC Radio 1 and now has her dream job hosting Radio 2’s teatime show. She is also the host of the book discussion show Between The Covers as well as Back in Time and Love in the Countryside for BBC2. She had a Sunday Times bestseller with her memoir about growing up on the family farm Till the Cows Come Home and is currently working on her debut novel.

This event celebrates Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, a UK-wide exhibition by the British Library and public libraries.

A Look into the Trans Archive

Watch again now.
This event took place on: 10 November, 16.00.

This discussion illuminates and contextualises stories featured in the exhibition Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights. This includes:

- ground-breaking feminist magazine Urania which celebrated the lives of sex rebels and gender outlaws in the early 20th century
- the 1930s media fascination with people described as ‘medical curiosities’ or sexually ‘anti-typical’ who today would be likely to identify as intersex or transgender
- the legal struggles which led to the 2004 Gender Recognition Act
- the striking visual iconography of contemporary non-binary artist of colour Travis Alabanza.

Our expert panel will show that Trans people, in various forms and often with different names to those used today, have always been part of feminist history and the struggle for women’s rights, and will continue to be so in the future.

This event celebrates Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, a UK-wide exhibition by the British Library and public libraries.

Michael Cashman

Speaker Position

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