The Age of Dissent

I've spent most of today at The Bluecoat celebrating the 40th birthday of the bookshop where Spokes works. The theme of the day was Spaces of Dissent and the celebrations were dedicated to the late, lamented Maya Angelou.

There were excellent sessions on 'Poetry as Dissent' (featuring Clare Shaw who's starred in a previous blip of mine, Steph Pike and brilliant local poet Alison Down), 'Radical Bookselling' and 'Fiction as Dissent' (featuring authors Robert Llewellyn - best known to TV viewers as Kryten in Red Dwarf - and Desiree Reynolds) as well as storytelling for adults and children, performances by Stan the Harp (another former blip subject of mine!), Liverpool Socialist Singers and the wonderful Sense of Sound choir whose Musical Director, Jennifer John, is pictured above.

There was loads of other stuff going on too including - of course - a bookstall, staffed by Spokes and colleagues.

A great day and a fine tribute to one of Liverpool's greatest institutions. I've been buying books there for over 25 years - long before I met Spokes!