Book Week Scotland
The Survivor Arts Community are proud partners of Book Week Scotland!
Book Week Scotland 2020 - Embodying Emotions and Art for the Community
For BWS 2020 we ran two online events. The first was a creative writing workshop for female identifying survivors that focused on using imagery to write emotion. The second was a public reading and conversation with the poet, essayist, activist and community artists Nadine Aisha Jassat. Our conversation focused on Nadine's approach to feminism and the fight against gender-based violence, both in relation to her own writing and to her varied community arts work.
Book Week Scotland 2019 - Zine the Archive
For BWS 2019 we ran two zine-making workshops - one for female identifying survivors and one for members of the public - using traditional book binding techniques. In the workshops, we transformed copies of archival material from the Women’s Aid Archive into hand-bound zines.
Book Week Scotland 2018 - Uncovered Voices Anthology Launch
For BWS 2018 we launched the Uncovered Voices anthology, with readings from contributors, headlined by poet and novelist Claire Askew.
Book Week Scotland 2017 - Uncovered Voices Reading and Q&A
For BWS 2017 we hosted a reading event that invited participants of the Uncovered Voices workshops to showcase their writing. The readings were followed by a Q&A about the project.
Uncovered Voices
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Challenging stereotypes
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Allowing survivors to take ownership of their stories
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Creating a multi-faceted portrait of abuse
Uncovered Voices invited survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse to join a free series of creative writing workshops, facilitated by professional writers. Alongside survivors across Scotland, participants of these workshops have contributed to an anthology of poetry, fiction, visual art and non-fiction.
Borrow from:
The Mitchell Library (Glasgow)
The Scottish Poetry Library (Edinburgh)
The National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh)
The Bold Collective Library (Glasgow)
The British Library (London)
The National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)
The University of Cambridge Library
The University of Oxford Library
Trinity College Library (Dublin)
Buy from:
The Scottish Poetry Library (Edinburgh)
The Lighthouse (Edinburgh)
Golden Hare Books (Edinburgh)
Good Press (Glasgow)
The Uncovered Voices Anthology is on sale now!
£10 + free shipping within the UK. £10 + shipping everywhere else. We ship internationally; shipping prices may vary. Please contact us for shipping costs outwith the UK.
Uncovered Voices is also available to buy and borrow offline!
Supporting Survivors
The Uncovered Voices workshops and anthology aim to raise awareness about sexual violence and domestic abuse; help survivors to express feelings of trauma and healing through art; and ultimately create a multi-faceted portrait of abuse in Scotland today.
Contributors received payment for their contribution, a free copy of the anthology, and were invited to read their work at the launch event which took place during Book Week Scotland 2018. The project encourages writing as a form of therapy, as well as future careers in the arts. We believe that creativity can be vital in empowering people affected by abuse, helping them to overcome trauma, and letting their voices and perspectives be heard.
Supporting the Local Community
Uncovered Voices has been planned in collaboration with artist and writer AK Thaysen. You can see her creative work here.
Participants for the workshops were reached out to through local organisations including Glasgow Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, and the Scottish Recovery Network. They were facilitated by local professional writers and had a representative from Glasgow Women's Aid present. The workshops took place in Glasgow’s Mitchell Library, where Uncovered Voices also hosted a public workshop as part of the 2017 Book Week Scotland programming. The Scottish Book Trust also awarded Uncovered Voices funding to run public events in partnership with them during Book Week Scotland in 2017 and 2018.
Thank You!
We would not have been able to run the Uncovered Voices project without the help of many people.
Thank you to our funders: Forest Arts, the Scotmid Co-operative, the Scottish Book Trust, and everyone who donated to the crowdfunder.
Thank you to The Mitchell Library and our workshop facilitators: Safina Mazhar, Katy Hastie, Elizabeth Reeder, Nadine Aisha Jassat, and Zoe Strachan.
Thank you to Glasgow Women's Aid, who generously sent along a representative to our workshops. Having the skills, training and experience of a Women's Aid worker was vital to creating a safe space for all our participants.
Finally, thank you to all workshop participants and contributors to the anthology for their inspiring writing!