Anarchistische feministische boekenbeurs Edinburgh, Schotland // 29 juni // @ City of Edinburgh Methodist Church // Website
We’re excited to announce that the 2019 bookfair will be on Saturday June 29th at the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church on Nicholson Square.
Augustine United Church were a great host last year, but we hope the new venue will allow us extra space to run more sessions, offer more room for folks to relax, chat, drink a cup of tea, and hopefully provide a dedicated quiet space.
We are currently finalising this year’s talks and workshops and will be releasing the programme publicly in the next few weeks. If anyone has ideas for talks, workshops, discussions or stalls, please message us here or email us at eafb (at) riseup (dot) net.
And if anyone wants to get involved, we still really need more volunteers to plan the logistics, fundraise, promote the event and run everything on the day, so get in touch.
Stalls
We still have a few spaces left, so if you’re interested in having a stall please contact eafb (at) riseup (dot) net.
Active Distribution
An online distro for almost all things anarcho. Supplying collectives, radical bookshops and people with the kind of stuff you’re unlikely to find in Waterstone’s [and certainly shouldn’t be on amazon!].
AK Press
AK Press is a worker-run collective that publishes and distributes radical books, visual and audio media, and other mind-altering material.
Anarchist Federation
The Anarchist Federation is an organisation of class struggle anarchists which aims to abolish capitalism and all oppression to create a free and equal society.
Artificial Womb
Artificial Womb is a feminist arts zine, made by Ana Hine (with help).
Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh
ACE is a self-managed social resource centre open to use by groups or individuals who are trying to make a better society and improve their lives.
Chav Solidarity
Chav Solidarity is part autobiography, part meditation on trauma, class and identity, part one finger salute into the face of respectability politics, but mostly an articulation of the contradictory heart of Chavvy shit heads across the U.K.
Earth First
Earth First! is based on principles of non-hierarchical organisation and direct action to stop the destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants.
Edinburgh Antifa
A regional Anti-Fascist direct-action group aimed at mobilising, pre-empting and resisting fascism in all its forms.
Fork in the Road
Fork In The Road is an open source creative research project exploring food issues facing Edinburgh’s communities by gathering people together to use our bike trailer kitchens.
Green Anticapitalist Front
Climate struggle is class struggle. The Green Anti-Capitalist Front is an alliance of groups and individuals united by a belief that capitalism is one of the core causes of the environmental crisis threatening us all, and that if we do not act soon the costs of that crisis will fall on the poor and powerless.
Immortal: Mourning, Martyrs & Murals
A collection of writing about love and solidarity. It’s about learning how to keep alive those lost, and to honour their struggle in building a better world for us all.
Irn-Ju
Radical Jewish voices for the alternative diaspora. Jewdas’s cousin who only goes south for simchas and funerals.
IWW
We are the Edinburgh branch of the Industrial Workers of the World, a radical bottom-up union, without paid officials and controlled by its members.
Knight Errant Press
Publishing queer, fierce, honest and relevant stories – fiction, poetry, non-fiction and graphic work that challenges literary genres and norms and addresses the need for intersectional thinking and writing in today’s world.
Lighthouse Books
Left-leaning, politically engaged, socially conscious general bookshop in Edinburgh. 10,000 books across politics, fiction, poetry, children’s & beyond!
Monstrous Regiment
Independent and intersectional feminist publishing from a micropress in Leith.
Moral Decay
Making Ears Bleed With Joy Since 2017. Moral Decay is an independent music distro and streetwear brand based in Glasgow.
Not Your Fault
Not Your Fault is a peer-led support group for all men (trans, cis, & otherwise) and all non-binary people (or any/no gender) who have experienced sexual violence.
Plan C
Everything for everyone. Plan C exists to organise in, beyond, and against capital.
PM Press
Independent radical publisher of books and media to educate, entertain, and inspire.
Radical Herbal Network
Scottish Radical Herbal Network is a Scotland-wide collective made up of herbalists and health activists working towards a society and healthcare system based on principles of fairness, justice and environmental responsibility.
Scot-Pep
Promoting health & dignity, fighting for social justice and inclusion. SCOT-PEP is a registered charity dedicated to the promotion of sex workers’ rights, safety, and health.
Sisters Uncut
Sisters Uncut is a feminist direct action group taking action to defend domestic violence services.
Survivor’s Library
Creating and collecting resources by, for, and about abuse and assault survivors.
Unity Centre
The Unity Centre gives practical support and solidarity to all asylum seekers and other migrants in Scotland. We also support people detained across the UK.
International Women’s Day Edinburgh
International Women’s Day, Edinburgh (IWDE) is a group of women organising a feminist demonstration for 8th March 2019 in the Scottish capital.
Writers 4 Utopia
Writers 4 Utopia is a collective of queer writers focusing on science fiction and speculative fiction.
Zines
The bookfair collective will also be running two stalls for zines. So if you’ve got something you want to share, let us know and we can arrange a space.
Timetable
Talks
A Talk About Antisemitism
Antisemitic attacks have risen sharply in recent years across the Western world, taking an increasingly violent turn both in discourse and on the streets. From swastikas daubed on Jewish graves to the meme-like deployment of “Soros” as puppet-mastet/bankroller extraordinaire, it is, for many young Jews, the first time we’ve felt genuinely afraid.
Join Hamish Kallin (who happens to be Jewish, and therefore can’t help but think about this shit) and maybe someone else too for a frank conversation about the dangers of antisemitism and what we can do about it.
Chav Solidarity
D Hunter presents his book “Chav Solidarity” as part autobiography, part meditation on trauma, class and identity. Using his experiences as child sex worker, teenage crack addict, violent thug and community activist to examine the ways in which our classed experiences shape the ways in which we think and do our politics. Hunter will read excerpts from the book, as well as discussing it’s origins and surrounding issues. This will be followed by a question and answer session and open discussion regarding the issues raised in the book.
CONTENT WARNING
Throughout
the book there are references to sexual violence, racism both
interpersonal and institutional, gendered violence both physical,
psychological and verbal, various forms of physical violence, suicide,
drug usage, transphobia, murder, and police brutality. This event will
be reflection of this.
Kurdish Womens Liberation Struggle and Jineoloji
Yasmin is a Kurdish woman activist and member of Jineoloji Committee in Europe. She will talk about the struggle of the Kurdish Women’s Movement and Jineolojî as the Science of Communal and Free Life.
The struggle for women’s liberation in Kurdistan has in recent times become far better known to the outside world, in large part due to the female Kurdish forces of the YPJ in Rojava (Northern Syria). Since 2011, female Kurdish fighters have been some of the most prominent actors in the fight against the Islamic State. What is less well known is the movement’s ongoing intellectual, ideological and political self-defence and mobilization struggle of the last 40 years, which challenges colonisation, patriarchy, nation-state and capitalism.
Prison Abolition
Prisons not only don’t provide justice or safety for people under attack in society but actively harm the most vulnerable. Prison populations are rising, and Scotland has the second highest womens prison population in Northern Europe. Prisons are set to expand across the UK and there are plans under way for a new mega-prison in Glasgow. Come and hear from Community Action On Prison Expansion, Sisters Uncut Edinburgh and the IWW’s Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee on how to resist prison expansion, organise with prisoners to improve their conditions and work towards a world without prisons.
Community Action on Prison Expansion Campaign is a network of grassroots groups fighting prison expansion in England, Wales and Scotland and has been organising since 2014.
The IWW Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee in Wales, Scotland and England was launched in February 2016. We aim to support imprisoned fellow workers by being a point of contact and source of support on the outside to help prisoners organise on the inside.
Sisters Uncut is a feminist direct action group taking action to defend domestic violence services. The Edinburgh branch recently launched a campaign for justice for survivors who are imprisoned for defending themselves.
What do Anarchists Contribute to Ecological Struggles?
A panel discussion looking at what unique contributions anarchists bring to ecological resistance. Indigo from Grow Heathrow will talk about the battle against airport expansion at Heathrow, Katy from Liverpool Huntsabs has experience stopping the badger cull and fox hunts as well as fracking in North West England, Anne from the Coal Action Network discusses campaigning to end the coal industry and Frances is organising with Reclaim the Power the upcoming Power Beyond borders camp looking at the Hostile Environment for migrants and new gas infrastructure. These anarchists have campaigned alongside groups with other principles for a common goal but bringing holistic solutions.
Workshops
Alliances and Convergences of Radical Forces
In Plan C, we think that for the struggle against and beyond capital to remain dynamic, there needs to be continual cross-pollination between groups and communities whose experience of it has had different emphases and who have organised themselves differently, uncovering different limitations and asking different questions. We see ourselves as one radical anti-capitalist organisation among many and are very interested in strategic connections with other groups.
Black Womxn on the (mis)uses of Black Feminism, Womanism and Intersectionality
In this workshop University of Colour will be discussing black feminism, womanism and intersectionality while also touching upon the current state of these feminisms – that is, often (mis)appropriated and taken up by spaces and groups that are hostile to black womxn themselves. Everybody is welcome to join, but black womxn and femmes and their personal stories will be centralized during the workshop.
No democratization without decolonization! We aim to decolonize and diversify the university. Our collective aspires to create a more balanced university at both curricular and demographic level that includes non-Eurocentric perspectives and ideas.
Collective Grief Spaces
This
session will be a space to look at ways we might come together to
collectively speak about or process death, loss and/or grief. There will
be acknowledgement that death, loss and grief can be personal, social
and environmental etc. And that we will have different ways to access
and share this collectively. Also that there can often be an emphasis on
personal grief that is depoliticised. And that there can be political
power in having collective processes around grief. With such a short
amount of time we’ll just be touching on issues, not going so deeply in:
There’ll be exchange from the facilitators of some experiences they’ve
had doing this, and space to hear of any other experiences, or any
questions, from the room. Everyone welcome, whether you want to come and
contribute to the conversation or just be part of it listening.
Facilitated by Lisa Fannen and Dave Shand.
Come and Play with Tools, for Adults
Open to everyone except cis men, this workshop aims to give people space to play around with tools and materials in a non-judgemental, fun and mutually supportive way. Many folks were not given the opportunity to play with tools and materials as kids, were not bought or encouraged to use toys or play games which involved constructing thing and were not asked to help out with DIY/building/outdoor tasks. We feel that this has a big impact on peoples confidence with these sorts of tasks as adults and would like to make a space where there’s the opportunity for these types of explorations. Also you can just bash shit with a hammer if you’re feeling stressed!
Decolonising ‘A No Borders Manifesto’
Introductory talk by Dania Thomas of Ubuntu Women Shelter and the Unity Centre, followed by a practical hands on session aimed at generating alternative ‘no borders’ narratives informed by the lived experience of the hostile environment.
The ‘no-borders manifesto’ we uncritically rely on in our activism and define our strategic intervention with the state is defined by the violence of sustaining state borders, though it is necessary to keep this violence in sight at all times we overlook:
- the sustaining and nurturing resistance to and redefinition of borders in our everyday lives and practical politics, and
- our own complicity in perpetuating violence and exploitation through unconscious acts of everyday racism and gender violence.
This talk argues that the ‘no borders manifesto’ that we adopt reinforces centuries of colonial erasure of lived experience and as such hardwires white saviour and white guilt. This hardwiring is evidenced as a focus on political borders which overlooks centuries of institutional sedimentation to facilitate the unimpeded flows of financial capital to the ‘global north’ extracting value from the ‘global south’. These unimpeded flows have re-configured political borders, what we see in our work is evidence of only one border – ‘a border’ between the rich and the poor- the underclass – the invisible (‘the illegal migrant’) and the strategically visible (‘the asylum-seeker’ and ‘the good migrant’). In our work we engage with whole universes of possibility, ferment, creativity and care at capital’s border between ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ labour. At this border, the most pressing practical problem we face relates to representing strategic invisibility. In this hands-on discussion we hope to engender activist strategies to re-direct resource flows that sustain, celebrate and politicize strategic invisibility as practical support.
Docs Not Cops
Docs Not Cops believe that health care is a human right and that no one should be afraid to go to the doctor, either because they can’t pay or might be punished. They’re are doctors, nurses, HIV activists, students, teachers, and laypeople. The first group formed in London in 2014 but more recently a group has come together in Glasgow. Come and find out what work they’re doing to resist the hostile environment within the NHS and how you can be a part of it.
International Women’s Day in Edinburgh: Challenges, Options and Ideas
Find out about the group behind the International Women’s Day March in Edinburgh. Learn about the ideas and strategies shared during the first National Spring Gallery of UK Women’s Strike Assembly. Which issues should be given priority? Is it possible to organise a women’s strike like in other countries? Make your voice heard. Join this session to contribute to the debate and plan campaigns.
Introduction to Self Defence for Women and Non-Binary
Come and learn some basic moves to physically defend yourself in a fun and inclusive environment. Two experienced martial artists will lead this session covering a range of situations and responses.
This session in only open to women and non-binary people.
Journalling for Mental Health
For most of her life Emma has used the creation of written and illustrated diaries both as a means of documenting her experiences and of processing emotions and changes. This has helped her learn from and better understand her own feelings and behaviours, and work through good times and bad using this creative and soothing outlet.
In this workshop which is focussed specifically on ‘visual’ diary making, she will talk through some examples of her own and others work in this area, then offer participants the choice of several simple exercises to see whether it’s a practice they might like to try and maintain. Paper and some materials will be provided, although if participants want to bring their own art materials and/or collage materials, either for themselves or to share, it would be very welcome.
Kids’ Workshop
An inclusive workshop aimed at children between 5-11; Dani will be using children’s books inspired by women in history to inspire different activities. There will be readings from books in the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ series, craft and more.
(Children should be accompanied by an adult)
Language of Autistic Identity
Our understanding of autism is shaped by the language we use to describe it. This affects the way society understands autistic people, but it has an even greater impact on how autistic people understand themselves, build communities and self advocate. This workshop will be an opportunity to discuss autistic identity and the concept of neurodiversity.
This workshop will be facilitated by members of the Autistic Mutual Aid Society, Edinburgh.
Organising a Strike
Going on strike is something many people now don’t have previous experience of and it can feel daunting. This workshop, presented by members of the Solidarity Federation, aims to give people practical advice and information about the whole process of going on strike, to empower people and equip them to deal with the most common problems strikers encounter. We have experience of organising in in a wide range of industries. We also have a pamphlet updated to include information on the new anti trade union laws.
Survivors Library (Survivors Only)
A drop in space to make, read, and socialise for survivors of abuse and assault. This session is run by the Survivors Library, a group that creates and collects resources by, for, and about survivors.
Materials for making things such as drawings, writing, and zines will be provided, as well as hot drinks and snacks. Reading materials are from the archive we are building and will be content warned.
Please note that this is not a support group or counselling service, we are peer led and will not have professionals at the workshop to aid anyone. Please be aware of your triggers prior to attending and arrange support for yourself if necessary. Attendees must also ask before discussing heavier subjects and include content warnings as necessary.
Get in touch/follow us on: survivorslibraryemail@gmail.com
twitter: @survivorslib, insta: @survivorslibrary, fb: facebook.com/survivorslibrary
Women and NB People in Industrial Democracies: A Call to Organise!
With union density nationally bottoming out at its lowest levels since the early 1900s, it begs the question that something new has to be done to return radical movements to the workspace.
Women and queers have always been present in labour struggles from antiquity to today. So why are they still underrepresented in the labour struggles today? Are we going to give up on the battle for economic liberation just as the world is settling into a new normal of precarious, part-time and poorly paid work? Is this the world we see for ourselves, family, friends and comrades? What the fuck can be done to make things better?
We are women, queers, non-binary, poor workers who are angry, organised and demanding change be made to suit our needs.
Join the IWW to discuss and understand the triumphs and failures of organised labour and how labour unions today are failing in engaging young people, POC, queers and women and how it’ll spell doom for us all if we’re not the ones doing the organising for a better world.