Librarians are the Real Superheroes
Someone who certainly knows this is Cat, the heroine of My So-Called Secret Identity, a comic created by Prof Will Brooker, Susan Shore and Dr Sarah Zaidan. Superheroine Cat is the smartest person in Gloria City. She remembers everything she reads; she knows how everything connects. It comes as no surprise that Cat spends a lot of time in libraries. Cat knows that knowledge is power, a superpower.
2015 is the 40th anniversary of the Feminist Library. We thought it time to celebrate the real superheroes: the guardians and disseminators of feminist knowledge and history. We are therefore proud to announce the following event: “Feminism and Libraries: Knowledge is our Superpower”. This salon is the first of a series of 40th anniversary commemorative salons at the Feminist Library.
To begin the day, a fabulous group of female artists will be helping you to tell your own story at an informal comic drawing workshop. Sally Jane Thompson, Rachael Smith, Laura Callaghan and Karen Rubins will be on hand to help you hone your skills.
Prof Will Brooker, co-creator of My So-Called Secret Identity, will be discussing the original supercool librarian, Batgirl, libraries, feminism and super heroines. This will be followed by a discussion: “Marginalisation and Libraries: Does Feminism need a Library?”. Speakers include: The Radical Librarians Collective, Prof Will Brooker, Claire L. Hayward (PhD Student at Kingston University), members of the Feminist Library’s Collections Team and more to be confirmed.
To end the evening, there will be a social and book/artwork signing to provide attendees with a chance to speak to the discussion participants, library volunteers, meet the artists and get their copy of My So-Called Secret Identity signed.
Throughout the event, Samantha and Sofia from Geeked Magazine will be running a stall at the event in which they will be selling really cool stuff and artwork by the artists.
Last but not least, the fabulous image for our first 40th anniversary salon is by the artist Suze Shore, one of the authors of My So-called Secrety Identity alongside Will Brooker and Dr Sarah Zaidan. Suze kindly donated the image to the Feminist Library to commemorate this event.
“Feminism and Libraries: Knowledge is our Superpower”
PROGRAMME
Saturday, 31 January 2015
3.30pm to 6pm: Drop in comic drawing workshop. This event can be attended independently.
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6.30pm: Welcome and inauguration of the Feminist Library’s 40th Anniversary Salon Programme
6.40-7pm: Professor Will Brooker (Kingston University), one of the authors of My So-Called Secret Identity, will be discussing the original supercool librarian, Batgirl, libraries, feminism and super heroines
7pm: Discussion: Marginalisation and Libraries: Does Feminism need a Library?
8pm to 9.30pm: Social and book/artwork signing
This event will also celebrate the Feminist Library having a fully searchable online catalogue.