For & Against was a project run in the summer of 2017 by Loughborough University’s Radar Arts and the RadicalAesthetics-RadicalArt (RaRa) collective.  The project ‘brought together research into the radical traditions of the political pamphlet and contemporary art practice, exploring the legacies and continuing relevance of the pamphlet at the intersection of arts and political struggle.’

I was engaged by the project coordinator to lead a writing workshop for adults at Loughborough’s Charnwood Museum and a day of creative writing activities in conjunction with Nottingham-based artist Chiara Dellerba with Year 5 pupils at a local primary school.  I collated the written work produced during both workshops, for display at the end-of-project exhibition at Loughborough University in May.

For & Against concluded with a ‘pamphlet day’ event in Queen’s Park, at which I read extracts of ‘No Job for a Boy’, my work-in-progress children’s historical fiction text based on political unrest in Loughborough in 1816., which was my first public airing of this work.  I’m happy to say it was well received!