Follow us On Twitter

The Libraries Inside Out Project and the Tell Me A Story Project have both been working hard over the month of October in order to collect your stories - through discussion, collage, writing prompts and workshop exercises held in libraries, record offices, community buildings and more, across Lancashire.

The Libraries Inside Out project will be 'publishing' the work of their participants in a very special way - by projecting the stories, in lights, on the side of the participating library buildings.

Stories aren't just inside libraries anymore...

In addition to all of this, and for those of you who can't make the projection dates across Lancashire for the Libraries Inside Out Project, some of the stories, poems, flash fictions and extracts will be twittered from our revolutionlancs account starting today.

That means that if you aren't able to travel you can still read the stories written by the people of Lancashire during the Libraries Adult Learning Festival projects.

You do this by signing up for twitter, and following us - you can also send us messages via twitter 0r on the comments page of this blog.

We'd love to hear your stories. Stand by and watch out for ours.

Libraries Inside Out - Burnley

The third location for the Libraries Inside Out Project is Burnley - writer and tutor Alison White tells us about her experiences working with the Burnley writers to create writing that will, in a matter of days, be lit up on the outside of Burnley library.

It is one thing to say words out loud, it is another to commit them to paper, but to put your words in light on stone? Well, that’s a brave and wonderful thing to do.

In late October a group of young adult and adult writers worked with creative writer Alison White to produce a range of short writings including comments about life and how they’ve lived it so far, hidden autobiographies, flash fictions and partial stories that we are privileged to eavesdrop on. The work is presented in a range of ways, from rapid writing capture on Post It notes to hidden sentences overwritten so that they are tantalisingly obscured partial revelations about their lives to photographic capture of things that are written on hearts and made visible for one day only to the world.

All the contributors were thrilled to be part of the Learning Revolution; many of the contributors are still in full time formal education but embraced the opportunity to profile their creative work in a public space and learn beyond the walls of a traditional learning space. The results of their endeavours will literally break out of the traditional space and manifest itself on the outer walls of Burnley Library. We hope you will come and enjoy their creative sparks.

Their creativity will be projected onto Burnley Library on the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th November.

Tell Me A Story - Morecambe

Allan, who was a member of the group who participated in the Tell Me A Story workshop held in Morecambe library during the Learning Revolution was particularly inspired by the 'first lines' writing game.

When I asked Allan to tell me a bit more about himself, here's what he said:

I'm Allan Finney, age 66, spent just under 42 years a solider now living in Morecambe. I attend a local study group, no real experience, however over the last month the group has been involved in a writing workshop. I have a degree (Hons) from the OU in English language.

The 'Tell Me a Story' Workshop involved a variety of tasks and prompts - some of which will be going on this blog soon so you can try them yourself, at home.

The 'first lines' task is all about writing quickly, ignoring your inner critic and carrying on a story from a first line assigned my the tutor - me. In this case, I was kind, and let every participant choose two lines out of the hat...

Allan chose 'Idle Talk Costs Lives' as his inspiration, and in just 15 minutes, plus a little more time at home for editing and polishing, here's what he came up with...

Idle Talk. Gossip kills and destroys lives. Idle Talk will often equal Idle Lies. So 'Grim' old ladies living alone are burnt for witches. So ships are sunk by Idle lips - lives gone; lives wasted; all by the Jaw Bones of unbiblical asses.

Idle Talk? Idle Lies turn cultured peoples into beasts. Idle Talk? Idle Lies killing million; wasting treasure; wasting ideas.

Idle Talk? The Devil makes work for Idle Hands when closing gas chamber doors, or holding hatches when hunting your neighbours in the forests of Rwanda.

Devils like me, devils like you, devils like us, devils like 'im an 'er next door. Idle Talk becomes Idle Hate. Their faith is different. Their skin is different. Their way of loving is different. Oh what ripe fields for Idle Talk; for Idle Gossip; for Idle Lies, for Idle Hate.

In the past lies Idle Talk and Idle lies all awaiting for an unknown future - awaiting me, awaiting you, awaiting us, awaiting 'im an 'er next door awaiting THEM, the innocent, the unwary, in an unworthy world.

Alan's piece, as well as collected others from the creative writing workshops that took place across the county as part of the Learning Revolution, will be appearing in a publication available at libraries across the county very soon. Subscribe to this blog or follow us on twitter for up to date news and events and information about the culmination of all the projects developed by Lancashire Library Service as part of the Adult Learning Festival.

Libraries Inside Out - Projection Dates

Can't wait to see you there!!

Libraries Inside Out - Skelmersdale Workshop

Images of the Skelmersdale Libraries Inside Out project participants - working on collages and flash fiction. Image credit to Jane Gallagher.

Libraries Inside Out - Skelmersdale Workshops

We've already heard from Mollie Baxter, who in this post described her experience of leading a workshop in Morecambe. Writer, journalist and tutor Jane Gallagher ran workshops in Skelmersdale as part of the same project - a joint enterprise between Lancashire Library Service and They Eat Culture - delivered as part of the Autumn Learning Revolution.

What we like best about having several different creative writing tutors work together on the same project is the difference in approach. Each tutor was given the same brief - work with young people to create pieces of flash fiction that would ultimately be displayed, projected for the whole world to see, on the outside of library buildings across the county. You can read the initial description of the project and the call out for participants here.

Jane's approach involved using images and words from magazines in order to create collages in order to inspire the final pieces of work. Here are a few samples from the group she worked with - all prompted to think about their own lives, their communities and their experience of living in Skelmersdale to create the collage that Jane would then guide them to turn into a flash fiction...

And here's a sample of the finished product... a small but perfectly formed flash just perfect for lighting up Skelmersdale - for the rest of the work, you'll need to visit the libraries and see the words for yourself. We'll tell you how and when soon. Watch this space.

The Skate Park

I spend a lot of time at the Skate Park.

I like it best around five – just as it’s going dark.

I’m usually with my friends and we watch the skaters skating.

There are houses in the distance – semi-detached ones. And bushes. Lots of bushes.

I always have my phone with me and I’m wearing my jeans and a t-shirt.

I looked down on the ground and see a picture with some writing on it - “Skelmersdale’s New Vision.”

And then the Police come.

By Tasha

Libraries Inside Out - Morecambe workshops

A quick update on the Libraries Inside Out Project - a partnership between the Lancashire Library Service and Preston based arts development organisation, They Eat Culture. We mentioned the project here - now the workshops have taken place all that's left is for the work and words of the participants to be projected on the outside of libraries across the country... keep your eyes peeled and watch this space for more on that later.

In the meantime, here's what Mollie Baxter, writer, performer, creative writing tutor and one of the workshop leaders for this exciting project had to say about her experience leading one of the workshops in Morecambe...

There’s been a recurring response from these young people – a nervousness and worry. I’ve heard, ‘I can’t write, I’m no good at telling stories,’ several times, and yet I’ve been astonished by what has come out of these short sessions.

The first took place at Morecambe Foyer run by the Salvation army, a residential home for young people who need a little support, maybe they are homeless, maybe they have had a difficult time in their personal lives or in mainstream school. We sat down and chatted about their lives – I was impressed at how busy and involved in the community they are. Sure, they like their computer games and chilling out, but when you’re volunteering with cadets, the theatre, community projects and other projects, who wouldn’t need a little downtime?

One young man, Luke, really stood out for me, although his situation is also representative of the others’. He looked daunted when he came in, he spoke of his doubts that he would be able to ‘do it,’ but we sat down together and, while I took notes he told me about his little brother who has just discovered chicken nuggets, how much he enjoys looking after him; about how he had worked nights in care not long ago. He’d struck up a strong bond with a gentleman there who had worked as an army doctor through two World Wars, and had told him if he wants anything in life – to go for it. I think one of Luke’s his pieces says it all.

Dr. Franks

I used to do care work – nights. Did it for a year and a half. Looked after Dr Franks. He was 109. Looked like someone from Fawlty Towers – bushy eyebrows, big beard. He was an army doctor in both wars. He used to tell me stories. When I’d go in, he’d always have a brew waiting.

He said to me if you want anything – don’t give up.

He had a tumour in his brain.

When he died, I couldn’t work there anymore - 3 weeks later, I packed it in. I found out he’d left me money in his will. Didn’t want it. Gave it to charity. His wife was still alive. When she found out, she gave me a massive hug.


These are stories to be seen and heard. In their own words, they tell us much that challenges our perceptions of what it means to be a young person in Lancaster today. When the authors see their work blown up and projected on the side of the library, and when they see other people stop, read and react, they will also, I hope, come to view themselves with a new self-belief. The idea that anything is possible – if we dare – is made real in front of our eyes.