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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.

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.