Listen Up! Saturday 8 June
Samaritans, Walsingham Road Community Hall, Colchester, CO2 7BN
We are delighted to be partnering with Colchester Samaritans, Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Human Library for this very special day of events. Part of Colchester Samaritans 60th anniversary celebrations.
11.00am – 3.00pm Human Library
Welcome to the Human Library. Just like in a real library, a visitor to the Human Library can borrow a book from a range of titles. The difference is that books are people, and reading is a conversation. Books in our Human Library come from all walks of life, and each has a different story to tell. Come along, connect with people you wouldn’t normally meet, and celebrate positive differences in our community.
In partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project. Find out more at essexcdp.com
4.00pm Olumide Popoola, Like Water Like Sea
Join writer, speaker and performer, Olumide Popoola as she discusses her novel Like Water Like Sea.
Sometimes we swim, sometimes we float, other times we are drowning. It’s not always easy to know which is which.
It is the ten-year anniversary of her sister’s death, and Nia is grappling with her grief, and balancing the complicated relationships weaving through her life. There is smart and sexy Temi; Melvin, her teenage love; and her new yet intimate friendship with Rahul and Crystal. But looming large over everything is her mother SuSu, whose battle with bipolar disorder continues to cast a profound shadow over Nia.
Delving deep into the intricate tapestry of Nia’s life, Like Water Like Sea is a poignant tale of self-discovery and resilience, sexuality and motherhood, and falling apart to become truly whole.
Click here for more information and to book tickets.
5.30pm Hafsa Zayyan, Will You Read This, Please?
A frank and impactful collection of twelve stories as told to our best British writers, Will You Read This, Please? is based on the lived experience of people who have faced mental illness. It shines a light on the stigma and isolation of living with mental illness while also showing the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
Join contributing author, Hafsa Zayyan (We Are All Birds of Uganda) for an open and honest conversation about mental health and the power of giving a platform to unheard voices.