Poet and Writer Leyla Josephine will be running a 6-day in-person residency at Eden Court in Inverness for LGBTQ+ young people aged between 16 and 26, plus 2 online sessions.
Rainbow Library is a two-year course by Pop Up Projects CIC open for those who are LGBTQ+, aged 16-26 years-olds and are able to commute to Inverness. Those joining will develop their creative writing skills and provide support to the publication of books for children and young people that include LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, have access to creative training and professional development workshops and mentoring sessions with established LGBTQ+ writers and illustrators.
The Rainbow Library course addresses near-invisibility of LGBTQ+ identities & demand for LGBTQ+ inclusive stories in children’s stories. The course has been designed as a space for LGBTQ+ young people to network with peers around shared experiences and challenges.
Participants will join a cohort of creative LGBTQ+ young people to develop their knowledge and experience of writing, illustration and publishing with support from our network of established authors and mentorship from across the UK and Ireland.
The course will take place across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Northern Ireland in eight places: Manchester, Nottingham and Basildon in England; Glasgow and Inverness in Scotland; Belfast and Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland; and Cork in the Republic of Ireland. In every one of these places, over two years, a group of LGBTQ+ young people will:
– Take part in 8 days of workshops led by course leader(s)
– Develop their own writing and illustration skills during those workshops;
– Receive professional guidance from the course leader(s);
– Be featured in an anthology of the best writing and illustration;
– Work with the course leader(s) to give critical feedback on their draft stories – which will be edited and designed into a collection of 8 books. Young people will be credited as contributors;
Leyla Josephine is an artist originally from Glasgow, now residing in Prestwick. She is a performance poet, theatre maker, screenwriter, facilitator and project leader.
To apply, all you need to do is let us know in a few words (via writing, video or audio format) why you are interested in participating in the course, and email it to naomi@pop-up.org.uk. You can find out more about The Rainbow Library here: https://pop-up.org.uk/our-work/community/the-rainbow-library/
Location: Highland
For further information, please contact naomi@pop-up.org.uk (naomi morris),
The deadline is Friday 08 April 2022 at 12:00.