Launching the Letters of Solidarity Anthology
‘To A New Dawn: Letters of Solidarity’ contains over forty fantastic letters, written by young people in Notts, and recounting their unique experiences of the first Coronavirus lockdown and the events that took place within it.
When lockdown hit back in March 2020, we scrambled to create an opportunity for young people in Nottingham to express themselves, explore their feelings around the pandemic, and write about their experiences. With support/ funding from Nottingham Trent University, The Thomas Farr Charity and The Emma Press, the project was set up swiftly.
‘To A New Dawn: Letters of Solidarity’ is the result of this project, over forty fantastic letters, written by young people in Notts, and recounting their unique experiences of the first Coronavirus lockdown and the events that took place within it. These are stories of frustration, righteous anger, imagination and hopes for a brighter future.
Join us on Wednesday 26th May at 6pm for a special online event to launch the anthology, with readings from some of the young writers who contributed to the special collection, plus discussions about the editing process, and special guests galore! Our director, Sandeep Mahal, will be in conversation with editor, the writer and NTU Creative Writing lecturer Eve Makis, talking about the process of choosing the letters, and we’ll also have words from some of our student volunteer editors, who supported the creation of the anthology.
Eve Makis, novelist and writer-in-residence at NTU's Postcolonial Centre said: “I welcomed the chance to be involved in this project, to gauge, register and record the voices of young people for whom COVID-19 has had far-reaching consequences.
“It’s also a great example of collaboration between our two institutions, as one of our graphics students Kira Betts has designed the front cover of the anthology, and students on our animation course have created a film to accompany the launch of the project and we’re working together to bring this project to groups and schools all over Nottingham. It’s bringing us all together through our common experiences and I’m delighted to stand together with everyone involved in this project.”
The event is free to attend, but you must register in order to receive the link. Check out the link for more information, and to sign up:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/to-a-new-dawn-letters-of-solidarity-launch-event-tickets-150899780305