The Edinburgh Women’s Mural goes on tour!

A big thank you to everybody that came to see Central Library’s beautiful Edinburgh Women’s Mural while it was on display in the foyer, and another big thank you to the people that attended our short series of Mural Talks. 

Here, below, are the wonderful Iffat Shahnaz and Roshni Gallagher in conversation last week, talking at a sold-out event about their life experiences and insights as women of colour living in Edinburgh.

Central Library says goodbye to the Edinburgh Women’s Mural as it embarks on a short summer tour of community libraries, where local people will be able to visit the Mural on display and take part in related events. 

The itinerary is as follows:
Wester Hailes Library: 4-16 July
Blackhall Library: 18 – 30 July
Stockbridge Library: 1 – 13 August 
Oxgangs Library: 15 – 27 August 
Craigmillar Library: 29 August – 11 September 

Then it’s back to Central Library in mid-September where we hope to run a short series of school events. 

Watch this space for updates!

Edinburgh Women’s Mural online

Earlier this week we announced the unveiling of the Edinburgh Women’s Mural at Central Library which celebrates Edinburgh’s trailblazing women, past and present. The mural will be on display in Central Library until 2 July 2022.

But what if you’re unable to visit, or you simply want a sneak preview?

Stencilled portraits from the Edinburgh Women’s Mural

Well, you can find a selections of the pioneer’s portraits in a new mini-exhibition on Capital Collections and in a new story on Our Town Stories!

Women and the environment: Activists, pioneers, and gardeners.

Join us next month for an exciting programme of events celebrating women activists, pioneers and gardeners.

Part of the Harpies, Fechters and Quines 2022 events programme, Women and the Environment: Activists, Pioneers, and Gardeners is a collaboration with the Bonnie Fechters, Glasgow Women’s Library and Edinburgh City Libraries.

The Three I’s: Isobel Gunn, Isabella Bird and Isobel Wylie Hutchison
Tuesday 7 June at 2pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library

Jane George, a tutor in Scottish women’s history and a member of the Bonnie Fechters, will give a talk on The Three I’s: Isobel Gunn, Isabella Bird and Isobel Wylie Hutchison, three unconventional, intrepid and inspirational women whose lives spanned three centuries and whose enthusiasm for exploring and travelling in relatively unknown environments challenged the social conventions of their time.
Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

“Scots women who chose to challenge”
Wednesday 8 June at 11am, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library

Jackie Sangster is a Learning Manager with the Learning & Inclusion team at Historic Environment Scotland – working across Scotland to bring people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to discover, explore, understand, and be inspired by our historic environment. Mostly Jackie works with digital archive material from Scran – that’s ½ million records, not counting all the other HES archives such as Canmore. As a former teacher, she endeavours to make engagement with school and community groups as creative as possible. Allowing people to explore heritage in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

Her talk will explore archive material, meeting Scots women who‘ve made their mark in their respective fields whether in politics, law, medicine, the arts or the world of sport. Introducing some well know faces through archive photography and perhaps a few less familiar, but nonetheless inspiring individuals who chose to challenge their world.
Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

Sister Earth – Story Café
Wednesday 8 June at 1pm on Zoom, a women only event

In these uncertain times, nature has become more important than ever to us as a source of calm, and healing. In this story cafe, we look to women’s writings and stories of action that celebrate our natural environment, from urban gardeners and wild walkers to women working together on issues of climate change and preserving and protecting our natural environment. We’ll be reading from poetry, prose and fiction about how ordinary and extraordinary women are getting to grips with the present and future of our precious landscapes.  Grab a cup of tea and bit of cake, then sit back and enjoy!
Book through Glasgow Women’s Library

An introduction to climate change and why it’s important that we do something about it.
Thursday 9 June at 2pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library

Kirsten Leggatt is a Climate Change Consultant for Arup and a tutor on the online Carbon Management Masters at the University of Edinburgh. She is heavily involved as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador in schools teaching students and young people about the causes and consequences of climate change. In January 2020, she presented evidence to the UK Climate Assembly on the solutions to reaching the UK Government’s net-zero emissions target by 2050 and has since represented young people on the Stewarding Group for the Scottish Climate Assembly.
Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

The garden Ella grew – a Japanese garden in Scotland 
Monday 13 June at 11am, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library

The Japanese Garden, Cowden is a ‘wee’ gem, hidden amongst the hills of Clackmannanshire in Scotland. Created in 1908 by Japanese landscape architect Taki Handa, it was the dream of Ella Christie, independent traveller and explorer, who had journeyed to Japan herself the year before. In 2018 the garden opened to visitors after an extensive restoration project and today it’s unique beauty amongst the Ochil hills is available for everyone to see. 

Join us as we share its history and layout.
Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

Ground-breaking: Women at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Thursday 16 June at 2pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library

Graham Hardy is a member of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Library and Archives team. 

RBGE’s history has always been told from the vantage point of the Regius Keepers and Principal Gardens/Curators, because they leave the biggest historical record.  Tucked away in manuscript accounts and notebooks are the names of the men who were paid to do the work and also as time progressed from the middle of the eighteenth century women’s names start to appear.  

Using original source material from the collections, Graham will give an overview of some of the women who worked or were heavily involved with The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1750 to the present. Their roles range from the anonymous women paid to weed to illustrators, tutors/teachers, gardeners, plant collectors, laboratory and herbarium staff, administrators, scientific researchers and research students. 

Graham’s research, undertaken when not working in his professional capacity, has been much helped by research both national and international on the topic and also by input and enthusiasm from colleagues, volunteers and research associates.  His research is ongoing.  There may be much for Graham and others still to unearth, but we will receive an excellent insight to how much has already been discovered.
Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

All events, apart from the online Story Cafe, take place in the George Washington Room at Central Library. The George Washington Browne Room is accessible by stairs or the public lift.

Quines Exhibition

Launching next Saturday 7 March on the eve of International Women’s Day is the exciting new exhibition `Quines: poems and textiles in tribute to women of Scotland’ on display across Central Library.

Taking inspiration from Gerda Stevenson’s poetry collection Quines: poems in tribute to women of Scotland celebrating and exploring the richly diverse contribution women have made to Scottish history and society, edge textile artists Scotland members have each selected varied poems from the collection, interpreting them in diverse and inspiring personal ways.

Come to the launch afternoon running 2-4pm Saturday 7 March. Book on Edinburgh Reads to hear Gerda Stevenson reading poems from her collection Quines and take a guided tour led by edge members around the exhibition. Enjoy a cuppa and chat to edge members.

The exhibition is on display on the Mezzanine, on the Staircase and in the Art & Design Library running until Monday 30 March.

 

 

 

Women seek peace after World War One – part of Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival

Did the women who obtained the vote in 1918 expect their voices to be heard in international politics of 1919?

In the spring of 1919 the four political leaders of America, Britain, France and Italy, and their associated Allies met in Paris to draw up the peace terms that were to be imposed on Germany and the Central Powers.  The hundreds of men involved in the Paris Peace Conference were somewhat surprised to receive telegrams and then a delegation of women expressing concern and criticism of the draft treaty. The five women had been delegated to travel to Paris by the 140 women from 16 countries meeting in Zurich in the second International Women’s Congress.  Did the men listen to the women and did it affect the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty?

Helen Kay has undertaken archival research on the lives of women involved in the suffrage movement in Scotland, exploring the links they made into the international political situation and the campaign for peace: in particular she has studied the career of the Edinburgh suffragist and barrister, Chrystal Macmillan (1872-1937) who helped to establish The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

Come along and hear how Scots women have influenced the world – Wednesday 5 June, 2 – 3pm Central Library, George Washington Browne Room.

Book your free ticket for this brilliant talk via Eventbrite and browse the full programme for this year’s Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival online.

Image © IWM (Q 28345)

Gie’s peace: a one woman show celebrating women’s activism for peace

As part of the Harpies, Fechters and Quines 2019 programme, Morna Burden will be performing her one woman show, Gie’s Peace.

Morna Burdon is a director, performer, writer and singer whose work ranges from creating and directing large scale international projects to performing at Glastonbury. Much of her own work has been about giving voice to those whose stories are rarely told.

Morna devised, directs and performs in Gie’s Peace, a tapestry of true stories and songs about remarkable women worldwide who have walked for peace, rebelled against war and sometimes risked everything in the process.
She says: 

“As with my previous show Bonnie Fechters , it is the strength, courage and determination of these women that is so affecting. From the Japanese girl  who inspired a movement to the astonishing bravery of a Somalian mother to the young African American who overcame fear to sing in the darkness”.

Gie’s Peace is recommended for ages 14 and upwards and it enjoyed sell-out shows during Edinburgh Fringe 2018.

An audience member commented:

“Beautifully structured……  As always, her words and music bring emotions to life….Evocative songs of protest and struggle…moving and inspirational story –telling”.

You can experience the show at Central Library for free by booking your place online.

To book for this event and to see the full line-up of events for the Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival, visit the programme page online.

Harpies, Fechters and Quines 2018 – Women, War and the Book

Monday’s launch of the Harpies, Fechters and Quines festival saw the annual 2 week programme of events off to a flying start!

Edinburgh Libraries is working in association with the Bonnie Fechters, a local women’s group, and with Scotland’s War, the Glasgow Women’s Library, the Scottish Poetry Library and the Workers’ Educational Association to deliver a range of activities. These include talks, workshops, an exhibition, a film and a concert.  As a result, there are lots of opportunities to come along and join in.

Tapestry kindly loaned for display by the Workers’ Educational Association stitchers (Mezzanine, Central Library)

Whether you want to sing along at the Lena Ashwell concert, produce some creative writing, experience early film or simply look at the commemorative tapestries you are warmly welcome. You’ll find details of all the forthcoming events at www.edinburghreads.eventbrite.co.uk.

 

Art Library exhibition for June 2018

The exhibition in the Art Library this month is Face Your Beauty: Feel Your Power.

The exhibition is a series of fashion photos by Joanna Jarzymowska and Michal Pocwiardowski.

Face Your Beauty: Feel Your Power runs until 30 June 2018 in the Art and Design Library.

A Woman’s Place art exhibition

This month’s exhibition in the Art & Design Library is by Julie Galante and is entitled     A Woman’s Place: an exploration of home and belonging.

Julie is a painter and mixed-media artist based in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Her artwork focuses on people and places real and imagined. As someone who has lived in several different countries, she is particularly intrigued by the ways in which one’s location can affect a person’s inner and outer life.

The exhibition works started out as a study of the relationships between people and places: how one’s location and proximity to other people affects one’s mental state and well-being. The themes and subjects have grown and developed with the events of the past year. Julie explained to where the inspiration for her work had come from –

“The power of groups of women became evident to me in the women’s marches taking place all over the world, as well as in the close-knit group of female friends who supported me through my husband’s leukemia diagnosis and treatment. His death in April of this year left me reeling, person-less and place-less. Much of the artwork I have created since then is an exploration of my new role of young widow. And finally, many of the pieces in this exhibition celebrate Edinburgh, the city in which I know I belong. There is very little certainty in my life right now, but one thing I know for sure is that this city is my home”.

A Woman’s Place can be viewed within the Art & Design Library, Central Library from   2 – 30 August.

 

 

 

The Other Einstein

The titles we get for our OverDrive Big Library Read club just keep getting better and better! Hot on the heels of the brilliant DC Daley (our May ebook read) we now meet an amazing woman in the form of Mileva Marić, the woman behind one of the most famous men of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict offers a window into the fascinating story of Einstein’s first wife. A brilliant physicist in her own right, her contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight. This historical fiction book, offers readers a window into a brilliant woman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow.

Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric, 1912

“The moment I first learned about Mileva, I discovered that she was fascinating in her own right and I felt compelled to tell her tale,” said Marie Benedict, author of The Other Einstein. “The more I researched Mileva and came to know her through her letters, I realized that her story was powerful and important in itself, and instrumental in understanding our own history and the role of women in it.”

This Big Library Read will be available on our OverDrive site with unlimited downloads from the 12 – 26 June. All you need is a library card to take part. So if you are going away on holiday, this is the first thing to download and put in your suitcase! Why not encourage friends and family to read it too, it’s the perfect excuse to get together and have your own book group. Or join in online with the conversation about the book at BigLibraryRead.com.

 

 

Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival 2017

We’ve very pleased to announce the programme for this year’s Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival, organised in partnership with the Glasgow Women’s Library and the Edinburgh Womens’ Group Bonnie Fechters.

This year the focus is on women and film – Reel Women – and includes many free film screenings. Come along and meet like-minded folk, learn something new or just sit back and enjoy.

Browse the full programme and book your tickets via Eventbrite
www.edinburghreads.eventbrite.co.uk

Art Library exhibition for December

The Art Library’s December exhibition is Every Woman Super Woman

Every Woman Super Woman is an exhibition of work by young Scottish women from Young Saheliya produced in partnership with Stills Centre for Photography and Edinburgh Art Festival.

The exhibition celebrates a summer of creative workshops inspired by Ciara Phillips’ Every Woman commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival and the Jo Spence exhibition at Stills. Also working with Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, workshops included photography, creative writing, blogging and female representation in the media.

Dazzle Ship ‘Every Woman’, by Ciara Phillips at Leith. Image from http://www.capitalcollections.org.uk

The exhibition of portraits, explores self-expression through photography. Inspired by Jo Spence’s work, the group created characters to tell their own stories, drawing from personal experience, role models and fictional personalities.

This fantastic exhibition runs from 2 to 31 December.

Hysterical Women and Graphic Grrrlz

Graphic novels are not just by boys, for boys! Some of most powerful and original examples of the genre have been created by female writers and artists as diverse as Posy Simmonds, Inverna Lockpez and Marjane Satrapi. And this is not a recent phenomenon.

Want to know more? Of course you do. Come along to Central Library next Wednesday (2nd May) from 6.00 – 7.30pm, when illustrator and zinemaker Heather Middleton will give an illustrated talk on the history of graphic novels and zines by women.

When Heather gave a similar talk in Glasgow recently it went down a storm so book now to reserve your place.

This is part of an exciting series of talks and exhibitions celebrating the lives and achievements of some remarkable women, organised in conjunction with Glasgow Women’s Library and The Bonnie Fechters.