Programme of events at Flintshire's Gladstone's Library

The 2024 programme of events at Gladstone's Library in Hawarden has been released, and includes workshops, classes, lectures and more, led by experts, authors and academics.

Among these are talks by Writers in Residence at the Library. These include Why is Chemical Warfare a Taboo?, led by Dan Kaszeta, author of nonfiction book Toxic, and Writing Deaf Histories by novelist Sarah Smith (Hear No Evil).

Warden Andrea Russell, poet Alison Binney and author Louise Gray.

Karen Lloyd will lead a full day workshop on Writing Biodiversity, which draws on her nature book Abundance, while Prof Ian Bradley, who has led numerous theological events at the Library, will share his other great passion: music. His residential course, which runs from July 26-28, is all about musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera.

June sees the return of Alibis in the Archive, a three-day immersive crime writing festival, where talks are held in the historic Reading Rooms.

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It features respected crime writers, including Glenn Chandler, the creator of Taggart, who will share their investigations into cosy and golden age crime literature, true crime and more. Residential places are already heavily subscribed, but day tickets are available on request.

Louisa Yates, Director of Collections and Research: "There is always something happening at Gladstone's Library. Often, the same people return year after year - which is great, as it shows us the talks and festivals bring people back - but it's also brilliant to see new faces, too.

"These talks and classes are designed to be revealing and inspiring, and there's often the chance to chat with an author or speaker afterwards. For every question asked at a talk, ten questions are asked afterwards."

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Gladstone's Library has hosted events for decades, but Andrea Russell, Warden of Gladstone's Library, is keen to help the programme evolve.

She said: "We have recently added open lectures to our courses. The next one is Artists Against Fascism, a talk by art historian Dr Deborah Lewer.

"These events are a chance for people to dip their toe in, spend a bit of time at the Library and explore a subject close to their heart or entirely fresh to them. It's a great way to discover that Gladstone's Library is for everyone."

To find out more about times, tickets and events, visit www.gladstoneslibrary.org