Mike Morris, co-director of Writing on the Wall, shares how writing can be used to transform communities. He gives us a sneak preview of the organisation’s 25th annual literature festival, WOW Fest: Fahrenheit 2024, and picks two other things that are firing him up right now.

I met Mike in Toxteth Library, a grade-II listed building which inspired Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie to fund more than 1,000 libraries, including 660 in the UK and Ireland.

Paid members of Stored Honey, the newsletter celebrating the arts and culture scene of the North West of England, are given advanced access to this podcast. If you’d like to receive the latest arts and culture news, reviews and interviews to your inbox then make sure you sign up to our free newsletter at stored-honey.com.

Credits

Music by Oleksii Holubiev from Pixabay

Useful links

Writing on the Wall

WOW Fest: Fahrenheit 2024

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

At Lunchtime A Story of Love by Roger McGough published in The Mersey Sound

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson’s podcast Things Fell Apart

Ways of Seeing by John Berger

Art and Revolution by John Berger

Mr Bates Versus the Post Office on ITV X

Most book links are affiliates connected to Stored Honey’s bookshop.org page. Should you decide to buy from them, I will receive a small commission.

I’m thrilled to be sharing the first episode of the brand new Stored Honey podcast, which is available exclusively to paid members. Each month, a different North West-based artist shares the three things they’re currently excited about.

January’s guest is a multimedia artist and sculptor whose socially-engaged practice has been taking her into communities across Merseyside for more than 20 years. In Liverpool, Jayne Lawless is best known for the North End Sketch Club, through which she has run sketching sessions in Bootle Library, the Rotunda in Everton Park, at Fans Supporting Foodbanks, online during Lockdown, and in Texas.

Jayne also leads Dead Pigeon Gallery, a roaming contemporary art gallery, and has recently completed a community project for Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Useful links

If you enjoyed the episode and want to find out more about the subjects Jayne highlighted in our interview, here are some links.

Covid Reflections podcast with Mick Ord

A Dog Called Bear, Jayne’s book co produced with the community of Westminster, Ellesmere Port. And you can buy it here.

Cultural Value report

Clay Balls! People Powered Retrofit

Garron Noone on instagram