Writing on the Wall Fest lines 'em up

THE disastrous reign of Hicks and Gillette at Liverpool Football Club is one of the subject highlights of the city's 2011 Writing on the Wall Festival, just announced.

Brian Reade – Mirror journalist of this parish, will launch his new book, An Epic Swindle – which reveals how the Anfield club came within hours of being re-possessed by the banks after the shambolic 44-month tenureship of their former American owners.

After a hugely successful and ongoing programme of talks and lectures throughout the year, and straight from celebrating their first Arts Council funding, the actual WoW festival is back throughout May 2011 with “a hot mix of cutting edge writers, riotous debates, left hooks and rhythms of resistance”, in this year’s celebration of Liverpool: City of Radicals.

Over 30 events feature writers, artists and commentators, including George Monbiot – environmentalist & Guardian columnist; Darcus Howe – broadcaster, writer and columnist; Bonnie Greer – playwright, writer and commentator; Levi Tafari - internationally renowned dub poet; Akala – rising star of the hip-hop world; Billy Hayes – leader of the Postal Workers Union; Colin Prescod – deputy chairman of the Race Relations Commission; Kevin Sampson – author, film-producer and former manager of The Farm; Don Letts – The Rebel Dread of Big Audio Dynamite & BBC 6 Radio fame ;Cathy Tyson – actress of stage and screen – Mona Lisa, Emmerdale, Band of Gold; A L Kennedy – Costa Award winning novelist.

Other highlights include Rioting on the Wall, a community day devoted to exploring lessons of the 1981 riots; the environment – George Monbiot’s Left Hook Show.

There's also The Big Society – Cameron’s Big Con? with national commentators and local community entrepreneurs;

Architecture – Regeneration or Ruination, an exploration of Liverpool One with Owen Hatherley, radical architectural critic; Pulp Idol – WoW’s writing competition for new and unpublished novelists.

Festival Director Madeline Heneghan said: “Writing on the Wall delivers a unique festival that provokes debate and discussion, brings people from communities in Liverpool into contact with leading writers, commentators and thinkers, and supports new writers in developing and promoting their work.”

Full event details can be viewed at www.writingonthewall.org.uk