Uniting Britain through literature

Oct 6 2008 by Peter Elson, Liverpool Daily Post

MUCH has been written about the dumbing-down of our culture, a process aided by the rapid spread of new technology that allows freestyle expression in the use of written language, largely through texting. As Oscar Wilde might have said: “It’s the incoherent in pursuit of the illiterate.”

But what’s this? Liverpool, always more profoundly cultured than it is given credit for, is fighting back in the form of Dr Jane Davis and her team of literateurs at The Reader Organisation.

This is a charity dedicated to bringing about a Reading Revolution. And, in a welcome reversal of usual practice, this Liverpool initiative is poised to storm into Salford and Manchester Libraries.

“It’s our mission to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in sharing a wealth of literature. For us, reading is a force for social good that can build community and enhance lives,” says Dr Davis. With Dr Sarah Coley, she started The Reader Organisation as a literary magazine, The Reader, 11 years ago. Under the aegis of Liver- pool University, they developed innovative projects and events to get books off the shelves and into the hands of more people.

Get Into Reading, the group’s leading social outreach project, began in 2001 and is now its biggest area of work. Having delivered more than 70 weekly reading groups across Merseyside and Wirral, it is set to be exported down the M62.

“Our aim is to improve well-being, extend appreciation of literature and build community, targeting people that are socially isolated,” says Dr Davis.

In March, 2008, The Reader Organisation became a charitable trust chaired by writer Blake Morrison and is no longer part of Liverpool University (but it continues to support the trust).

The latest Reader public event will be part of the Bluecoat Art Centre’s Chapter & Verse literature festival, from Thursday until October 19.

“On National Poetry Day, the event called ‘If you don’t read poetry you will after this’, will be fed onto the BBC big screen in Clayton Square,” says Jen Tomkins, of the Reader Organisation. “Jane will be reading and, as always, there’s no pressure for people to read aloud or say anything. It’s about enjoying the conversation as a social and well-being project. Her mission is to create living libraries by explaining stories to get people engaged.

“The hunger for this is incredible. Our focus is on the best literature, such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Hardy, Lawrence and Doris Lessing. We also use modern work that’s been strictly assessed for quality such as Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Millions and Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

“Enthusiasm has also come from senior managers of libraries, social care and drug rehabilitation centres. The social and mental health benefit is recognised as being enormous. We’re turning non-readers into readers.

“We look for books that address universal issues to inspire conversations on wide-ranging themes. A lot of people are put off by Shakespeare, but we guide them through it slowly. It can take six months to get through Far From the Madding Crowd, but you can do it.

“When the point of a Shakespeare play or Hardy novel is unlocked for our students, their response is incredible. This inspires people, enhances their lives and improves self-confidence in a way we never dared hope. We’ve really cottoned onto something here.”

Anyone can attend Jen’s weekly readings on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, when she reads aloud at the Bluecoat Art Centre, usually a short story and poem. Edge Hill Library offers a similar opportunity on Tuesdays at 2pm.

“We have about half a dozen regulars, but more are welcome. The books spark off the most diverse conversations, showing how people immediately connect with their themes.”

The Reader’s Shipping Lines Liverpool Literary Festival (on from November 3 - 9 at Bluecoat, University and FACT venues, see website: www.liv.ac.uk/literaryfestival) will be launched at the Bibby Line Group HQ, in Duke Street, where it has a reader in residence to bring books into the work place.

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