Catford Library

13/10/2023

Come along to Catford Library this Sunday 15th October 2-3.30pm and immerse yourselves in virtual reality experiences which take a look at 2 significant moments in Black History.

● 'Empire Soldiers' is a pair of VR films that pay tribute to forgotten contribution of South Asian and Caribbean soldiers in World War One and beyond. Through VR and 360°, hear the captivating stories of the battlefield, exploring themes of identity, loyalty, empire and betrayal.

● 'Locker Room: Rumble in the Jungle' invites you to become Muhammad Ali moments before the biggest fight of his life. Through this VR experience, enter the most sacred space in all of sports, the Locker Room, as Ali and his cornerman run drills and remember the journey that brought them to this pivotal moment. Immerse yourself in authentic archive material and interact with digital twins of original memorabilia, including the infamous ‘split glove’ worn by Ali versus UK heavyweight champion Henry Cooper.

Each experience lasts around 10 minutes and whether you are a VR pro or a complete novice, someone will be on hand to provide help throughout if needed.

Other dates in other locations also available below...

📍Downham Library

📆Saturday 14th October 12 - 2pm

📍Catford Library

📆Sunday 15th October 2 - 3.30pm

📍The Library at Deptford Lounge

📆 Saturday 28th October 2 - 4pm

07/10/2023

Come along to Lewisham Libraries this October and immerse yourselves in virtual reality experiences which take a look at 2 significant moments in Black History.

● 'Empire Soldiers' is a pair of VR films that pay tribute to forgotten contribution of South Asian and Caribbean soldiers in World War One and beyond. Through VR and 360°, hear the captivating stories of the battlefield, exploring themes of identity, loyalty, empire and betrayal.

● 'Locker Room: Rumble in the Jungle' invites you to become Muhammad Ali moments before the biggest fight of his life. Through this VR experience, enter the most sacred space in all of sports, the Locker Room, as Ali and his cornerman run drills and remember the journey that brought them to this pivotal moment. Immerse yourself in authentic archive material and interact with digital twins of original memorabilia, including the infamous ‘split glove’ worn by Ali versus UK heavyweight champion Henry Cooper.

Each experience lasts around 10 minutes and whether you are a VR pro or a complete novice, someone will be on hand to provide help throughout if needed.

📍Catford Library

📆Sunday 8th October 2 - 3.30pm
📆Sunday 15th October 2 - 3.30pm

📍Downham Library

📆Saturday 14th October 12 - 2pm

📍The Library at Deptford Lounge

📆 Saturday 28th October 2 - 4pm

04/10/2023

Author, librarian, and creative Jody Burton returns to Catford Library this for a talk about notable black women in London's history.

Jody is the author of the guidebook Black London: History, Art and Culture in over 120 Places and The Black History London Map. She also wrote the Black History Walking Tour of Deptford (a self guided audio tour) for the 2023 Deptford Literature Festival.

📆 Saturday 14th October

🕐 2pm

📍Catford Library

To book your free place visit tinyurl.com/jodycatford or follow the link in our bio

27/09/2023

Paul Crooks, Genealogy Specialist and Black history speaker, will be at Catford Library on Tuesday 17th October from 6.30pm to discuss tracing Black British ancestry and how he overcame specific barriers in family history research in this masterclass.

If you've ever tried researching your own ancestry and encountered barriers, Paul will be sharing advice on overcoming challenges in family history research.

The event is FREE but booking is essential.

Visit tinyurl.com/paulcrookscatford to book your place

26/07/2023

14/06/2023

Calling all writers! 📝Catford Library presents a poetry workshop with .sumpton Unearth inspiration from sanctuary seekers' stories and portraits by Alan Gignoux. Explore limbo, create your own poetry postcard, and share in the power of compassion.

⏲Tuesday 20th of June 5:30pm-7pm
📍Catford Library

Book your space here https://lewisham.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=69583

13/06/2023

Join us for "Postcards from Limbo" and experience a surreal journey through time and space on June 20th, 2023 at 5:30 PM!

What is it like to wait for your future to start? Write new poems exploring the theme of limbo with poet Laila Sumpton in this special refugee week workshop hosted by Catford Library. Writers at all stages of their writing journey are welcome, we will do poetry activities together and draw inspiration from creative writing by sanctuary seekers supported by Jesuit Refugee Services and their portraits by photographer Alan Gignoux. You will be able to write your own poetry postcard from the land of limbo, and a recipe of compassion - the theme for this year's Refugee Week.

Join us for "Postcards from Limbo" and experience a surreal journey through time and space on June 20th, 2023 at 5:00 PM!

09/06/2023

A group of young people from Lewisham Schools have researched the history of Black Londoners before Windrush, discovering how they built successful businesses against a backdrop of inequality, racism and class struggle 200 years ago.

The current exhibition at Catford Library is one of the outcomes from the Heritage Lottery Funded project produced by Learn 2 Achieve and students in year 10 and 11 from Prendergast Ladywell school, focusing on on four businesspeople of African and Caribbean descent: John Archer, Mary Seacole, Ignatius Sancho and Cesar Picton.

The informative banners are on display until 17th June, and more information, as well as an accompanying documentary produced by the young people, can be found at https://www.l2ablacklondon.co.uk/

11/05/2023

Join Arachne Press Limited editor and author Cherry Potts for a creative writing workshop, using visual and physical prompts related to the body to spark ideas.

Catford Library.

Saturday 13th May 2-4pm.

Book your free place here

https://lewisham.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=58784

04/05/2023

Please note that due to the Coronation celebrations, there will be no Councillor's surgery at Catford Library this Saturday 6th May.

The next one will be Saturday 3rd June.

Apologies for any inconvenience

27/04/2023

We still have some leftover copies of Luan Goldie's shortlisted novel 'Nightingale Point' to give away!

Come on down to grab one but be aware, copies are limited and knce they're gone, they're gone!

08/04/2023

Our events begin next Thursday 13th April with 'One of a Kind', a free interactive workshop of poetry and movement that will get both the mind and body working, run by our SPINE artists in residence Jasmin Thien and Elsabet Yonas

Suitable for children aged 7-11

Book your free place at https://tinyurl.com/spinecatford