Imagine! The Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics (22-28.03.21)

The OU READ-IT team are pleased to be joining Imagine! The Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics again this year, on 23rd March, 5pm, for a talk and interactive workshop entitled ‘Reading in the Pandemic’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. Confined to our homes, we have turned to books and reading for reassurance, contemplation or escape. Join The Open University for this free, online, and interactive event where you will have the opportunity to reflect on your reading and share it with the READ-IT project.

This event includes:

• A mini-lecture by Dr Shafquat Towheed, on ‘Reading during the Pandemic’ (10 mins)
• A conversation with Bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud and novelist Dr Heather Richardson, offering pandemic reading recommendations (25 minutes)
• An interactive question and answer session with Dr Maya Parmar, showcasing our physical and digital postcards so you can share your reading stories (20 mins)

There’s also a free podcast by Prof Josie Billington about reading for wellbeing during the pandemic, which will be made available after the event. This free event is suitable for all audiences age 14+, registration is via Eventbrite, and the event will be hosted on Zoom. Please come along and join us! You can request postcard packs to be sent to you, or access our digital postcards here.

Find out more and book your tickets: https://imaginebelfast.com/events/reading-in-the-pandemic/ 

About the Belfast Imagine! Festival of Ideas & Politics

The 7^th annual Imagine Belfast Festival, 22-28 March, includes 115 great events. Book your tickets: https://imaginebelfast.com.

Thousands of people in Belfast are set to imagine a better future as part of a unique virtual festival devoted to politics, culture and civic activism. During 22-28 March, the Imagine Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics will showcase 115 events to encourage people to discuss and debate the big issues of our times. The strictly non-partisan festival offers up an eclectic week of talks, workshops, theatre, comedy, music, and film to help us manage this volatile world. The themes covered by the festival include climate change, Black Lives Matter, the impact of the pandemic, partition, and civic activism – to name but a few. Most of the events (99%) are free, so get booking before they ‘sell out’ on imaginebelfast.com