9 November: An anarchist assembly – do we want a bookfair in
2012?
Wouldn’t you like to play a part in a successful anarchist
collective that for the last 4 years has been organising an annual event that
is both highly public and explicitly anarchist…and just keeps getting bigger?
From 350 people in 2008 to around 1500 attendees in 2011,
the Bristol Bookfair has rapidly become the UK’s second largest, and reflects
the exciting anarchist movements in this city.
We have always strongly believed the bookfair fulfills two
key purposes:
Firstly to be an easily accessible, highly public event that
provides an introduction to anarchist ideas, practices and local
groups/projects via literature and meetings.
Secondly to provide a space for anarchists in the region to
gather, chat, plot & plan, exchange info, socialise, and get the latest
anarchist books etc.
So far we have made a huge effort to publicise the Bookfair
very widely around Bristol and beyond, whilst chasing groups etc to get them to
attend. We think overall the bookfairs have been successful in meeting the two
aims.
The Bristol anarchist bookfair collective is reforming, and
holding an open meeting to discuss the viability of another bookfair in 2012. Nothing
has been agreed or decided, and that includes who is going to be in the
collective. What happens in 2012 will depend largely on what ideas, input and
committment you can bring to the meeting. What is certain however is that the 4
to 6 people who have organised the bookfair each year so far, do not
collectively have the available time nor energy to make it happen in 2012. This
meeting therefore is for those who self-define as anarchists, whilst other
radical comrades who have adopted a non-hierarchical, anti-capitalist and
extra-parliamentary political position are welcome to attend.
What do you think should happen in 2012? What format would
you like to see? And where? Come along to the anarchist assembly!
Meet Wednesday 9 November from 6.30 to 9pm, downstairs at Cafe Kino, 108 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU
At 6.30pm for drinks & informal chat. Main assembly kicks off 7pm sharp!
More info: there are a number of ideas doing the
rounds, from doing ‘Nothing‘, to holding a month long ‘Festival of Anarchy‘ in
May 2012. We have produced a more detailed document covering these ideas, along
with the necessary tasks to make a bookfair happen, and the approximate costs
of putting it on. Read it here (pdf) Bookfair
info
One last point is that the bookfair does not exist outside
of the day to day reality. We are living through historic times. The political,
economic and social upheaval around us is immense and fundamental change is on
the agenda. Whatever we do we should be seeking to push any change in the
direction of social revolution. Can, or does, the bookfair have a role to play
in that? We obviously think it does!
(Read further: Source)
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