Pages of Hackney

Independent Bookshop, Hackney, since 2008

Event: Outspoken: JJ Bola and Natalie Fiennes

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Outspoken: JJ Bola and Natalie Fiennes

Join us as we welcome JJ Bola and Natalie Fiennes to read from and discuss their new books, MASK OFF and BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, the first two titles published by Pluto Press for their new series, Outspoken.

MASK OFF: MASCULINITY REDEFINED by JJ Bola

In Mask Off, JJ Bola exposes masculinity as a performance that men are socially conditioned into. Using examples of non-Western cultural traditions, music and sport, he shines light on historical narratives around manhood and debunks popular myths.

‘JJ Bola succeeds not only in holding men accountable for the ways in which we have benefited from male privilege, but also in liberating us from its violently toxic demands. Without instrumentalising feminism for male interests, ‘Mask Off’ bravely seeks to dismantle intersectional axes of oppression that materialise from patriarchal structures’ — David Lammy, MP

JJ Bola is a writer, poet and educator. He is the author of the novel No Place to Call Home (2017). He is a contributor to Derek Owusu’s Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: SEX EDUCATION TRANSFORMED by Natalie Fiennes

From contraceptives to virginity, consent to pornography, transphobia to sexual abuse, Behind Closed Doors demands a radical, inclusive and honest sex education. Going beyond the ‘birds and the bees’ it unravels how our desires are influenced by powerful political processes that can be transformed.

Natalie Fiennes is a journalist and filmmaker. She is currently working in documentary film making and has taught sex education and consent classes in schools, universities, and youth centres around the UK.

OUTSPOKEN

Platforming underrepresented voices; intervening in important political issues; revealing powerful histories and giving voice to our personal experiences; Outspoken is a book series unlike any other. Unravelling debates on sex education, masculinity, feminism, mental health, and class and inequality, Outspoken has the answers to the questions you’re asking.

Read more

Event: SOLD OUT – Virago Speakeasy at Pages Cheshire Street: On Witches

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On Witches

Virago Speakeasy at Pages Cheshire Street is a new event partnership bringing together Virago and non-Virago authors and readers in a dynamic, challenging and interactive forum.

Join us on the eve of Halloween for a special Virago event on witches. From ancient folklore to gothic historical novels, from Trump’s campaign propaganda to protest movements, from the Bible to pop music, women have been called witches – and many are proud to claim the title. Are witches the wise women in society, the rebels or the villains – and how does their depiction in our favourite stories shape our understanding of their role? Grab a friend, a drink and share tales of your wickedest women for a spellbinding night of literary chat (and a few cackles).

With Shahrukh Husain, author of The Virago Book of Witches and Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock

The Virago Speakeasy at Pages is sponsored by Lussa Gin and Wild Card Brewery, two great indie drinks companies run by women.

Event: Democracy May Not Exist: Astra Taylor with Shiri Shalmy

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Astra Taylor - Democracy May Not Exist But We’ll Miss it When It’s Gone

Join us as we welcome writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor to discuss her new book, DEMOCRACY MAY NOT EXIST BUT WE'LL MISS IT WHEN IT'S GONE, with Shiri Shalmy.

Did democracy ever exist? Why is it no longer possible?

Democracy is in crisis. In every major company it has been stole by elites or in the hands of strong men. In democracy’s name we see a raft of policies that spread inequality and xenophobia worldwide. It is clear that democracy—the principle of government by and for the people - is not living up to its promise.

In fact, real democracy—inclusive and egalitarian—has in fact never existed. In this urgent and engaging book, Astra Taylor invites us to re-examine the term. Is democracy a means or an end? A process or a set of desired outcomes? What if the those outcomes, whatever they may be—peace, prosperity, equality, liberty, an engaged citizenry—can be achieved by non-democratic means? Or if an election leads to a terrible outcome? If democracy means rule by the people, what does it mean to rule and who counts as the people? The inherent paradoxes are too often unnamed and unrecognized. But to ignore them is no longer possible.

Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone offers a better understanding of what is possible, what we want, and why democracy is so hard to realize.

Astra Taylor is the author of The People's Platform (winner of the American Book Award) and made two documentary films, Zizek! and Examined Life. Taylor’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, n+1, and The Baffler, where she is a contributing editor. She lives in New York City.

Shiri Shalmy is a cultural worker and organiser. Over the years she has curated and produced a large number of public art exhibitions and projects, as well as work around radical education and organised labour. She is particularly interested in developing autonomous, self-organised structures around class politics and in movement building through direct action. She is a co-founder of Antiuniversity Now and an organiser with the grassroots campaigning trade union United Voices of the World.

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