Next week our libraries will be thriving with events for National Storytelling Week, from a choir at Ilkley Library, to songwriting workshops at Keighley Library and a live performance from singer-songwriting Boo Hewerdine. There will be poetry workshops as well as an Open Mic on Feb 7th. Alongside these amazing events, our VR headsets will be touring, featuring films of young creatives from the district who were commissioned to write music and poetry about their city. Here, poet Alfie Wilson, tells us a little about his involvement.
Bradford Libraries have multiple events running for young creatives across the Bradford District this February.
On Saturday 7 February City Library is holding the celebration event
for The Pulse, for an amazing project where 3 young poets and 2 young musicians had the opportunity to work with professional poet Gaia Holmes to create new VR poetry and music media that will be touring Keighley, Manningham, Shipley, Ilkley and City Libraries that
week.
“This project has given me so many different insights into the creative industries. Gaia was such an amazing mentor – she worked with each of us individually to augment our unique style and help us to build on this. So much effort has gone into this project with all the VR
elements and creating the poetry and music to go along with it, I am so excited to finally share everything we have created!” – Alfie Wilson, Poet
To celebrate the launch of this unprecedented project and kick off Storytelling Week 2026,the event will also include a poetry workshop run by the amazing Gaia Holmes from 2pm-4pm as well as an open mic during the launch event which is running 6pm-8pm (both at City Library) open to all young creatives with something they want to share.
We chose the name Pulse because we want this project to showcase all young people’s voices, which we think are the heartbeat
of Bradford – proudly the youngest city in the UK. So, if you or your friends have something to share, come along to Bradford City Library and get involved with all the exciting events we are running throughout the day.
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