Dialect And Ballads: Jennifer Reid and Spineless Wonders

Join us for a special event celebrating dialect poetry and ballads, culminating in a specially commissioned live performance from fabulous ballads-singer Jennifer Reid.

In-person and online (1.30-3.15pm)

The event begins with a series of short presentations and readings from poets, curators and researchers exploring the role of ballads, popular poetry, and dialect, ranging from Old English, through 18th- and 19th-century Lancashire and Welsh ballad-writing, to modern Geordie and port dialects. Booking required.

In-person performance and collections (3.15-4.30pm)

The second half of the event offers in-person visitors the opportunity to hear a specially commissioned live performance from local ballad-singer Jennifer Reid, and to view ballad-sheets from the Street Literature Collection of the John Rylands Library. No booking required, but visitors to the library will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis.

Presentations will include:

• Cynthia Johnston (Institute Of English Studies, University Of London) The Harkness Ballads at The Harris, Preston and Lancashire Archives
• John Rylands curatorial staff Ballads and the Street Literature Collection in the John Rylands Library, University Of Manchester

• Julianne Simpson (Chetham’s Library, Manchester), The ballads of Chetham’s Library, Manchester
• Clare Lees (Institute Of English Studies, University Of London) and Carl Kears (King’s College London) Reading: Caedmon’s Hymn in Old English and in U.A. Fanthorpe’s Geordie translation
• Liz Lawes (UCL Special Collections) Bill Griffiths’ dialect material at UCL Special Collections
• Zoe Quick (Slade School Of Fine Art and Bartlett School Of Architecture)
  Collaboratively revisioning a ballad broadsheet from The National Library of Wales, with young people and farmers, to tell news of farming in the Welsh uplands today
• National Poetry Library The National Poetry Library’s upcoming A Poet In Every Port project

Jennifer Reid

Jennifer Reid performs Victorian street ballads and Lancashire dialect work song. She will clog dance in the Northwest style if you ask nicely. She has toured with Eliza Carthy in the UK and in New Zealand solo. She was once described as having “irreverent Puckish vim” in a mag. A force of nature.

Spineless Wonders

Spineless Wonders is an international network of artists, writers, academics and librarians, creating and researching small press publications, including artists' books, and printed materials without spines. The network is hosted by the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL; other members include the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University Of London; The School of Art, Aberystwyth University; Duncan and Jordanstone School of Art and Design, University of Dundee; UCL Special Collections' Modernism, Rare Book and Manuscript collections; Senate House Library, University of London; the department of English, Stanford University, Stanford CA, U.S.A; and most recently the John Rylands Research Institute And Library, University Of Manchester.

Sponsors

The Spineless Wonders Network would like to thank the John Rylands Research Institute And Library and the Randolph Quirk Fund for financial support to make this event possible.

Info: Talks and readings chaired by Tabitha Tuckett.

Info: Collection encounter with items from the Street Literature Collection used to inspire Jennifer Reid’s performance.

Info: A specially commissioned performance of ballads inspired by the John Rylands Library’s Street Literature Collection.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, United Kingdom

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