#citylis Student Perspectives: Amy Rees on Fun Palaces and Public Libraries

On Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Fun Palaces  event at the Clapham Library.

I, along with other #citylis students, helped children make their own zines (hand-made fan magazines). Topics ranged from Minecraft, to Chelsea FC, to luxury homes. The endless creative opportunities allowed for each child to delve into their own topics and create these original and exciting documents.

I spent most of my time with one particular child who dived into the activity; every time I turned around she was furiously cutting and pasting and adding to her ever expanding and multi-themed zine. I was particularly impressed that for the “Comics” section of her zine she chose, instead of searching comics on the available computer and printing some out, to draw her one comics.

Working side by side we spent a few hours pouring through newspapers, cutting, and gluing. Attending this event not only brought me to a part of the city that I had previously not visited, but gave me the chance to engage with a community that I otherwise would not have.

A #citylis zinemaking workshop participant working on a page of her fanzine at the Clapham Public Library on Saturday 3 October 2015. Photo by Ernesto Priego

#citylis student Amy Rees working side by side with zine workshop participant at the Clapham Public Library on Saturday 3 October 2015. Photo by Ernesto Priego

Growing up I had so many wonderful learning experiences that took places in my local libraries. A particular episode has stayed with me for more than fifteen years. I was fortunate enough to have Roch Carrier come in and read “The Hockey Sweater” to me and my delighted schoolmates. For those of you who have not experienced this slice of Canadiana I strongly suggest you watch the short animated movie made of this story. It tells of a young boy in Québec who accidentally orders a hockey sweater for the wrong hockey team and all of the fallout that comes from this one sweater.

You may be wondering what a zine making workshop in Clapham and a story-telling event in Canada have in common, and the answer is public libraries. I was so lucky to be surrounded my strong public libraries as a child and I was so fortunate to be able to see this other community engaging with their library. Libraries need not be stuffy places where absolute quiet is essential.

For those of you who missed the event I strongly suggest you search through Twitter or Instagram for #FunPalaces to see all the wonderful art and play that happened in Clapham and around the world.

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Amy Rees is on Twitter @amyflorarees.