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Anarchist centre opens in St Ann's

Notts Features | 09.12.2008 17:49 | Culture | Education | Free Spaces

Sunday saw the opening event of a new centre for anarchist education and culture in St Ann's. The Sparrows' Nest, named after local anarchist publication The Nottingham Sparrow, hosts a large collection of material on anarchist theory, local struggles and workers' struggles. The Sparrows' Nest is largely the work of local Anarchist Federation members and was inspired by a squatted infoshop in Ljubliana and similar projects in Carrara, Italy.

At the opening a selection of pamphlets and books were on display in four sections: The Classics (of anarchism), Neither Left or Right (referring to anarchism's opposition to fascism and the authoritarian left), Work (workers' struggles and the struggle against work) and Anarchy and Action in Nottingham. People were also able to watch films and browse the extensive library.

Newswire: The Sparrows' Nest - A centre for anarchist education and culture | Sparrows' Nest Anarchist Library & Archive, St Anns : opening event | Rebel bulletin The Nottingham Sparrow - March 2008 - No.3 | 'Rebel' bulletin - The Nottingham Sparrow - May 2007 - no.2 | New 'rebel' bulletin - The Nottingham Sparrow - March 2007 - no.1

Links: The Sparrows' Nest | Nottingham Anarchist Federation

The Sparrows' Nest was established by the Anarchist Federation’s Nottingham group with the involvement of other class struggle anarchists. It is a ‘Centre for Anarchist Culture and Education’, in a house, in St. Ann’s. The Library and Archive is our major project. We set it up to inform people about the ideology and history of Anarchism in its many forms, and about working class struggles in our region. We just held our opening event (7th December 2008) and aim to be open to guests very soon.

Some of contents of the existing library and archive are as follows:

The Sparrows' Nest book collection. Books and pamphlets by and about anarchists, and directly influencing or influenced by Anarchist thought and practice. It has an oversize shelf too.

The Sparrows’ Nest public archive. Papers and other historical anarchist materials.

The Sparrows’ Nest periodicals collection. Current and back-issues of papers and magazine still very much alive and kicking.

The Sparrows’ Nest art collection. Novels, poems and art by and about anarchists.

Personal archives already in custody. A local anarchist’s collection; International and UK Anarchist organisations; A local labour activist’s collection.

General Left’s collection. Non-anarchist materials that Anarchists also read.

We also hope to scan in some of the rarer material. For a taster, read a rough scan of Anarchy issue 38 (vol 4, no 1) 1964, with articles by Philip Callow (Nottingham United), Ray Gosling (Robin Hood Rides Again - a rebel scene), Clifford Lee (Nottingham at 14), Anon (Riotous times in Nottingham 1754-1854), Paul Ritter (Planning for Man and Motor in Nottingham), Harold Drasdo (Pages from a Nottingham Notebook), Alan Sillitoe (Poor People).

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Hope this place goes well — Tony

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Anarchist centre opens in St Ann's

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