Good Luck with this, but personally am a bit dismayed that you take this approach of being lazy in advertising it???!! Seems a bit shit really.

Unfortunately we were too stupid\lazy to put any real effort into advertizing it, but hopefully some people will come along anyway.


Says it all... if you can't be arsed to put any effort into selling dull books to other "anarchists", what makes you think you can begin to dream about effecting any lasting social change? White cider revolutionaries...

I know nothing about this bookfair or organisation, etc. But what the hell is with the negativity? There'll learn from this time, and go on and do it better next time. But not with the attitude of the above comments. Bookfairs are great events that allow people and organisations to network. I know a lot of people who've got into anarchist organisations and groups through bookfairs, it's a great chance to meet fellow anarchists.

Good luck with the bookfair today, and better luck for next time!

(a) - Thanks for your comment - negativity will always be with us. A fair number of people worked pretty hard on the bookfair which was enjoyed by a good crowd. There was a lot more to it than "dull books" - just as one example £100 was raised by the Prisoner Support Cafe for Palestinian Refugees in connection with this event.
 http://freedetainees.org/9229

It seems likely to me that the initial post was not from anyone in Yorkshire Anarchist Group as they'd have known that the "lazy and stupid comment" was untrue on both counts - unless there was some kind of total sense of humour failure (in which case forgive me and please disregard the remainder).

It also wouldn't surprise me if the London Anarchist and Yorkshire SHARP comments are bogus - they're certainly doing the work of their enemies in belittling the efforts of other activists without actually knowing what they're talking about.

It's always possible to do more publicity but we're had phone calls from Kirkless Council complaining about the posters (hey - that might have been fake too? who knows, they didn't leave a number) so they certainly saw them.

Personally I work on the making-things-possible aspect of events like this (mop, bucket, stepladder, light-bulbs, tables & chairs) so I don't have a big personal stake in the publicity machine but I do know things were done and people were aware of the event.

If anyone's interested, publicity began in earnest in February with a call-out for people wishing to get involved in the organising (inc. publicity!) here:
 http://yorkshireanarchist.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/bradford-anarchist-book-fair-2010/

Posters were available to download in March
 http://yorkshireanarchist.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/propa-propaganda-what-you-can-do-for-the-bradford-anarchist-bookfair/

The event was listed on Northern Indymedia
 http://www.northern-indymedia.org/events/576
and was front page on the 1in12 Club website
 http://www.1in12.com/
There was an internet radio interview here:
 http://www.underthepavement.org/audio/files/Bradford_Anarchist_Bookfair_Interview.html#unique-entry-id-10
And the event was listed on "Anarchist Bookfairs Of The World"
 http://anarchistbookfairs.blogspot.com/
(unfortunately the Bradford link was wrong, but never mind).

I think someone sent a F***book event around for it too.

In accordance with Uk Indymedia editorial practice on events, it wasn't posted as a news item as the event had not yet happened ("not news") and there was no explicit "action" around the event to make it so.

Anyone wishing to contribute positively please get in touch.

Protag

1in12 Library Collective

Hello,

Well I went and there were some lovely people there from various groupings covering not just the expected anarcho-syndicalism, class struggle/war, workers groups et al but anti-fascists, animal rightists, hunt sabs and more.

Fantastic hospitality and delicious vegan food as always care of 1in12 Club.

Ignore the throwaway comments of not making the effort because people really did make an effort and travelled from all over the place to make this event worthwhile and it can and should/will be improved.

We need to support these events and not slag them off or the people involved. For those in the Yorkshire area or prepared to travel, there is another one in Sheffield on Saturday 22nd May from 10:00 - 16:00 @ Corporation night club.

Well that's enough of me being 'fluffy' from me thank you.

A // E

Hi,

Cheers to everyone who helped put on this event, unfortunetly I was unable to make it due to illness but thank you for putting it on. To all you negative nellies, yes as 'Vegan Barnsley' says there will soon be another Anarchist Bookfair in Yorkshire, this time in Sheffield on Sat 22nd May, so please come along!

Here is the website with all the details of the event: www.bookfair.org.uk The Sheffield Fair will also include a variety of groups and people as the Bradford one did, with delicious vegan nosh provided by S.A.F (www.sheffieldaf.org.uk), there's still time for folk to book a stall on the day so get in touch via the Bookfair or S.A.F websites if you're interested.

Ta,
Sheffield Veg(A)n

Excuse me if you found MY comment negative, but it was in response to the original poster basically saying that they are too lazy and stupid to put any effort into organising an anarchist event - so whose was being negative?! I was responding to the negativity of someone supposedly from YAG.

I'm glad that the original poster WASN'T reflective of YAG and alot of hard work did go in organising the bookfair.

Before you get you knickers in twist, maybe spend sometime to find out why on Indymedia one of your comrades but out such a disparaging promotion of one of your events.

Thanks!

I live in Leeds and didn't see this event advertised ANYWHERE. I didn't even see it advertised at the 1 in 12 the last time I was there a few weeks ago. I only found out about it because a mate texted me. It was a good event though, some good stalls, quite a few people in, and absolutely great food at the Palestinian solidarity cafe. Not sure who organised it, they didn't seem to be much in evidence if they were there, but it's good to see these kind of events being put on in Yorkshire. More publicity for future events though please comrades.

It was a good event, but personally I was disgusted to see the presence of well-known tout and Nazi-harbourer Nikki Steel. Plenty of people in the West Yorkshire animal rights scene are aware of her pedigree, yet they continue to allow her involvement, which is two-faced, cowardly, and dangerous to newcomers who are unaware of her work for the cops.

Hi,

I was the guy who designed the posters for the bookfair (which also came in for a bit of online criticism). I've already said a bit on the YAG blog which I'll repeat here in a minute. I just want to respond to the FFS post.

I maybe stupid (I was standing on a picket line when I should have been sitting my exams), but I take exception to being called lazy. I'm raising a family in one of the poorest areas of the UK and I work long hours for shit pay just to try and give my kids things that will make it easier for them to avoid my mistakes. I have been politicised through necessity rather than ideology and I try to do what I can to bring about much needed "social change".

I find it extremely difficult to offer the level of commitment that I would like, but I try to do what little I can, which is the same for a lot of people in our movement - such as it is.

The original idea behind YAG was to try and encourage anarchists in active cities to support people (like myself) who live in smaller towns and cities who want to get more active. Unfortunately this did not prove to be the case.

And for the record this is what I said on the YAG site...

I don’t know who posted it, but I don’t believe – and I would certainly hope – that it wasn’t someone associated with the YAG.

YAG was founded as an attempt to build bridges and to help people – like myself – who’s personal situation makes it difficult to get as involved to the degree that they – or apparently others – might like.

I would also warn – again from personal experience – that those who question other people’s commitment are usually the same kind of people who are in danger of burning out and becoming blanket casualties. A few thoughts from Edward Abbey on this…

“One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast… a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.”

Yes, it’s important to act, but it’s even more important to build a community where people are neither coerced or judged – a situation which sounds a little ‘authoritarian’ if you ask me.

Kind regards,
W

"Yes, it’s important to act, but it’s even more important to build a community where people are neither coerced or judged – a situation which sounds a little ‘authoritarian’ if you ask me. "

Surely it's not 'authoritarian' to hold groups or individuals to account in terms of commitments made. Well done to YAG for puting on this event, and to the 1 in 12 for hosting it, but surely a lot more work could have been put into advertising it, not least on Indymedia. When you invite groups from all around the area, and in the case of AK Press from further afield, and charge them for a stall, you have a responsibility to advertise the event to the best of your ability. Most of the people I knew there were there because I'd found out about it from a friend and had invited them. Others said they had seen the post above. I understand that there were posters in Huddersfield, but I didn't see any elsewhere. Yorkshire is a big place for sure, and perhaps YAG don't have enough members to lay claim to that area. Take it on the chin boys and girls, good event, but more publicity next time please.

A fair comment from a proud (but typically anonymous...) anarchist ;-)

Personally I think it's more than fair to say that the YAG was biting off more than it could chew at this moment in time. But, more importantly, I think the group lost track of it's original objective; which was to try and draw people together from ALL around Yorkshire exactly BECAUSE it's such a large area.

The general idea was simply to create some form of support/aid network for individuals in towns that have no active radical/anarchist group or to offer solidarity to small, but important causes like the 'Reclaim the Earth Centre' at Conisborough - which has rail links to both Leeds and Sheffield, but is virtually unsupported by anarchists.

Hopefully the YAG has learnt something from this. I know I have ;-)

Kind regards,

well done for putting on the bookfair.

I heard about it , and i live in bristol!

As far people saying 'it should have been better publicised' - well how about next time 2 months before you say 'Can i help with publicising this?' . The amount of effort to post your 'complaint' on the web is easily the same as writing an email offering the collective help for the next one.

It's pathetic. So many anarchist are little thatchers, expecting everything on a plate for them, and they complain when its not what they ordered, rather than helping in the kitchen.

blub blub blub. It's good to learn from criticism too tho.

Good luck for the next one comrades

s