Saturday 27th January 2018, the city will host the 2nd annual radical bookfair at Pilots Row Community Centre in Rossville Street. With a host of independent book publishers and distributors from across Ireland, Scotland and England along with several local booksellers will gather at the Bogside venue for the one day event.

A spokesperson for the Derry Radical Bookfair said “The idea behind creating our own radical bookfair in Derry comes after years of successful bookfairs in a number of majors cities such as London and Dublin. The initial concept had grown out of the Anarchist Bookfairs in London back in the early 1980’s as part of an effort to provide
solidarity and support to both independent, radical booksellers and publishers at that time who helped produce and distribute very important  political texts relating to feminist, anarchist, queer, marxist and environmentalist thinking.

“Over the last number of decades that idea has spread to almost every major city around the world of which Derry will now also be included. The idea locally has spread to include local booksellers as well as local and international publishers and distributors which will look at many forms of radical ideas such as queer liberation, anarchism,
republicanism and marxism. There will be locally produced books and material relating to Irish politics and labour history, but just as equally as important is our vast wealth books chronicling our social history will be on display.”

Throughout the day there are a number of talks and book launches planned from ‘There Will be another day’ by local socialist republican and trade unionist Peadar O’Donnell, now republished by Red Sky Books of which local historian Dr. Emmet O’Connor will recount account O’Donnell’s activism locally.  On international prison struggle
members of Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee (IWOC) will discuss recent developments by fellow workers in the US, organising in solidarity with incarcerated workers fighting against prison expansion and the increased capitalist exploitation of prison labour, while  in ‘Fighting for language rights both sides of the Irish Sea’ Welsh and Irish language activists will facilitate a discussion on language struggles in an exchange of ideas and experiences.”

“This is an amazing event for those of us across the Derry and the northwest to access some literature and books which are not normally found in the usual multinational bookshops on the high street. It will also be an opportunity for all types of independent book sellers and publishers to also network and create important links not normally
available locally.”

Derry Radical Bookfair kicks off on Saturday 27th January from 12pm
until 5pm at the Pilots Row Community Centre in Rossville street.