As a teenager in the 70s, novelist Jonathan Coe spent hours in Birmingham Central Library; his “whole cultural education, in music as well as books” came from those visits. “All for free, because nobody expected these places to pay their way or justify their existence in monetary terms.” Now, Coe is among the writers featured in a newly launched “protest zine” rallying against the wide-ranging cuts to library services proposed by Birmingham city council.
Works by Kit de Waal, Anna Metcalfe and Mark Billingham also appear between the magenta covers of Brum Library Zine. Led by poet Liz Berry and novelist Catherine O’Flynn, the project paired Birmingham’s 35 community libraries with 35 writers who signed up to take part in “micro-residencies” and write original works. The resulting zine features stories, poetry, memoir, flash fiction and a short play by Metcalfe, inspired by Selly Oak library.
