Overview
Project:
SIX
Project Location:
Sandwell
Date of Project:
April 2008 - March 2009
Project Participants:
- Sandwell Young Carers
- OSCAR
- CRE8
- Barnford Park Allotments Group
- Ideal For All
- Haden Hill House
- West Bromwich Queens Square
- Wednesbury Market
- Brushstrokes
- Sandwell Library Services
Artists:
Peter Chand
Chris Lowe
Project Funders:
Sandwell MBC
Sandwell Library Service
The Public
ERDF
Project Overview:
Commissioned as part of Sandwell Council’s Year of Communities, and inspired by the Six Word Memoirs project run by SMITH Magazine in America www.smithmag.net/sixwords - ‘Six’ challenged the people of Sandwell to tell a story in just six words. The original concept was derived from a literary bet that Ernest Hemingway had with a friend where he stated he could write a novel in no more than six words; he won the bet with, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
The results are inspiring, funny and thought provoking.
Working with professional storytellers, Peter Chand and Chris Lowe, Multistory delivered creative writing workshops in each of the six towns of Sandwell.,working with around 300 people. To accompany the fantastic stories, Multistory felt it was important that the project had a visual impact as well as a literary one. Some of the supporting illustrations were submitted by the authors themselves and some by professional local artists (who gave their time free of charge). The approach has led to an eclectic, eye catching and impressive mix of stories and images that have been published in a book and on a dedicated website, giving the opportunity for local writers, illustrators and artists to feature their work. ‘Six’ celebrates the literary and creative talents within Sandwell and has been a great success; the website received over 1,300 stories from Sandwell, Great Britain and the world via the workshops and web submissions.
Visit the Six website at www.sixwordstories.co.uk
Further info.
As a result of the project, the following three stories from Sandwell authors are to appear in the British edition of Smith Magazine’s Six Word Memoirs:
“After ages I met my Dad.” Bryony
“Guess my weight plus my wheelchair.” John Goff
To further celebrate ‘Six’, Multistory were commissioned by Sandwell MBC to curate a free exhibition displayed at The Public from January 2009 to March 2009. The exhibition featured all of the stories contained within the ‘Six’ publication to showcase the achievements of local people who supported the project and shared their stories.
To find out more about the project please contact Bikki Gray at bikki_gray@sandwell.gov.uk
Visit the Six website at www.sixwordstories.co.uk
Gallery
Below are a selection of photographs from the launch of the Six exhibition at
The Public (Photographs courtesy of Phil Hill Photography).
Below are a selection of sample pages from the Six publication.
Below are a selection of photographs from the Six workshops run by Multistory.
Feedback
Multistory ran workshops and public events with over 300 people in the six towns of Sandwell. Throughout the project, Multistory had an excellent working relationship with Sandwell Library Services and, as a result, the project was part of Sandwell’s contribution to ‘The year of reading’ campaign 2008. A reference copy of the book is available in all of Sandwell’s libraries.
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