Lancaster Litfest launches two exciting new projects

Litfest has launched two new and innovative projects, discovering how these changes have affected us and exploring what we think life might look like in the near future as a result. How We Live Now is a series of commissioned short documentary films, looking at the lives of local community members navigating a turbulent year.

Through themes of environmental concern, social justice, health, business, migration and the arts, the films explore how people have responded or adapted to the pressures faced throughout this tough year.

You can watch the films as part of the 2021 festival programme as they premiere on March 18 at 7.30pm (streamed online).

Litfest needs your help and your stories too – simply send them a photo and tell them in one sentence ‘What is it like for you to live now?’

Tag Litfest on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #LitfestHowWeLiveNow.

A selection of the submissions will then be compiled for inclusion in the ‘How We Live Now’ premiere event.

How We Live Next is an investigation into potential futures at local and global level, imagining possibilities for the world after Covid, after Brexit and in the face of the challenges presented by climate change.

This series of five online events runs throughout the weekend of March 13-14 and includes four online talks by leading thinkers, writers, broadcasters and activists.

Sir Michael Marmot, Fatima Ibrahim, James Suzman and Johny Pitts will give their unique takes on Health, Environment, Work and Social Justice.

The event series will culminate in a panel discussion on Sunday (March 14) with a specifically North West focus on the topics up for debate.

This panel will be moderated by AC Grayling and will include Robert Barratt (Eden North), Mark Cropper (James Cropper, Paper Makers), Gina Dowding (Lancaster City Councillor) and Dr Sakthi Karunanithi (Director of Public Health and Wellbeing for Lancashire).

Litfest invites questions in advance for a Question and Answer section which will take place after all five events.

Submit your questions here at : https://litfest.org/hwlnextsubmit.

How We Live Now and How We Live Next are supported using public funding by Arts Council England and with kind sponsorship from Achates Philanthropy.

Details of the other Litfest projects including The Big Read, New Writing North West and all the Literature Festival events (March 12-21) including storytelling, illustration and poetry events; and the donation campaign are also available at www.litfest.org.

All Litfest public events will be available on YouTube for 30 days afterwards.