Workers Solidarity Movement

This May sees the return of the annual Anarchist Bookfair to Dublin, our fifth Bookfair to take place in the city to date. Starting from humble beginnings in the St. Nicholas of Myra Hall in The Liberties five years ago, last years Bookfair was arguably the most successful to date. Over one thousand people passed through Liberty Hall during the day with ten different meetings and workshops held discussing a wide range of topics ranging from Palestine to Left Unity, Iran to Shell to Sea, Social Centres and beyond.

Special quests included anarchist and ex-Black Panther Ashanti Alston and well renowned feminist and author of Mujeres Libres, Martha Ackelsberg. Several thousand euros worth of books and pamphlets were purchased from stalls operated by the Workers Solidarity book service, Barracka Books, Just Books, AK Press, Anarchist Federation, Irish Socialist Network, Oxfam Bookstore and others. Pamphlets and leaflets from a vast array of campaigns and political organisations, including the Revolutionary Anarcha-feminist Group, Shell to Sea, Residents Against Racism, Choice Ireland, Seomra Spraoi and Justice for Mumia Abu Jamal, were distributed freely. The place was abuzz all day.
 
This year, we are returning to the successful site of last years Bookfair and the doors of Liberty Hall will again be opened to anarchists and activists alike to ply their wares. This year, we hope to cover as wide a range of topics as possible, including a guest lecture from the authors of “The Lost Revolution,” Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, and a lecture on trade union organising and syndicalism in Spain from CNT activist Manuel Garcia. We hope to have the same abundance of stalls as last year, and all going well, a couple more!
 
A WSM leaflet for the Bookfair a couple of years back stated that the it was really a day out of the ordinary; a day away from the mundane, where the best thing to leave with is not the book, or pamphlet, or badge you’ve just spent your hard earned money on, but the experience of the day itself. It really is a great opportunity to mingle, meet, and talk to not only anarchists, but activists from all walks of life, as well as the large contingent of passers-by and interested onlookers that the book fair always attracts. So come along, take in a meeting or two, find a book or pamphlet of interest to you, or even just come up to the WSM stall and say hello, you’re more than welcome!

Follow the bookfair Facebook group for updates from this and future bookfairs

For the timetable for the 2010 bookfair see the Dublin anarchist bookfair page.  Doors will open 10.30 on Saturday 29