Author Paul Baker will be at the Carnegie library on Tuesday, 13 December - 7pm to 8:30pm

Polari was a form of language adopted chiefly by gay men in the first half of the 20th century as a form of self-protection and a way of expressing humour. For many speakers it consisted of a small vocabulary although some people used it in a way that began to approach a full language. In the 1960s it was popularized in the BBC radio comedy series Round the Horne. But in the 1970s it started to be abandoned.

This book traces Polari’s historical roots and describes its linguistic nuts and bolts. It then outlines the ways that it was used by its speakers, the reasons for its decline into obscurity and the ways that aspects of the language have been rediscovered and repurposed in recent decades.

Relying on a wide range of interviews and textual sources, Professor Paul Baker tells the story of British LGBTQ+ history through the lens of Polari as well as reflecting on the ups and downs of researching this fascinating form of language over the last 25 years.

Event organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library

Attend at the library - or register with eventbrite for livestream.

Tuesday evening, 8 November - 7-8:30pm in the library or livestream online

Join sociologist and author Keith Kahn-Harris to discuss his latest book on language - The Babel Message

Keith Kahn-Harris is a man obsessed with something seemingly trivial - the warning message found inside Kinder Surprise eggs:

WARNING, read and keep: Toy not suitable for children under 3 years. Small parts might be swallowed or inhaled.

On a tiny sheet of paper, this message is translated into dozens of languages - the world boiled down to a multilingual essence. Inspired by this, the author asks: what makes 'a language'? With the help of the international community of language geeks, he shows us what the message looks like in Ancient Sumerian, Zulu, Cornish, Klingon - and many more. Along the way he considers why Hungarian writing looks angry, how to make up your own language, and the meaning of the heavy metal umlaut.

Overturning the Babel myth, he argues that the messy diversity of language shouldn't be a source of conflict, but of collective wonder! This is a book about hope, a love letter to language!

Event organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library

To attend online livestream register with eventbrite.

At the library (or online)

Tuesday evening, 11 October 7pm to 8:15pm

Can the UK expand Heathrow airport, bringing in 700 extra planes a day, and still stay within ambitious carbon budgets? One legal case sought to answer this question. This book traces the dramatic story of how the case was prepared - and why international aviation has for so long avoided meaningful limits on its expansion.

Celeste Hicks is an independent journalist who specialises in Africa and the Sahel. She has lived in Chad, Mali and Somalia.

This event is organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library

To attend online livestream, please register here - eventbrite

An illustrated talk for young readers, with Stephen Bourne

On Saturday morning, 15 October - 11:00am to 12:00 noon

Historian and author Stephen Bourne presents an illustrated talk about his latest book Black Poppies which is aimed at 8 to 12 year olds.

In the book, Stephen explores the many extraordinary ways in which Black people helped Britain fight the Great War of 1914-1918, on the battlefield and at home.

Chapters include the wartime childhood of Stephen’s adopted Aunty Esther, Walter Tull, the British West Indies Regiment, the music hall entertainer Mabel Mercer, and community leader Dr Harold Moody.

Readers will also hear for the first time about a police constable who joined the Welsh Guards and an African American who made his home in Britain and worked as a coal miner until he joined the army in 1915.

At the Carnegie Library - free admission

Friends of Carnegie Library and the Lambeth Heritage Festival present

Tracey Gregory - author and local resident - will tell the stories of the people and places of Loughborough Road in an illustrated talk.

Tuesday evening, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm - 13 September 2022

At the library or on-line - register here for the livestream

Please come to our next author event, Tuesday 9 August.  Ilona Bannister will discuss writing and read from her latest novel  Little Prisons - about four isolated women living in the same block of flats as Covid Lockdown looms.  Will they make connections?  The theme of neighbourliness combating loneliness and giving mutual support is more relevant than ever.  Last year, during lockdown, Ilona introduced us to her post-9/11 novel When I Ran Away, via Zoom. On Tuesday, she will be with us in-person. Don’t miss this uplifting story of kindness, compassion and hope.

Join us at 6.30 for tea & biscuits; the talk plus Q&A runs from 7.00 – 8.30.  The event will be live-streamed for those who cannot come to the library.  Registration is free on https://www.eventbrite.com/e/387515137207. 

Ilona's family is Ukrainian and a portion of her book sales goes to Ukrainian charities.