We’re very pleased to reveal that Levenshulme Old Library’s You Are Here podcast is currently featured on the Arts Council’s website as an example of the power of hyperlocal storytelling.
Created at Levenshulme Old Library, You Are Here is a series of five specially commissioned short stories, each set in and inspired by one of Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. The stories take listeners from Cringle Park to the Fallowfield Loop, combining fiction with specially created soundscapes and audio portraits made from the voices, stories and memories of local people.
The project was designed to explore the relationship between people and place – using creative writing and audio to uncover the histories, experiences and everyday details attached to familiar parts of our neighbourhood. Listeners can experience the stories at home, on their travels, or while walking through the places that inspired them.
A new Arts Council England case study looks at the impact of the project and highlights You Are Here as an example of how digital work can connect audiences with hyperlocal stories and communities.
For Levenshulme Old Library, it is particularly welcome recognition at a challenging time. We were devastated to learn of the loss of our funding from Manchester City Council earlier this year and are working hard to secure a sustainable future for the Old Library. Having work created here in Levenshulme recognised nationally is an important reminder of the value of creative projects rooted in community spaces – and of what can be achieved when local people, artists and organisations are given the resources to make ambitious work together.
You Are Here was comissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England.
You can listen to all five episodes of You Are Here wherever you get your podcasts, and read the full case study on the Arts Council England website.