“Pretty Ugly”: Pretty Good Fun!

7 June 2024

An advance reading from the brand new collection of short stories just out by internationally award winning author Kirsty Gunn. Come prepared for a controversial, thought provoking and highly engaging presentation and discussion.

This event will be chaired by Gail Low and copies of the collection may be available for sale at a special advance rate.

Kirsty Gunn, BA (Hons), M.Phil., educated at Victoria University and Oxford, is the author of six novels - Rain, The Keepsake, Featherstone, The Boy and the Sea, The Big Music and Caroline's Bikini - extended essays and short stories about identity and Katherine Mansfield - Thorndon, My Katherine Mansfield Project and Going Bush - as well as two collections of short stories - This Place you Return to is Home and Infidelities- and 44 Things, a collection of essays, fragments and stories. 

She is the recipient of a number of awards and prizes including the Scottish Arts Council Bursary for Literature, the New York Times Notable Book award, Sundial Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year. The Big Music was shortlisted for the James Tait Black and Impact Awards and was a Guardian Book of the Year and winner of the New Zealand Book of the Year. 

Queer & Now

20 January 2024

Being Queer in Northern Ireland is a complex and layered topic that deserves attention and exploration. Join us for a panel discussion that will delve into the challenges and triumphs of the Queer community living on this turbulent little island. Together we will examine the political, social, and cultural landscape of Northern Ireland with regard to Queer rights and representation. We will also explore the personal experiences of our panellists, including their struggles with discrimination, coming out, and finding community. The discussion will be facilitated by a panel which includes:

Emy Bainbridge 
Mál Farrell
Gemma Hutton
Gareth Greenfield 

Damian Browne: Man vs Ocean

20 January 2024

A spoken word performance by Damian Browne, Ireland’s foremost extreme adventurer and the only person in history ever to row 3000 miles across the ferocious North Atlantic from Manhattan, NYC to Galway, Ireland. In an enthralling night of inspiration, entertainment and enrichment, Damian shares extraordinary stories of catastrophe, courage and mental fortitude, intertwined with the life lessons etched into his being from the brutality of one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.

Do Black Lives Matter in Belfast

From Friends of Africa

14 October 2020

Live from Accidental Theatre Friends of Africa host conversation between Sulieman Abdulahi, Nandi Jola & Israel Eguaogie on whether Black Lives Matter in Belfast?

Friends of Africa invite people to share personal stories of growing up and living in Belfast, their experiences of identity and racism, and their views on what needs to be done to make a more inclusive society.