March is almost upon us, which means we’ve been getting ready for the Wellington Pride Festival | Tū Whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara which runs from the 1st to the 17th of March. If you’re familiar at all with us here on the WCL Teen Blog, you’ll know that we’re a pretty pride-ful bunch. So we have a whole plethora of library events for you to attend!
Read on to see what we’ve planned for you!
Rainbow Youth Nights
Waitohi | Johnsonville Library
Saturday 2 March, 5.00-8.00pm
Te Māhanga | Karori Library
Saturday 16 March, 5.00-8.00pm
Our Rainbow Youth Nights are back! We’ll be open after-hours for rainbow and takatāpui youth (and friends!) to socialise, have fun, explore our spaces without any of those pesky grown-ups around, and experience the General Youth Night Vibes of crafts, chats, gaming, and pizza.
Our Youth Nights are completely free (pizza included!) but you do need to be 14+ and of High School Age to attend, so please come prepared to show your school ID. And, if you have fun at a Rainbow Youth Night, you should come along to our regular monthly Youth Nights which are only slightly-less-rainbow-themed than these ones!
Wear Your Pride: Badge Making and Friendship Bracelets
Te Awa-a-Taia | Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library
Wednesday 6 March, 4.00-5.00pm
Taylor Swift brought friendship bracelets back, so of course we’re jumping on the bandwagon!
We’ll supply all the materials, you come along and create friendship bracelets and also use the Official Library Badge Maker to create your ideal Pride badge.
My Story, My Pride: A Youth Poetry Pride Workshop
Ngā Puna Waiora | Newtown Library
Thursday 7 March, 4.00-5.00pm
Are you a writer? Do you have Poetic Thoughts that you’d like to better express on the page?
Then come along to this workshop and explore the intersections between power, poetry, and being queer with a published poet!
Registrations are required, so follow the Friendly and Safe link above to find out how to register.
Comics, Queerness, and Community: A Workshop with Sophie Labelle and Sam Orchard
Waitohi | Johnsonville Library
Friday 8 March, 5.30-7.00pm
Wow! We’re very excited about this one. Amazing comic artists and Excellent Humans Sophie Labelle and Sam Orchard are leading a workshop at OUR Johnsonville Library. Yeah, we can’t quite believe it either.
If you’re a comic artist (or aspiring comic artist) this is something not to miss! Sam and Sophie will discuss comic-making and the power of art to bring communities together, and will take you through the process of creating a comic strip.
This event is for people aged 16+. Follow the link above to register.
Just to be Queer: Zine-making Workshop
Ngā Puna Waiora | Newtown Library
Thursday 14 March, 4.00-5.00pm
We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re making zines! Or rather, we hope you will be making zines.
Drag your friends along to the library to learn all about zines. Or if you’re already an expert, just make a bunch of zines! As an extra incentive, once you’ve made a zine, we are able to copy it and have it added to the Wellington City Libraries Zine Collection!
Youth Pride Quiz
Te Awe Library
Friday 15 March, 6.10-8.00pm
Do you wish you had a tiny trophy that proves how great you are at answering questions? If so, we’ve got the event for you!
This is another after-hours event, so the library will only be open for you keen quizzers. We’ve written some Pride-themed questions, you want to answer them (or so we’re hoping), and we’re just planning a fun night in general!
Register your team through the link above.
Rainbow Storytime with Queen Olivia III
Te Awa-a-Taia | Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library
Saturday 16 March, 11am-12 noon
Yes, we get this is a storytime more aimed at kids. BUT you may know some kids and can share the glorious word? Or you might just feel like dropping into the library to relive your own childhood?
Anyway, Queen Olivia Lucretia-Bourgeois Connie St Redfern III is a fantastic storyteller so if you or any children you encounter come along, you’re sure to have a magical time.
Out in the City
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington CBD
Sunday 17 March, 10am-4pm
Yes, our excellent Library Stall will be back at Out in the City! We’ll be there all day handing out books and badges – grab your favourite queer author, or rummage around for the Pride Flag of your choice – and talking about LGBTQIA+ books, movies, online resources and more. Come and say hi!
