Books Beyond Boundaries NI

Books Beyond Boundaries NI is a creative writing project which engages with BIPOC groups through community outreach to transform lives through literature. Based on research in Afrofuturist literature, this project encourages BIPOC writers to use speculative fiction to place their cultural identity in imagined futures, thereby securing their place in the present and utilizing literature as a catalyst for future change. The project consists of two ten-week online courses, where participants are supported by BIPOC speculative writers to create work which reflects both their current society, and what they imagine their future could be. The workshop is delivered online, making it both shared island and transnational, and showcasing Northern Irish talent globally. Following these workshops, a creative anthology will be produced on BIPOC speculative literature. This book will be showcased at several locations, including a book launch at Ulster University. A central website hub will offer a range of digital content, alongside a key stage 3 learning forum site on how BIPOC futurism can become a catalyst for change through art. Finally an open access, interdisciplinary conference will take place to discuss shared futures in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and beyond, the proceedings of which will be collected for publication.