The State of the Arts ft. Fossil Free Books

Ten Thousand Posts

Writers and Book Workers Jessica Gaitan Johannesson, Mohamed Tonsy and Guy Gunaratne come on the show this week to talk about their work as organisers in Fossil Free Books, and their campaigns for a books industry free from fossil fuels, fossil fuel finance and investments in the arms industry.

They talk about the hostile media coverage of FFB in the wake of Baillie Gifford pulling funding from UK literary festivals, what it means to be a Book Worker, and how decades of austerity and state defunding has left arts institutions dependent on external financing from corporates, and how that has subsequently shaped public perceptions of art as labour. We also talk about the importance of artists organising, and why groups like FFB are essential at times when the value of the arts as a public good is increasingly under threat.

Support and join FFB here: https://www.fossilfreebooks.org/

Read Jessica's work here: https://lighthousebookshop.com/events/the-nerves-and-their-endings-

Read Mohamed's work here: https://www.hajarpress.com/books/you-must-believe-in-spring

Read Guy's work here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741839/mister-mister-by-guy-gunaratne/

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PALESTINE AID LINKS
As the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Gaza, we encourage anyone who can to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians. You can donate using the links below. Please also donate to the gofundmes of people trying to escape Rafah, or purchase ESIMs. These links are for if you need a well-respected name attached to a fund to feel comfortable sending money.
https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/how-you-can-help/emergencies/gaza-israel-conflict
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Ten Thousand Posts is a show about how everything is posting. It's hosted by Hussein (@HKesvani), Phoebe (@PRHRoy) and produced by Devon (@Devon_onEarth).