Spotlight 12. Heroes

VE Day street party, Attercliffe, Sheffield

History is full of heroes, but they also walk among us. On VE Day we rightly remember the sacrifice of previous generations, but we don’t have to look far, to see acts of heroism all around us today.  
Literature too contains many heroes, all struggling against a monster of some kind, be it physical, ideological, or emotional.  Some fight with a sword, while others battle demons inside themselves.  These stories teach us, not that monsters exist, but that through our heroism, they may be overcome.

Sheffield during WW2

Picture Sheffield is a database of over 100,000 images provided by the City Archives and Local Studies Service.  It contains images relating to Sheffield's rich history from the 12th century to the present day, including large collections on popular themes.

View images of Sheffield during World War Two

Rediscovering the Heroes in England's Medieval Literature

The British Library looks after an astonishing 170 million items including artifacts from every age of written civilisation. Among these treasures are the medieval stories of heroism enjoyed by our ancestors.  Check out the British Library website and discover features on Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and others.

Visit the website

  

The Big Book Weekend 

The Big Book Weekend runs until the 10th May and brings together the best of the British book festivals cancelled due to coronavirus, featuring the biggest names in books alongside unknown debut authors and rising talents.

Check out the talk this afternoon at 3pm with Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse and the session this evening  at 7pm about Victor Gregg, one of the last survivors of World War Two.

View the full programme

Creativity during Corona - Heroes

During lockdown, we've been posting daily prompts to spark your creativity.  Claire from Central Library writes,

Often bravery has nothing to do with war, slaying dragons or changing the world. The greatest heroes can be those who defeat the demons within. To celebrate this, I’m turning to the words of one of my poetry heroes, Emily Dickinson, with a poem that I think sums up bravery and resilience whatever battle you are fighting.

Listen to the poem

You could simply read the poems then close…or take a look at the prompts on our Facebook page and send us your own thoughts, notes, journal piece, poem, short story,  drawing, paintings, photographs, knitting, sewing, or  songs….  Enjoy.

How to be a Lion - Drawing Mastervlass with Ed Vere

How to be a Lion is bestseller Ed Vere's powerful picture book story celebrating daydreamers, individuality and the quiet courage to be yourself.  In this video, Ed shows us how to draw Leonard.

Watch the video