This Autumn, everyone is welcome to join The Reader for an abundance of inspiring cultural, and horticultural, events, as well as more family-friendly fun than you can throw a pumpkin at.
National Shared Reading charity The Reader is delighted to unveil a rich and varied new autumn season at its home in Calderstones Park, Liverpool, that promises to inspire, entertain, and excite audiences of all ages.
The Reader showcases an array of events from new gardening masterclasses, and Twilight Heritage Tourto compelling author talks, a free four-week deep dive into the classic novel Frankenstein, wellbeing workshops, and fun-filled family-friendly Halloween activities with books at their heart, plus much more.
Brighton’s Long Nose Puppets will also be making a Calderstones debut with their critically acclaimed puppet show, Shoe Baby, an adaptation of Joyce Dunbar’s picture book with music by Tom Gray, founder of Mercury Prize-winning band Gomez.
Tickets for the season go on sale today.
Autumn 2024
The autumn season begins with the beautiful Grade II listed Mansion House throwing open its doors to even more Liverpool independent artisans and local producers for Makers at the Mansion on Sunday 1 September.
This is followed by a full programme of events to celebrate Heritage Open Day on Sunday September 8, 11am – 5pm, part of England’s largest free festival of history and culture.
Highlights include a live performance by cellist Matthew Phillips of his piece The Calderstones (2021), inspired by the ancient monument that give the park its name.
There will also be the chance to learn how to compose a small piece of music in an Accessible Notation Workshop led by Matthew Phillips, choir performances, Mansion House tours and the opportunity to try Shared Reading.
Another brand-new even is a Twilight Heritage Tour of The Mansion House launching on Thursday 24 October, 6pm-8pm. The evening will begin in the new bookshop cafe with a drink and light bites (included in the ticket price) and regular tours will take place.
Also launching on Friday 11 October, (6.30pm-10.30pm), is the very first The Reader Social. Join members of The Reader team for a fundraising get together to support Shared Reading in the community in the charity’s Mansion House home. Enter a quiz, raffle and indulge in grazing and dessert platters.Â
Raffle prizes include vouchers for local Liverpool independents such as A Slower Space, Lunko Bakery, Booker Flowers, Liverpool Cheese Company, Lifestyle Collective, as well as tickets to Reader events and experiences. Tickets include a welcome drink, savoury platter and dessert.
Outdoors
A new 10-week expert-led Gardening for Everyone course suitable for beginners aged 18+, launches on Thursday 12 September and runs until Thursday 28 November, except Thursday 31 October, (10am-1pm) with Estuary Botanics.
Led by RHS Master of Horticulture Andy Lambie and Botany tutor (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland) and Gardens Manager (Harbour Light Assisted Living CIC) Nif Wilkinson, it will cover soil preparation, plant selection, cultivation techniques, and garden maintenance.
Participants will also create a personalised garden jobs calendar for their own garden and plan for the year ahead.
Estuary Botanics will be running two additional day-long horticulture masterclasses – Secrets of Seeds on Saturday 12 October, (10am-3pm) and Discovering Trees on Saturday 9 November, (10am-3pm).
And a new Autumn Wreath Making workshop will launch on Sunday 6 October, 10am-1pm. Join local florist, Booker Flowers for an autumnal morning of floristry, foraging for foliage in the grounds and learn how to craft a beautiful seasonal hanging door wreath in the Mansion House.Â
Shared Reading
Known for bringing people together and books to life through Shared Reading, The Reader is running twouplifting autumn wellbeing workshops inspired by two authors featured in The Reader’s Wonder Bookshelf 24/25.
The first, on Saturday 19 October, will be based on Irish writer Claire Keegan’s Foster; the second exploring Joy Harjo’s She Had Some Horses will follow on Sunday 10 November. These combine Shared Reading with a guided walk in the park and the compilation of a personal poetry collection over a hot drink indoors.
Launching in the same week as Halloween is The Reader’s first Frankenstein Deep Read exploring Mary Shelley’s enduring investigation into what it means to be truly human. It will take place every Saturday for four weeks, from Saturday 26 October to 23 November, (1pm-3pm).
Come and celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday 3 October, (5.30pm-7.30pm) at the home of Shared Reading with an evening of literary discovery and exploration based on this year’s theme: Counting. Expect a selection of Shared Reading workshops led by our expert team.
Author and Publisher talks
The Reader Bookshop is host to not one but two author talks, beginning with Sam Leith and Andy Miller In Conversation on Thursday 12 September, (6.30pm-8.30pm).
Author Sam (Write to the Point: How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page) will be chatting to Andy Miller, host of the podcast Backlisted, about his new book The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading.
It will be followed by In Conversation with author Joanna Scutts (Hotbed, The Extra Woman) on Friday 27 September, 6pm-8pm where she will be discussing her brand-new book: Firebrands. In 25 witty and vibrant biographical essays, Scutts introduces us to twenty-five brilliant and complex women writers.
The venue is also hosting An Evening with Persephone Books on Tuesday 19 November, (5.30pm-8pm) with the return of publisher Francesca Beauman shining a light on literature that does not always get the spotlight. Persephone Books has been reprinting neglected fiction and non-fiction, mostly by women writers and mostly dating from the mid-twentieth century, since 1999.Â
Afterwards there will be the opportunity to join a one-hour Shared Reading session, exploring Little Boy Lost, a Marghanita Laski classic unearthed by Persephone, which also features on this year’s Reader Bookshelf.
Family-friendly events from Shoe Baby to Diwali
As summer draws to a close, families can enjoy one last summer spectacular to round off the school holidays for 2024 – Storybarn Fest!
Sunday 1 September will see the best of the Storybarn brought outside for a festival in the Ice Cream Parlour courtyard from 11am-5pm. Expect storytelling, crafts, games, facepainting, BBQ and of course – ice cream.
There is much excitement for the Calderstones Park debut of much loved and critically acclaimed production company, Long Nose Puppets with their sell out puppet show, Shoe Baby, on Sunday 15 September.
Two performances of this fantastical sing-along adventure – all about a baby who takes to the sea, the air, the zoo all in a shoe – will run at 11.30am and 2.30pm. This magical adaptation of the charming 2005 picture book by Joyce Dunbar is aimed at one to five-year-olds, but fun for all the family.
A Teddy Bear’s Sleepover, from Friday 27 September to Saturday 28 September, is a sleepover with a difference, held across two sessions. Children can check their favourite toy into The Storybarn Hotel for a sleepover of a lifetime and find out about their adventures when they collect them the next morning.
The Storyhunters will welcome families back for a breakfast of croissants and juice while they watch a presentation of what the teddies got up to the night before. Each child will receive a mini photo album of their soft toy’s adventure as a parting gift. Best suited for four to nine-year-olds, younger siblings welcome.
Join The Reader to celebrate Diwali at the Storybarn in collaboration with Indian Arts and Culture company MILAP on Saturday 2 November at 10am and 12.30pm.  Perfect for four to nine-year-olds, this special session will include Diwali inspired stories and crafts.
Halloween
Boo! From a Fangtastic Family Feast to a Monster’s Ball and Pumpkin Picking Party there are a multitude of frighteningly good Halloween events to look forward to this autumn.
A Pumpkin Picking Party will be held every weekend from 5 to 27 October, (10am-11.45am). Sessions start inside the Storybarn where children and their grown-ups can cosy up and listen to a spooktacular reading of Patricia Toht’s Pick a Pumpkin, a rhythmic read-aloud text capturing the excitement of this Halloween tradition.
Families will then head outside to pick their very own pumpkin to carve and take home. Perfect for four to nine-year-olds, younger siblings welcome. Under one’s free.
Children can show off their frightful fancy dress, play ghostly games, and create a spooktacular craft to take home at Halloween at the Storybarn sessions running from Saturday 26 October to Thursday 31 October. Best suited for 4–9-year-olds, younger siblings welcome.
Other themed events include Spooky Incy Wincy Rhymers between Saturday 26 October and Thursday 31 October, The Mini Monster’s Ball – a family-friendly Halloween party – for one to four-year-olds on Thursday 31 October, (11am-12.30pm) and later in the same day, The Mighty Monster’s Ball, for four to nine-year-olds.
Finally, the Fangtastic Family Feast on Saturday 2 November (11am-1pm & 3pm-5pm) is an immersive experience inspired by mesmerising children’s book Café at the Edge of the Woods written by BAFTA award-winning writer Mikey Please, in collaboration with Harper Collins Kids. It includes a deliciously decadent feast of pickled bats, slugs in goo and maggot fondue. Expect stories, games and crafts but remember, this is no ordinary café…
Wedding Open Day
Ding dong! The stunning Mansion House, right in the centre of Calderstones Park, is one of Liverpool’s most iconic and unique wedding venues. Couples will be able to meet The Readers own team of dedicated events planners, talented onsite chefs, and selected suppliers at the Wedding Open Day on Sunday 20 October, (11am-3pm).
They have the exclusive use of the historic Theatre Room, lovingly restored in 2019 with full bifold doors opening out onto a private garden for guests to enjoy. All weddings support The Reader to deliver its charitable work transforming lives through literature and Shared Reading groups across the UK.
The Mansion House will be open seven days a week with guided tours exploring the history of the house every Tuesday at 2pm, the History of the House exhibition, and the ancient Calderstones which give the local area its name, are on display every day. The full Autumn season is available to book here.Â
READ MORE: A NEW FREE WATERFRONT FAMILY FESTIVAL IS COMING TO LIVERPOOL
