WOW – Women of the World Chester, 20-21 May 2017, will see leading female voices from across the region discuss, debate and celebrate the theme of ambition and explore the paths to a gender equal world.
A programme of workshops, speed-mentoring sessions, panel discussions, film, exhibitions, poetry, stand-up comedy and a marketplace will form the inaugural festival line-up.
Launched by Southbank Centre in 2010, WOW is now a global movement, with international WOW festivals reaching over one million people across five continents, and growing year on year. Following a series of open Thinkins, WOW Chester has been programmed by contributors, thinkers and doers based across the region.
Highlights for WOW Chester 2017 include a keynote speech from Jude Kelly,artistic director of the Southbank Centre and founder of WOW and a talk from Sue Flood, the award-winning wildlife photographer, author and filmmaker. There will be panel discussions on a range of subjects including women in business, women in sport, domestic abuse and childlessness as well as a series of workshops on poetry, singing and salary negotiation.
Storyhouse will feature an exhibition of art curated by 40 artists – many from Arab and Muslim cultures. There will be a performance by Cheshire based dance company Fallen Angels and the film Sonita (winner of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary) will be screened in the brand new Storyhouse cinema.
Both days of the festival will see interactive workshops for under 10s to explore what it means to be a girl and how to start a feminism campaign from their bedroom. Plus, all weekend a marketplace will be hosted in Storyhouse’s impressive foyer with a range of stalls providing information, raising awareness, and showcasing work, craft and fashion. The festival will be rounded off with an evening of stand-up comedy.