We have now ran out of copies of wor diary. Cant believe they've gone already. We will return the cheques of every order we cant meet. Hope nobody is too disapointed, we have been amazed by the level of interest. There might be copies left at the outlets mentioned in the get a diary page but alas none at wordiary HQ.

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A group of people from Newcastle have created a 2008 diary that revels in our region's rebellious history.

This is a not for profit project to share forgotten stories of love and protest We hope you get a copy and get inspired. Make history in 2008 and feature in future diaries!

What are we on about?

We have researched local archives and personal collections to get 3 historical dates for every day of the year, based on Tyneside's inspiring history of protest, rebellion, mutual aid and dignity. (Actually we've got loads more but will have to be brutal editors!)

From Suffragettes burning down railway stations before World War 1, to the Winlaton iron manufacturers arming the crowd in order to prevent another 'Peterloo' taking place on Tyneside, this is the underground history that is rarely acknowledged. Read of the dreams of long-forgotten pioneers, the determination of individuals fighting tyranny in all its forms, and the desperate struggles of the starving, without which we would not have the freedoms we have today.
 

Each month is drawn by a different person/household/family, with September produced during a participatory event at the Star & Shadow cinema in, yes, September.

A Spiral-bound mini-masterpiece

The diary is being printed by a workers' coop, and is sold at cost price. Each one will be a mini-masterpiece, spiral-bound and beautifully presented.

We hope the diary will inspire a greater sense of possibility and of the real history of struggles and freedoms that we have inherited. Not history to put on the shelf, but to inform everyday life. Never more will we pass that corner and forget it was where the 'witches' were hanged, or drink in that pub and forget the songs that once were sung against the British Empire and for the victory of the Mahdi army.

In addition, background information will be given to key figures and events. Walking tours, puzzles, lists of useful contacts, where to buy veggie/organic/local food, upcoming festivals and events, lunar calendar and period planner, etc. etc. Finally, the diaries will be wrapped in a hand-drawn map that will chart some of the places, routes and connections cited during the day-to-day run of revolutionary, rebellious, and rollicking events of the year.

The protest against the Cradlewell bypass in Jesmond.