Spring is a particularly beautiful time to visit Gladstones Library and get your first taste of the season.

There is so much to see and do in Hawarden and its surrounding area, that you will be spoilt for choice. Whether you enjoy country walks, visiting historic buildings and gardens or just relaxing with a good book (and weve got plenty of those!) - you are sure to enjoy a break at the Library. Hawarden is a picturesque village and never more so than at springtime. Enjoy a walk through the Gladstone Estate parkland and delight in the beautiful display of daffodils on the banks of the Old Castle. There are a number of scenic walks to do around Hawarden, whether you prefer quiet country lanes, open fields or woodland. When you return to the Library, you can be sure to find a tasty treat waiting for you on our spring inspired menu. Spring has been a great inspiration for many writers and poets over the years and, if its a quiet place in which to research or write that you are looking for, then Gladstones Library is ideal. Over 500 books have been written or researched here in the last ten years and our Writers-in-Residence always comment on how productive an environment the Library is. If that wasnt enough, take a look through the wide range of events happening at the Library in the next few months. A light exists in spring Emily Dickinson
A light exists in spring Not present on the year At any other period. When March is scarcely here A color stands abroad On solitary hills That science cannot overtake, But human nature feels. It waits upon the lawn; It shows the furthest tree Upon the furthest slope we know; It almost speaks to me. Then, as horizons step, Or noons report away, Without the formula of sound, It passes, and we stay: A quality of loss Affecting our content, As trade had suddenly encroached Upon a sacrament.

All our bedrooms are now refurbished in a boutique style and include a Roberts digital radio, as well as contemporary writing desk and comfortable bed. All you need to read, write and relax.

CONTACT
To enquire about availability, call 01244 532350 or e-mail enquiries@gladlib.org Or book online at www.gladstoneslibrary.org

What is Sufism?

Saturday 16th March 10am 4pm

Thursday 11th April, 7pm

Conversation dinners are an idea we have borrowed and adapted from our friends at the School of Life. We provide a delicious threecourse meal and suggest topics for conversation which will, hopefully, take you beyond the usual small talk to explore experiences, ideas, regrets and aspirations. Dont worry everyone is shy, hesitant and yet as curious as you. Come along and enjoy the sort of stimulating, heart-warming conversations we have all dreamt of having. Come on your own or with a friend but, be warned, we will make sure you dont spend much time with anyone you already know! Theres no dress code; the whole evening is meant to be informally informative and fun! Gladstones Library has a unique ambience and really is the perfect place to sit back and relax while enjoying good food and sharing interesting conversations - and if you havent got to rush home, why not stay overnight in one of our en-suite bedrooms? The cost of 25.00 per person includes a welcome drink, a set threecourse meal, a glass of wine and tea/coffee. Tickets must be paid for th in advance by 9 April. Additional drinks can be bought on the night. As it is a set menu, please let us know at time of booking whether you have any special dietary requirements.

To try to answer this question is to immediately enter into controversy. In the tenth century, the Sufi al Fushanji said "today Sufism is a name without a reality, but formerly it was a reality without a name". This is more true than ever. The usual definition is 'Sufism is the mysticism of Islam'. And yet in the twenty-first century, Dr Alan Godlas, an expert on the Middle East and on Sufism, remarks "today many Muslims and nonMuslims believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of Islam". So what should one believe? And does it matter to have an opinion on the subject? Rather than entering into arguments and intellectual concepts, Muriel Maufroy will give us a taste of Sufism through the literature and oral tradition of the great Sufis - mostly Persian.

28 to include morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea

Strangely Orthodox R. S. Thomas

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FULLY BOOKED

Monday 25 Wednesday 27 March Barry Morgan, the current Archbishop of Wales, knew R. S. Thomas well and this short course offers, not literary criticism in the usual sense, but an unpretentious summary of the poets recurring religious concerns. Fully Inclusive Price: 180 - 210 residential/125 non-residential.

Film and Theology

Monday 8 Thursday 11 April

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This annual gathering is now in its fifteenth year and provides an opportunity to reflect theologically on contemporary and classic films including Amour, Hunger, Argo, The Hunt, Intolerance, Moonrise Kingdom and Shame.

Fully Inclusive Price: 255 - 285 residential/150 non-residential.

Looking Back: Introducing Neo-Victorian Fiction

Friday 12 Sunday 14 April
Rosie Miles and Louisa Yates offer the chance to explore our enduring fascination with the Victorians, both on the page and on the screen. The course offers the chance to examine not only why readers and viewers love the Victorians so much, but the many ways in which they are brought back to life. How do we 'remake' the Victorians in the twentyfirst century? We'll be focussing in detail on Sarah Waters' first novel Tipping the Velvet (1998), including watching the screen adaptation.
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An Evening with Peter Jukes Thursday 2 May 8pm Scientology and the Limits of Religious Freedom
Many of the conflicts of the late 20th century, strangely enough, have returned to the role of religion, though the principle of religious freedom and tolerance seemed to have been won two centuries ago. Why is this happening? Is this just a problem with radical Islam? And what if religious fundamentalism is met with atheist fundamentalism? Ever since the Salman Rushdie affair former liberals, renowned for the tolerance, have become militant. The Richard Dawkins Christopher Hitchens line being perhaps the most celebrated and strident. But does their proselytising atheism actually accord with the idea of secularism - which is both freedom from religion and for religion. Have we created a new intolerance? Much of this will be explored through talking about the claims and religious status of Scientology - a fascinating and evocative case study. 7 includes a Hendrick's Gin and Tonic.

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Fully Inclusive Price: 170 - 190 residential/110 non-residential.

Sex, Friends and Emotional Highs Religion and Theology Encounter Popular Music Monday 29th April Wednesday 1st May
Based on their recent book Personal Jesus: How Popular Music Shapes Our Souls, Clive Marsh and Vaughan S. Roberts will invite participants to take a critical look at the role popular music plays in contemporary UK life. Using material from their own research amongst music fans, they will show how embodiment, connectedness and the quest for uplift all play a crucial role for those who engage with music in a committed way. They pose the question whether there is a value, or a necessity, to offer a theological or religious interpretation of such activity. Who best defines whats going on when listeners are moved by music? But what, if anything, has the raucousness of Lady Gaga to do with the solemnity of Bach, or Parental Advisory lyrics with a sung liturgy? All participants are invited to bring questions to pose, music to play and insights to offer.

Creative Writing Workshop with Peter Jukes th Sunday 26 May 10am 4pm Why Lying Around is important: Visualising your Story
This workshop will concentrate on that under represented part of the writing process - thinking and visualisation time - which should precede putting pen to paper. Peter will reflect on his many years experience as a TV screenwriter and dramatist to look at the larger structures of narrative, and how to give the larger structure - the mythic structure of a piece of fiction or prose - the same twists and turns and dynamics as a sentence or paragraph/ You will be asked to brainstorm a novel, a screenplay and a piece of reportage based on the newspaper and media stories of the day.

Fully Inclusive Price: 170 - 190 residential/110 non-residential.

To book any of the events or courses on this page, call 01244 532350 or e-mail enquiries@gladlib.org

28 to include morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea

Open Art Exhibition 7 February - 17 April Grosvenor Museum

Chesters Grosvenor Museums 10th Open Art Exhibition presents the best in contemporary art from the region, giving artists in the area a chance to show their work, and providing a diverse and stimulating exhibition for the public.

Chester Heritage Quilt Exhibition 27th Feb 2nd March 10am 3.30pm Chester Centre, Chester Cathedral
Chester Heritage Quilt Exhibition celebrating 30 years of Chester Patchworkers and Quilters in The Chapter House of Chester Cathedral.

365 Exhibition Throughout March - Chester Cathedral

An exhibition of paintings by Ghislaine Howard. A series of paintings, each 6x8 inches, on one image from the Guardian newspaper.

Chester Philharmonic Concert 2nd March Chester Cathedral

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Chester Cathedral.

Chester International Film Festival 2nd March 12th March Chester Centre, Chester Cathedral
Seven nights of films including a specially composed live piano accompaniment of the cabinet of dr caligari. All films at st Mary's centre. Full details at www.chesterfilmfans.co.uk/festival

Celebrity Concert: Piatti String Quartet 13th March St. Marys Centre
Having been chosen for the Park Lane Group 2009/10 young artist series, the Piatti Quartet had their Purcell Room debut in October 2009 as part of the Peter Maxwell Davis 'Naxos' quartet series and returned to the Purcell Room again in 2010.

The Woman in White 26th - 30th March - Clwyd Theatr Cymru

From the novel by Wilkie Collins. Adapted for the stage by Nicola Boyce

Then And Now: Music For Rest And Contemplation 16th March Chester Cathedral
Programme: Sir Hubert Parry: Blest Pair of Sirens, Songs of Farewell, Chorale Fantasia on When I survey the wondrous cross, Jerusalem. Concert. Chester Cathedral.

Orsino Piano Trio 17th March - Clwyd Theatr Cymru

The Orsino is an exciting new ensemble of musicians, brought together by a shared passion for chamber music. Each member is a distinguished soloist and dedicated chamber musician.

Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival 30th March 1st April - Chester
With celebrity chef demonstrations, over 120 delicious food and drink stalls, a Restaurant Garden serving local food and drink for you to eat there and then, there is every reason to want to go to this years festival. And why not stay for the weekend and enjoy three days at the festival with CamperFest - camping at Chester Racecourse in the heart of beautiful Chester.

Bookings and enquiries for any of the events on this page should be made with the specified organisation.

Chester Cathedral Nave Choir 3rd April Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port Erddig, National Trust, Wrexham Hawarden Farm Shop Grosvenor Museum, Chester Lady Lever Art Gallery, Wirral Roman Amphitheatre - Chester Chester Rows, Walls and Eastgate Clock Ness Botanic Gardens, Neston Wrexham County Borough Museum Chester Zoo Bodnant Garden, National Trust, Conwy
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Chester Cathedral Nave Choir performs a Devotional Concert for Passiontide at Chester Cathedral.

Chester Philharmonic Concert 27th April Chester Cathedral

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Chester Cathedral.

Discover a Medieval City 4th May 22nd September Grosvenor Museum

Exhibition showcasing medieval Chester. Events on throughout the months.

Chester Mystery Plays 26 June - 13 July rd th National Eisteddfod, Denbigh 3 - 10 August

18th Century Genius Haydn and Mozart 11th May Chester Cathedral
Chester Music Society Choir: 18th Century Genius: Haydn and Mozart.

Exhibitions highlighting areas of our collection are held each month in the Library. These are free to view on either our daily Library Tours (12 noon Monday to Friday, or 2pm at Weekends) or as a Reader at the Library. New Atheism throughout March Highlights from the Gladstone Foundation Project throughout April Religious Freedom, Peter Jukes throughout May

Peter Jukes

Gladstones Library will be throwing its doors open to budding egg detectives on Easter Sunday when it holds its annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Hundreds of chocolate eggs will be hidden throughout the Library before the search starts at 12 noon on Sunday 31 March. The Easter Egg Hunt attracts participants of all ages and it is eggciting to see who will be the winner and collect the most eggs. Usually not all the eggs are found, so users of the library the following week often find a special surprise during their visits!

Peter Jukes will be joining the Library as our Writer-in-Residence for May. He is a British screenwriter and journalist. Through his TV appearances and regular columns on the Daily Beast website and in Newsweek, he has become one of the UKs most authoritative commentators on the News International phone hacking scandal and the Leveson inquiry. Prior to that he wrote regularly on the links between culture and politics for the Independent, New Statesman and Prospect magazine, and as a highprofile contributor to US political blogs. He is also an award winning dramatist for stage, radio and television, whose credits include Matador, In Deep, Bad Faith, Waking the Dead, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Sea of Souls. His account of living in the modern city, A Shout in the Street (Faber & Faber, 1990) was called a dream of a book by John Berger.

Gladstones Library has recently launched its new website. The new site incorporates an events calendar which brings together all our events, courses and notices enabling you to see what is happening at the Library across the year. The new website has also been designed to work on mobile phones, iPads and mini-laptops. Many of you will have already seen and used the new website, but if you have not had the chance to do so take a look at the new features at www.gladstoneslibrary.org

We hope that you are able to visit us this Spring to enjoy everything that Gladstones Library has to offer.
To check availability or book for a course or event, please call 01244 532350 or e-mail enquiries@gladlib.org It is also possible to book accommodation online through our website www.gladstoneslibrary.org Dont forget that Gladstones Library also has conference rooms for hire by the hour, half day or full day with a range of packages available to suit your needs. Holding a meeting or conference at the Library really does give you that get away from the office experience. Whilst our free wifi enables you to stay as connected as you wish to be! Find us on Facebook, Linked In, Pinterest or follow us on Twitter @gladlib