Percy Shelley: A Humanist Out of Time

Saturday 09^th December 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Songwriter and Publisher John Webster

While he is perhaps most celebrated as one of our greatest romantic poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley was also an idealist who passionately advocated social reform. In this literary and musical presentation, Shelley expert John Webster will reveal how modern humanist ideals inspired much of this revolutionary poet’s work.

John will begin his presentation with an introduction highlighting Shelley's relevance to contemporary humanism, following which he will present many of Shelley’s verses in a cycle of specially composed songs from his 'Shelley's Golden Years in Italy' DVD. These musical adaptations of Shelley’s poems feature introductory explanatory narrations recorded by the poet Benjamin Zephaniah and are illustrated with an eclectic selection of images featuring Shelley-related locations in Italy.

“An excellent opportunity to learn more about humanism in the 19th century and to connect with a visionary poet who looked forward to a democratic, pluralist, and secular future”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Please email Dave at DHweb2(at)live.co.uk for a PDF copy for you to print and display.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Filling the Void

Wednesday 23^rd November 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

Incorporating Dorset Humanists’ 20^th Anniversary!

With special guests Jonathan MS Pearce, Gareth Howells and Louis Howells

Join us for an inspirational evening of poetry and music with our special guests Jonathan MS Pearce, who has edited a volume of poetry for humanists and atheists called ‘Filling the Void’, and Gareth Howells of award-winning folk band Bemis, with his son Louis.

There is often thought to be a God-shaped void in humanist and atheist lives, but that is far from the truth and our lives can be filled with meaning and purpose. ‘Filling the Void’ helps to document this with a wide variety of thought-provoking and emotional poems. Jonathan and Gareth will deliver an eclectic selection of their favourite poems from the book, and Gareth and Louis will be providing some appropriately themed musical entertainment.

David Warden will bring the evening to a close with a brief review of some of the highlights of Dorset Humanists over the past 20 years, and remember those who made it possible. Wine and light refreshments will be available.

Jonathan Pearce is a Hampshire-based philosopher who has written and edited many books that will be of interest to humanists and atheists, including ‘Free Will?’ , ‘The Little Book of Unholy Questions’, ‘The Nativity: A Critical Examination’, and ‘Filling The Void: A Selection Of Humanist And Atheist Poetry’. He also writes the popular ‘A Tippling Philosopher’ blog for the Patheos blog network.

“Join us for an inspiring celebration of creating meaning, purpose and community in a life without gods”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Singer-songwriter Shelley Segal at Bournemouth Sunday Assembly on 26th October 2014

Sunday 26^th October 11.00am 
Rooper Hall, 5 Victoria Park Road, Bournemouth BH9 2RB

Bournemouth Sunday Assembly are delighted to announce that Australian singer-songwriter Shelley Segal will be performing for them at their service on Sunday 26th October.

Shelley accompanies her “mercurial voice” on acoustic guitar and her songs contain an eclectic mix of “brilliant pop melodies”, intimate story-telling and biographical lyrics. She has been performing original music internationally for the last twelve years, and recorded her first EP in 2009. In 2012 she released her forthright, ‘An Atheist Album’, a folk-pop protest record that embodies her thoughts on religion and highlighted her versatility as a singer and song writer. The album rapidly gained her a following among the international atheist movement.

The theme for this month’s Sunday Assembly is "Helping each other grow", and as always they will have a guest speaker, and a selection of awesome songs to sing along with. They will also be collecting food for a local food bank, so if you are able to spare any dried or tinned food, it will be much appreciated.

Sunday Assembly’s motto is “Live Better - Help Often - Wonder More”. Their aim is to have “all the best bits of church without the religion”, but they qualify this to include everyone, whatever their beliefs may be, by stating “we don’t do religion, but we don’t mind if you”.

We understand that the local groups’ first Sunday Assembly on 28th September was both well attended and well received, and we wish them every success in the future.

Here’s a direct link to this event on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1474003892865468

(updated) Sunday Assembly have recently set up a website at http://bournemouth.sundayassembly.com/

If you don’t use facebook, you can register your interest with a free ticket from eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sunday-assembly-bournemouth-helping-each-other-grow-tickets-13899669285

(edit:updated on 25th October 2014 with Sunday Assembly website details)