After several years reporting on gun deaths in the US, the Guardian journalist Gary Younge turned his attention to knife crime in Britain. In Beyond the Blade, he used previously unavailable data on young people and knife crime to explore how these incidents are reported, the myths surrounding race and class that can skew our understanding of the issue, as well as finding new ways to bring to life the stories of communities coping with the trauma of violence.
As a creative response to the original Beyond the Blade investigation, the Guardian made a series of short films that use fictional characters based on real-life testimonials to get behind the sensationalist headlines and paint intimate portraits of lives affected by knife crime.
We also visited communities in Croydon, Birmingham and Bristol to listen to people’s personal experiences of knife crime – told in their own words – and hear about how they are actively engaged in creating solutions to tackle the underlying issues. Those communities’ stories formed the basis of our Beyond the Blade podcasts, extracts of which will be played at these special live events, along with screenings of all four drama films.
Join us as we return to Croydon, Birmingham and Bristol in a series of Guardian events that bring Beyond the Blade back to the communities that inspired the project. Each evening will include a keynote address from Younge, and the opportunity to experience our Beyond the Blade films and podcasts, join the debate and enjoy a networking drinks reception.
Locations: Croydon, Birmingham and Bristol
Date: November to December 2018
Further details and tickets will be released soon; please register now to hear more about the events:
