UEL English PEN Society

20th February 2014
5pm-7pm
Student Union Lounge, Docklands Campus

A Open Mic and Performance Poetry night to raise awareness of imprisoned and executed gay rights activists, bloggers, journalists and writers.

Theme: LGBTI (but in the interests of freedom of speech and inclusion, other themes are welcome too!)

We'll have a very exciting Feature Act for you: Michelle Madsen, founder and host of Hammer and Tongue London, part of the UK’s largest slam poetry network!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJwqERcUWOQ

OPEN MIC SLOTS: to book yours in advance, please email Jack on u0710321@uel.ac.uk - there are limited free-for-all spaces available, so do ensure you book in advance! And do tell us your act- whether it's poetry, prose extract, non-fiction, comedy or music - the more diverse the better, and all are welcome
Your piece must be no more than 2-5 minutes in length.

We'll also be screening a moving short film about an African LGBTI activist, and holding an Empty Chair section too, where we'll read out some pieces by imprisoned or executed activists and writers, in order to release their work into the world. Get ready to punch the air with passion at their beautiful words.

£2 entry fee: In return for this, you will receive a raffle ticket for our book raffle at the end of the evening. Prizes guaranteed.

This event comes only a few days before the Sochi Olympic Games closing ceremony in Russia. Since May 2012, when President Putin returned to office, he has introduced a series of new gagging laws that seriously threaten freedom of speech and LGBTI rights within Russia, and that have already led to many, many hate crimes, censorship and murders. In advance of our event, here is one of the small ways you can help: click on this link and sign up to PEN International's Thunderclap initiative to create a Twitter storm around Putin's account during the opening ceremony - they do all the hard work on your behalf: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/8086-pen-sochi-olympics-campaign

Be sure to 'follow' @uelPEN and @LGBT_UEL for updates on Twitter, and have a ponder at UEL PEN's blog: http://uelenglishpen.blogspot.co.uk/

A UEL English PEN Society event, in collaboration with UEL LGBT Society.

Check out our event on Facebook! See you there!

A Open Mic night to raise funds for, and awareness of, Pussy Riot.

General encouraged theme of freedom of speech, but in the interests of freedom of speech - you can perform anything you wish! We'll also be holding an Empty Chair section where we'll read out some of Pussy Riot's work, to release their words into the world.

Anyone who writes specifically themed Pussy Riot themed pieces, in support of them, will receive a FREE BOOK.

To book your slot, please email Jack on u0710321@uel.ac.uk - there are limited free-for-all spaces available, so do ensure you book in advance! Please make sure you tell us your act- whether it's poetry, a prose extract, non-fiction, comedy, music or playscripts - the more diverse the better, and all are welcome. It must be no more than 2-5 minutes in length.

Preceded by an afternoon filled with tea, coffee, biscuits and writing of letters of support to Pussy Riot and their families.

Letter Writing drop-in session: 2pm-4pm, Student Union Lounge
Open Mic: 5pm-7pm, Student Union Lounge
(The SU lounge is next to the cashpoints in North Building, Docklands Campus)

Intro to the case: Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova went missing whilst under the guard of Russian officials during her transfer to a Siberian prison on the 21st October. She and another member of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina, are serving two-year sentences for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, for their impromptu anti-Putin punk performance in Moscow's main cathedral in February 2012.

Here is a link to a video article regarding the disappearance: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/13/opinion/ghitis-nadya-pussy-riot-missing/

...this is the petition calling for the disclosure of her whereabouts, her release as a prisoner of conscience, and for contact to be reinstated between her and lawyers/family: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/pussy-riot-where-nadya

...and here is a documentary about the punk collective: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01hs5t8/Storyville_20132014_Pussy_Riot_A_Punk_Prayer/

Be sure to 'follow' us on Twitter for updates on Pussy Riot and Tolokonnikova. @uelPEN

• Empty Chair Evenings and Open Mic Nights Someone sits in a chair and reads out the banned work of a foreign writer, in order to release their words into the world.  We’ll also hold nights where students and staff are welcome to read out their work as part of our Open Mic nights.
• Letter Writing Workshops and Meet-Ups We all write to writers who have been incarcerated, imprisoned, or put under house arrest for their work, expressing our support for them and appreciation of their work, in order to boost morale.
• Petitioning Parliament for changes to laws in the UK and abroad with regards to free speech, libel laws and human rights.
• Work alongside the UK’s other student PEN groups, to increase exposure of issues and the work we’re doing, as well as creating a UK-wide support network for our societies.
• Book sales and raffles in which we raise money for PEN using books that have been donated to us (so far, we have around 300!)
• Championing the work that English PEN does with prisoners and refugees, and within their translation programme, which enables obscure works from all over the world to become available to as wide a platform of readers and thinkers as possible.

We're proud to present a UEL English PEN Society launch party, which will occur on 8.10.2013 at 5pm in UEL SU Lounge on Docklands campus (nearest DLR station is Cyprus). We'll be featuring some guest speakers who will explain more what English PEN is all about and we'll soon inform you about other surprises that we have in store for that day!

Stay tuned!

Come check us out at Freshes Fair! We will be attending the UEL Freshers Fair at Docklands campus, where we will have a stall filled with various information about our society. We'll also be having a variety of fun activities so make sure you stop by and say hello!
More information coming shortly!