2008
Monday 12th May 2007
INVISIBLE REALITIES
Vahni Capildeo born in Trinidad, 1973 came to England in
1991 to study English and then Old Norse. She has worked at Girton
College, Cambridge and at the Oxford English Dictionary, and currently
is a contributing editor at the Caribbean Review of Books. She has
returned often to Trinidad and spent time in Iceland. Books: No Traveller
Returns (Salt, 2003); Person Animal Figure (Landfill, 2005); The Undraining
Sea (looking for a home). Her poems and prose have appeared in various
magazines and anthologies, including Agenda, Oxford Magazine, Poetry
Salzburg, Poetry Wales, Sentence, Stand, Tears in the Fence, The Oxford
Book of Caribbean Verse, London: City of Disappearances (ed. Iain
Sinclair) and Trinidad Noir (Akashic, forthcoming 2008).
Pascale Petit, a renowned poet, she has published
four prize-winning poetry collections and was twice shortlisted for
TS Eliot Prize. Pascale Petit's last two collections, The Zoo Father
and The Huntress, were both shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize. A
poem from The Zoo Father was also shortlisted for the Forward prize
for best individual poem. A Next Generation Poet, she has been Poetry
Editor of Poetry London and tutors at Oxford University and Middlesex
University where she is the Royal Literary Fund Fellow.
Saradha Soobrayen received an Eric Gregory
Award in 2004. Her poems are published in Wasafiri, Poetry Review,
and in the anthologies This Little Stretch of Life (HearingEye), I
am twenty people! (Enitharmon), New Writing 15 (Granta/The British
Council 2007), New Poetries IV, (Carcanet) and the 2007 Oxford Poets
Anthology (Carcanet). Her short fiction appears in Kin: New Fiction
by Black and Asian Women. (Serpents’ Tail, 2003) Saradha facilitates
poetry workshops, mentoring and professional development for writers.
Hosted by Mir Mahfuz Ali.
Monday 7th April 2008
An evening of Latin American Women: poetry and music
"Far from home"
Invited guests:
Gisela Jachniuk: Argentinean poetry danced tango by Diana
Maria Eugenia Bravo: Chilean poet
Sofia Buchuck: Peruvian poetry and music
Luzmira Zerpa: Venezuela
Luz Martines: from Mexico
Colombian tales: by Miriam Ojeda Patino
Hosted by Fathieh Saudi, EWI Chair
Monday 3rd March 2008
"it was, the pain of words"
with
Mehrangiz Rassapour was born in south east
of Iran ( Khoram-abad) and came to England in 1983. Her books of poetry
are entitled “Jaragheh Zood Mimirad” (SPARK DIES AT ONCE)
Iran, 1992, AND THEN THE SUN” ( . . . Va Sepass Aftaab) England,
“BEYOND The WINGS Of The BIRD” (Parandeh Digar,Nah), Germany.
Her works have been published in several languages, such as English,
German, Norwegian and various others. She is the chief editor of “VAJEH”
(Word ) a magazine for Iranian literature and Culture www.vajehmagazine.com
Ghias Al Jundi Poet, writer and human rights
activist will read his work. Originally from Syria he lives in exile
in London after being persecuted for writing in a human rights magazine
in his home country. He wrote for student newspapers in Syria and
has freelanced for al-Safir in Beirut and al-Quds al-Arabi in London.
He has been living in London for 8 years, writes poetry and short
stories and has had one play performed in London. He is a committee
member of Exiled Writers Ink and a volunteer for Amnesty International,
and is involved in the Write to Life project - a creative
writing programme for torture survivors coordinated by the Medical
Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.
Manoj Nair Poet, further details to follow
Music by Amanda Sanders
and OPEN MIC
Monday 4th February 2008
Born in Iran
An evening of plays by the eminent playwrights:Parvin
Soltani and Ghazi Rabihavi
First performance of 'Lili's Story' by Parvin
Soltani and performance of Ghazi Rabihavi's play 'The Hat'.
Monday 7th January 2008
Jewish Exile
Haike Beruriah and Stephen Watts reading the work
of the poet, Stencl, in Yiddish and English. (Published 2007, Five
Leaves).
Haike Beruriah reading her own poetry.
Judith Silver singing in Yiddish and Ladino
Sizen Yiacoup reading in Ladino
Renee Martin reading Ladino poetry and her own short stories.
2007
Monday 3rd December 2007
DANGEROUS WORDS
with Bart Wolffe who could no longer write
freely in Mugabe's Zimbabwe
Bart Wolffe was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1952 and
left in 2002 for exile in Germany via London. He is a Zimbabwean leading
playwright with work performed in nine countries. His fourteen plays
include The Sisyphus Road (2002), The Art of Accidental Stains (2002)
and Killing Rats (2001). He worked extensively, not only in Zimbabwe,
but throughout the countries of Southern Africa as well as in Edinburgh
running theatre and play writing workshops and touring shows as well
as performing. He has several published books, mostly poetry, including
of coffee cups and cigarettes (1991) and Changing Skins. His work
has been included in numerous anthologies such as New Accents, a joint
anthology of five African poets and his collection of short stories
is entitled A Twist of Tales (1989). His novel Eye of the Witness
(1995) is unpublished for fear of political repercussions. He was
a freelance journalist and was involved in the media in film, television,
print and radio. Sitcoms and features included observations on society
and its issues in Zimbabwe. Waiters, Dr Juju and many more, and his
theatre columns commented on the use of stage as a social platform
where government control had not altogether taken over the artists'
voices. However, the banning of all independent newspapers and the
jamming of radio stations curtailed his freedom to continue to make
a living as a writer and free thinker. The lack of freedom of expression
meant that continuing as an artist in Zimbabwe became impossible.
and Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
who fled from Nigeria because of his novel
Son of a Superintendent of schools, Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu,
Nigerian poet, novelist and short story writer, was born on 16 January,
1968. He began writing fiction at the age of fifteen, and since then
has written five novels, eight collections of poems and two books
of short stories.
His third novel, BOSHETH WILLIAMS, was published in England in 2003.
A political, recommendable literary fiction for colleges and universities,
the novel was to generate controversies that riled the anger of the
northern section of his country. For this reason, Ogbuagu seeks sanctuary
in Britain as an exiled writer.
Monday 5th November 2007
INTEGRATION OR NOT?
Readings and Discussion
Chaired by Miriam Frank
HAMID ISMAILOV from UZBEKISTAN
Uzbek journalist and writer forced to flee Uzbekistan in 1992, since
when he lives in the UK and works at the BBC World Service. He is
a prolific writer of prose and poetry, and his books have been published
in Uzbek, Russian, French, German, Turkish and other languages; his
works are banned in Uzbekistan.. He has also translated Russian and
Western classics into Uzbek, and Uzbek and Persian classics into Russian
and some Western languages. His novel The Railway, written before
he left Uzbekistan, was the first to be translated into English by
Robert Chandler (with Ismailov in this photograph), and published
in 2006.
SELMA ORTIZ from CHILE
Left Chile in 1979 for England after months
of persecution, intimidation and terrorisation following Pinochet’s
coup against Allende. She studied English literature at the university
in Chile and was passionate about Shakespeare and US authors: books
by the black poet Langston Hughes intensified police questioning the
night her husband was brutally detained in 1978. She has been a teacher,
actor, scriptwriter and stage manager of women’s plays in the
UK, and researcher for documentary films. She was a producer and broadcaster
at the BBC World Service, and now belongs to a literary workshop of
Chilean women in Britain and devotes herself to writing.
PHILIPPA REES from SOUTH AFRICA
Born in South Africa of British and Dutch ancestry on opposing sides
during the Boer war, her childhood was divided between imitation English
boarding schools and camping safaris with her grandfather who inspected
African schools in the remotest reaches of the British protectorates,
giving her an intimate view of African tribal life. Consequently,
as neither white supremacist, nor black freedom fighter, nor a communist,
after graduating from university she joined the exodus of so called
‘liberals’ without a platform in 1964, finally settling
in England in 1970. She writes fiction, plays and poetry.
Monday 8th October 2007 (2nd Monday
of the month)
Rain Cries in Kew Gardens
SHIU QAN NË KEW GARDENS
The evening is dedicated to one of the greatest Kosovar
Albanian poets:
Rrahman Dedaj who recently died in exile
in London:
with poetry performed by his daughter, Arta Dedaj and other
Kosovan poets and musicians
Chair: Valbona Ismaili Luta
plus
Open Mic session
Monday 3rd September 2007
Women's Voices and Conflict: The Voices
of Arab and Jewish poets
Fathieh Saudi born in Jordan, will be launching
her new poetry book: The Prophets.She completed her medical studies
in France. Her books include L'Oubli Rebel, Days of Amber and The
Prophets and she has translated books from English and French into
Arabic. She is a recipient of several human rights awards.
Tajia Al-Baghdady is a graduate of Baghdad
University, College of Arts in Arabic Studies. In Iraq, she was headmistress
of a girls secondary school. Tajia is a published author whose poetry
has been published in the Middle East and in London based newspapers
such as Asharq Al Awsat. She spent 18 years of her exiled life teaching
Arabic, Art and Islamic Studies in London until her recent early retirement
which she is devoting to writing and research.
Lynette Craig holds an MPhil in Writing and
leads poetry workshops with refugee groups and mentors and edits their
work. Her own collection, Burning Palaces, (Flarestack), explores
dispossession and persecution in her own family heritage.
Jennifer Langer - Jennifer Langer's poetry
on the complexity of identity, confronts difficult issues. She is
editor of three anthologies of exiled literature: The Bend in the
Road, Crossing the Border: Voices of Exiled Women Writers and The
Silver Throat of the Moon: Writing in Exile (Five Leaves). Her forthcoming
book is If Salt Had Memory: Jewish Exiled Writers from Africa, Latin
America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East (Five Leaves). She has
an MA in Cultural Memory.
John Subbiah is a well recognised Sitar musician
and disciple of Ravi Shankar. He also plays the Arabic oud and guitar.
His passion is in sitar fusion with multi-cultural ethnic music. he
is currently engaged in international peace work through his music.
Monday, 6th August 2007
STATE OF EMERGENCY
with
Soleïman Adel Guémar
whose poetry book State of Emergency has just been published
by Arc. Rooted in Algerian experience, it speaks of urgent concerns
everywhere – oppression, resistance, state violence, traumas
and private dreams.Soleiman Adel Guemar was born and raised in Algiers
where he worked as a journalist. He also published numerous stories
and won two national poetry prizes. In 2002 he left Algeria to seek
safety for himself and his family in the UK.
Jean-Louis N'tadi
Playwright Jean-Louis N'tadi was born in 1964 in Congo-Brazzaville.
A political activist with the main opposition party and a Red Cross
humanitarian worker, he was dubiously charged by the government with
"trafficking information" and defamation. His works include
the Le Chef de l'Etat, a parable highly critical of the presidency
of Sassou-Nguesso, Vendu, Verve d'une Creature and Monsieur le Maire
and L'Acte de Naissance, two volumes written during his detention
at Campsfield. He also writes poetry.
Cristina Viti is a poet and translator. Published
work includes translations of Dino Campana and Elsa Morante.
Janet Simon comes from the East End of London
and was educated at York and Oxford Universities. She lived in Paris
throughout the 1970s and became fluent in French. Returning to London
she worked with deaf, homeless and older people and with asylum seekers.
Janet was a prizewinner in the 1991 National Poetry competition. In
1995 she published a collection of poems called "Victoria Park"
(Loxwood-Stoneleigh), and in 2006 her pamphlet Asylum was produced
by Hearing Eye.
Tom Cheesman will be reading Adel's work in
English.He lectures in German at Swansea University, and recently
finished a book on contemporary German Turkish novelists, which will
appear in November 2007. He set up and runs Hafan Books, a not-for-profit
publisher, which has produced five anthologies since 2003, all featuring
writing by refugees and asylum seekers dispersed to Wales, and other
writers in Wales who donate their poems, stories and other pieces.
The project raises public awareness of refugee issues and raises funds
for the local asylum seekers support group. See www.hafan.org
WITH MUSIC
Monday, 2nd July 2007
Bells of Speech
with
Nazand Begikhani:
Kurdish poet whose first collection in English Bells of Speech was
published by Ambit, 2006
Moniza Ali:
Born in Pakistan, Moniza grew up in England. She has published five
books of poetry, the most recent being How The Stone Found Its Voice,
2005.
Richard McKane:
He has translated over 20 books from both Russian and Turkish. He
is also a poet whose books include Poet for Poet and Coffeehouse Poems.
Tara Jaff:
Kurdish harpist and singer who studied Western Classical music and
piano at the Musical Academy in Baghdad.
CHAIR: Fathieh Saudi
Poet and recipient of several human rights awards. She is current
Chair of Exiled Writers Ink.
Monday, 4th June 2007
Exiled African Women Writing Across A Continent
an evening of African poetry and prose with:
Shireen Pandit prize winning South African short story writer
and novelist
Soad El-Rgaig - Libyan writer
Chinwe Azubuike -Nigerian poet and activist
Roda Mire - Somali writer
Chair: Nathalie Teitler
Monday, 14th May 2007
In the Footsteps of the Word Gatherer
Visiting from France:
Yvan Tetelbom:the performance poet born in Algeria and exiled
in France with Polish, Algerian and Jewish origins.
Accompanied by Cristiane Bonnay: classical accordionist,
born in Dakar, Senegal.
Monday, 2nd April 2007
RECYCLING PAIN
Monday, 5th March 2007
IMAGINED IRAQ
Visiting Iraqi Jewish writer exiled in Canada:
Naim Kattan, author of 'Farewell Baghdad' and numerous other
books, in conversation with the Iraqi writer exiled in the UK:
Khalid Kishtainy, satirist, prolific writer and author of
'Tales From Old Baghdad, Grandma and I' .
Chair: Jennifer Langer, MA
Monday, 5th February 2007
'LOOK, WE HAVE COMING TO THE POETRY CAFF!'
AN EVENING WITH DALJIT NAGRA
TO LAUNCH HIS LATEST POETRY BOOK:
LOOK, WE HAVE COMING TO DOVER! published by Faber and Faber, 2007
with music and song (tba)
Chaired by Janna Eliot
His poems have been widely published and his pamphlet,
Oh My Rub!, was a Smith/Doorstep Books winner. He was winner of The
Forward Poetry Prize for 'Look We Have Coming to Dover!', a poem about
the experience of his Punjabi parents when they first came to Britain.
Monday, 8th January 2007
Dissident Russian poet ILYA KORMILTSEV
in conversation with English poet and translator ROBERT
CHANDLER
Chaired by Miriam Frank
llya Kormiltsev became known in the mid-eighties as the lyricist-producer
of the popular Russian rock band Nautilus Pompilius. During perestroika
the band gained a massive following and Kormiltsev's lyrics were sung
and quoted throughout Russia. After close to twenty recorded albums,
the band split up in 1997. Kormiltsev has translated into Russian
works ranging from W. S. Burroughs and Irvine Welsh, to Tom Stoppard
and C. S. Lewis. A collection of Kormiltsev’s own poetry, short
stories and plays was published in Nobody From Nowhere (2005). In
2002 Kormiltsev founded Ultra.Kultura Publishers which is dedicated
to transgressive and provocative books. In its short existence, Ultra.Kultura
has gained notoriety and now has the highest number of lawsuits per
year.
Robert Chandler is the translator of Vasily
Grossman’s ‘Life and Fate’, as well as of Pushkin's
‘Dubrovsky’ and Leskov's ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’.
His co-translations of Andrey Platonov have won prizes in both the
UK and the US. He is the editor of ‘Russian Short Stories from
Pushkin to Buida’. His translations from languages other than
Russian include selections of Sappho and Apollinaire., and his most
recent translation is of Hamid Ismailov's ‘The Railway’
a witty and exuberant novel set in Uzbekistan. He especially enjoys
translating in collaboration with other people. He teaches part time
at Queen Mary College, University of London. His next translation
projects are Pushkin’s ‘The Captain’s Daughter’,
Platonov’s long novel ‘Chevengur’ and more works
by Vasily Grossman – most likely his short novel ‘Everything
Flows’. He also hopes to compile an anthology of Russian fairy
tales.
2006
Monday 4th December 2006
The Political is not the Personal
with
Serbian poet: Sonja Besford
Sonja Besford was born in Belgrade. In Serbian
she has published two books of poetry, two collections of short stories
and a novel. In English she is the author of two plays, several short
stories, poems and many reviews of contemporary literature. Her first
poetry collection written in English is entitled 'Arrivals and Departures'.
Her new collection is entitled 'memories of summers in brist near
gradac', (Ambit Books)
Iraqi poet: Fawzi Kerim
Poetry read by and translated into English by the poet:
Anthony Howell
Fawzi Karim was born in Baghdad in 1945. In
1968 he graduated from the University of Baghdad and published his
first poetry book Haith Tebda' al-Ashia'a (Where Things Begin). He
migrated to Beirut in 1969, where he published his second collection
Arfa'au Ydi Ihtijajan (I Raise My Hand in Protest). He returned to
Baghdad and published his third collection Junun min al-Hajar (Madness
of Stone), and two books of nonfiction, one on exile and the other
on the Iraqi author, Admon Sabri. In 1978, he migrated to London where
he still lives. In exile, he published three more books of poetry.
His Selected Poems was published in 1995 in Cairo. In 2000 his Complete
Poetry was published in Damascus by Dar al-Mada. In addition to his
regular writing for newspapers on classical music and on painting,
he edits his own quarterly al-lahdha al-Shi'iria (Poetic Moment).
Anthony Howell was born in 1945. After an early
spell dancing with the Royal Ballet, he decided to concentrate on
poetry and performance art. In 1973 he was invited to the International
Writing Program in Iowa and in 1974 he founded The Theatre of Mistakes,
a performance company which made notable appearances at the Cambridge
Poetry Festival, The Paris Biennale and the Hayward Gallery as well
as in New York. He has published six previous books of poetry and
a novel and received major bursaries from the Arts Councils of England
and Wales. In 1997 he was short-listed for a Paul Hamlyn Award. His
book The Analysis of Performance Art: a guide to its theory and practice
is a key text in the field of performance art.
and
Israeli songwriter-guitarist: Arnon Zohar Naor,
who also teaches film studies
.
Monday, 6th November 2006
Mountain Poetry of Exile
YUYUTSU RAM DASS SHARMA
Indian poet exiled in Nepal launching
'Way to Everest: a photographic and poetic
journey to the foot of Everest'
Recipient of fellowships and grants from The Rockefeller
Foundation, Irish Literature Exchange, The Institute for the Translation
of Hebrew Literature and The Foundation for the Production and Translation
of Dutch Literature, Yuyutsu RD Sharma is a distinguished poet and
translator. He has published six poetry collections, including, The
Lake Fewa and a Horse: Poems New (Nirala, 2005) and a picture book,
www.WayToEverest.de: A Photographic and Poetic Journey to the Foot
of Everest, ( Epsilonmedia , Germany , 2006) with German photographer
Andreas Stimm. He has translated and edited several anthologies of
contemporary Nepali poetry in English and launched a literary movement,
Kathya Kayakalpa (Content Metamorphosis) in poetry. Yuyutsu’s
own work has been translated into German, French, Italian, Hebrew,
Spanish and Dutch. He lives in Kathmandu where he edits Pratik, A
Magazine of Contemporary Writing and contributes literary columns
to Nepal ’s leading dailies, The Himalayan Times and The Kathmandu
Post. He is completing his first novel.
Nepalese musicians: Bishwo Shahi and Prabin
Tamang
STEPHEN WATTS launching
'Modern Kurdish Poetry'
ed. Kamal Mirawdeli and Stephen Watts
A rare collection of Kurdish twentieth-century poetry
translated into English for the series Endangered Languages and Cultures.
Thirty Kurdish poets, from Haji Taufiq Peeramerd and Abdullah Goran
to Sara Faqé Khidir and Choman Hardi, are represented. An introduction
to Kurdish literature has been authored by Rafiq Sabir.
Stephen Watts is a poet and editor, much involved in translation studies.
His own poetry has been published as The Lava's Curl (1990, repr.
2002) and Gramsci & Caruso, Selected Poems 1977-1997 (2003) as
well as a bilingual selection of his work in Czech translation. He
has co-edited Voices of Conscience : Prison Poems (1995), Mother Tongues:
Non English-Language Poetry In England (2001) and Music While Drowning
: German Expressionist Poems (2003) and has compiled a very extensive
bibliography of 20th century poetry in English
translation. His interest in Hungarian poetry is long-standing.
Chaired by: David Clark of Exiled Ink magazine
Monday, 2nd October 2006
Memories, Myths and Migrations:
Poetry and Music from Sri Lanka, Ireland and beyond
WORD & VIOLIN
Sri Lankan poet Pireeni Sundaralingam and Irish
composer/violinist Colm O'Riain weave together poetry and
music in a series of duets exploring the rich interconnections between
a host of lyric traditions, including Irish ballad and Indian raag.
Monday, 4th September 2006
The Eye of the Storm:
Exiled male and female writers from Iraq, Pakistan, Cyprus and Kurdistan
speak out about gendered violence
Samira Al Mana was born in Basra, Iraq and
is author of five novels, a play and collections of short stories.
Her new novella is entitled The Oppressors and her novel Umbilical
Cord was recently translated into English. She was the deputy editor
of Alightrab Al-Adabi, a magazine of exile.
Nazand Begikhani was born in Iraqi Kurdistan.
She is the founding member and co-ordinator of the organisation ‘Kurdish
Women's Action against Honour Killing' (KWAHK) and the International
Kurdish Women’s Studies Network and has published many articles
on gender issues. Her first poetry collection Yesterday of Tomorrow
was published in Paris in 1995 and her second poetry collection will
be published in the near future.
Mahmood Jamal was born in Lucknow in India
in 1948 and his family, like many Muslim families, moved to Pakistan.
He is a progressive poet, filmmaker and translator who writes in Urdu
and English. His latest collection of poetry Sugar-Coated Pill was
launched in June 2006 and his other books include Modern Urdu Poetry
and Silence Inside a Gun's Mouth. He has been published in a wide
range of anthologies, had his work broadcast on radio and TV, and
been translated into several languages.
Aydin Mehmet Ali was born in Cyprus. Her writing
has been characterised as 'breaking taboos' with her short stories
having appeared in numerous publications. Publications: Turkish Speaking
Communities & Education - no delight (2001), editor of Turkish
Cypriot Identity in Literature (1990) and contributor to Weeping Island,
a recent collection of Cypriot writers living in Cyprus and the Diaspora.She
set up FATAL (For the Advancement of Turkish-speakers Arts and Literature)
which includes Cypriot, Turkish and Kurdish artists and writers.
Monday, 7th August 2006
Roaring from the Top of the World: Exiled
Writers Speak from Norway
Chenjerai Hove of Zimbabwe is a poet, an essayist
and an award-winning novelist. He is currently the International Cities
of Refuge Network guest writer in Stavanger, Norway.
Mansour Koushan of Iran is a former guest writer
of Stavanger. A prolific poet, playwright, director and novelist,
he worked to establish the independent Writers' Association in Iran.
Mansur Rajih of Yemen is a poet whose work
had to be smuggled out of his prison cell for 15 years. A former guest
writer of Stavanger, he is currently working on his fifth poetry collection.
Moderator for the evening: Ren Powell, an American
poet, translator and essayist; Project Coordinator for ICORN and Stavanger's
City of Refuge Center.
Monday, 3rd July 2006
An evening of poetry, storytelling and music
MC: Soheila Ghodstinat
'WORLD WITHOUT WORDS'
with
Valbona Bashota: A Kosovan Albanian who arrived in the UK
in 1994, Valbona has won numerous prizes for her poetry. She works
as a freelance journalist.
Sofia Buchuck: Born in Cusco, Peru, her collection of poetry is entitled
Al otro lado de America (At the Other Side of America). Her poetry
has been published in a range of anthologies. Since 1991 she has performed
Latin American music at festivals and concerts in the UK and Latin
America and in 2000 ‘Girl of the Rain Forest’ was released.
Nela Milic: Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Nela is a visual artist
and a short story writer.
Sifundo Msebele: established performance poet
Mohammed Bashar Al-Hueidi: Born in Damascus, Syria, Mohammed
emigrated to the UK in 1991.
PLUS
Tenzin Tsundue: Tibetan poet in exile in India where he has
been well published. He is on his first visit to Europe.
PLUS
'Get Creative'
'Exiled Ink!' magazine for sale
Monday, 5th June 2006
Awakening Love:
contemplative poetry and music inspired by mystical poets
KARIM HAIDARI, ROOHI MAJID, MELANIE REINHART, EVLYNN SHARP
An event that offers the mystical poetry of Rumi and
Hafez in Dari/Farsi and in English with musical accompaniment. Original
translations of the poems have been made by Karim Haidari and Evlynn
Sharp. The poems will be read by Karim, Roohi and Evlynn, with original
music by Melanie Reinhart. Melanie’s ragas on harmonium and
tampura combine with the poetic voices and tune to the spiritual perfection
of the poetry. This shared adoration of the poetry of Rumi and Hafez
has led to Awakening Love - a new CD recording of the poems in Dari/Farsi
and in English, and with music.
Karim Haidari was born in Afghanistan and adores
Rumi and Hafez. He is a poet and playwright, and writes articles for
various journals.
Roohi Hasan Majid was born in Pakistan and
is a student of Sufism. She is a poet who writes in Urdu and English.
Melanie Reinhart was born in Zimbabwe and
deeply loves contemplative music. She is an astrologer and author
of several books. Visit: www.melaniereinhart.com
Evlynn Sharp was born in Scotland and loves
mystical poetry. She is a poet and dramatist, and runs creative writing
projects in the community.
Contact Karim and Evlynn via: admin@blueglassrabbit.com
Monday, 8th May 2006
Waste of Space
Abdel-Mitaal Gershab
Amanda Sanders with 2 other players: Gadje Juerga (non-gypsies Jamming)
Shadab Vajdi
Organised and chaired by Ghias Aljundui
Monday, 3rd April 2006
Exiled African Writers
with
Brian Chikwava, Caine Prize Winner, 2004 (Zimbabwe)
Francis Akpata, (Nigeria)
Suleiman Addonia (Eritrea/Ethiopia)
MC: Isabelle Romaine
Monday, 6th March 2006
'Returning Home'
with
Miriam Frank (Latin America)
Lorraine Mariner (England)
Aamer Hussein (Pakistan)
Steve Griffiths (Wales)
and other exiled writers
Monday, 6th February 2006
Exiled Writers Ink and Windows for Peace invite you to:
ACROSS THE MIDDLE EASTERN DIVIDE
WITH ARAB AND JEWISH WRITERS FROM IRAQ, SYRIA, TURKEY and LIBYA
Moris Farhi is the Turkish born Jewish author of the novel
'Young Turk' as well as of The Last of Days, Journey Through the Wilderness
and Children of the Rainbow. For over twenty years, under the auspices
of English PEN and International PEN, he has campaigned on behalf
of writers persecuted or imprisoned by repressive regimes throughout
the world, for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Fadhil As Sultani the poet, has published a collection entitled
'Burning in Water'. He is editor of the literature section of the
Arabic daily al-Sharq al-Awsat.
Raphael Luzon - Jewish Libyan born former journalist forced to
flee from Libya
Sawsun Sabuh - Syrian poet (further details to follow)
andFloor spots after the coffee break
please contact: jennifer@exiledwriters.fsnet.co.uk or register on
the night.
Chairs: Jude Bloomfield of Windows for Peace and Jennifer Langer of
Exiled Writers Ink
www.exiledwriters.co.uk
and www.win-peace.org
From: The Guardian - Saturday February
11, 2006
The Middle East comes to London
Aida Edemariam
The Poetry Café in Covent Garden is a cosy place, a calm time-warp
of clear-faced students, murmuring couples, tiny tables and red wine;
poetry-related newspaper clippings adorn the wall. There are regular
readings in the room downstairs, which was cramped this week in anticipation
of four writers from across the Middle East. The Danish embassy in
Iran was being firebombed as they spoke, and reality couldn't help
but intrude, despite pleas from a moderator for more imaginative fare
after the first contributor, Libyan Jew Raphael Luzon, focused on
politics. He was followed by Fadhil as Sultani, an Iraqi-born poet
who has translated William Trevor and Toni Morrison into Arabic, is
tackling English poets from 1952 to 2000, and read a tribute to the
founder of Iraqi free verse followed by addresses to Van Gogh and
RS Thomas: "Like you, I sometimes hear the fluttering of swans
on an unknown sea ... sometimes, like you, I hear in the middle of
the night mysterious music, and a voice summoning me." Impac-longlisted
Moris Farhi, who left Turkey for England at 19, read a thinly fictionalised
injunction to multi-ethnic tolerance and was followed by Ghias al
Jundi, an exiled Syrian who had cheered when the Danish cartoons were
published but was dashed down by the "biggest disaster"
when the protests began. His poems were full of details - the floor
of the university library where he used to hide to kiss his girlfriend,
the "smell of words on clothes" - and finally, "I met
a girl from the Czech Republic on the number 36 bus, and I don't know
why, but she asked me about love," was the introduction to one
poem, which ended: "In this vague future, I forget myself."
Monday, 9th January 2006
'The Outsiders'
Everyone welcome to perform their work.
Chaired by Mir Mahfuz Ali
2005
Monday, 5th December 2005
An evening with Latin American exiled writers and musicians
Alfredo Cordal (Chile)
Juan Calles (Peru)
Mentor Chico (Ecuador)
Omar Garcia Obrogon (Cuban)
Diego Laverde Rojas on his Colombian harp
Jose Navarro on his Andean flute
MC: Miriam Frank
Monday, 7th November 2005
When A Woman Lost Her Man
The mothers, wives, daughters, sisters.....who lost 8000 men
Dedicated to the women of Srebrenica
Presenters: Darija Stojnic, Amna Dumpor, Vesna Domani
Hardi
Monday, 3rd October 2005
East and West
The Meeting of Poets
John Weier meets Esmail Khoi
The distinguished Canadian poet John Weier has published
ten books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction and has represented Canadian
literature internationally. He will read with the renowned Iranian
poet Esmail Khoi whose witty and political poetry has caused him to
spend most of his life in exile. In Iran in the early 1980s, he was
forced to spend nearly two years in hiding before fleeing in 1983.
His anthologies of work translated into English are ‘Edges of
Poetry: Selected Poems of Esmail Khoi (1995), the bilingual anthology
‘Outlandia: Songs of Exile’ (1999) and Voice of Exile
(2002). Plus read your own work after the coffee
break.
Monday 5th September 2005
Sharing Thoughts about the New World Order
(any themes connected loosely or closely to the London bombings) -
poetry, prose, images, multi-media etc
Monday 1 August 2005
Grenzgänger / Border Cases
Stories of Immigration / Emigration / Migration
Written and performed by Martina Messing
Directed by Rebecca Tortora
Designed by Sarah Bird
We offer a storytelling workshop after the performance
for more information please email:bordercases@yahoo.co.uk
Monday 4 July 2005
Out Of Place
Moniza Alvi was born in Pakistan and grew up in England.
She has had five books of poetry published: The Country at My Shoulder
(OUP 1993), A Bowl of Warm Air (OUP 1996), Carrying My Wife (Bloodaxe
2000), Souls (Bloodaxe 2002) and How the Stone Found Its Voice (Bloodaxe
2005). She received a Cholmondeley Award in 2002. In 2003 a collection
of her poems in translation was published in Holland.
Jane Duran was born in Cuba and brought up
in the US and Chile. Her first collection Breathe Now, Breathe (Enitharmon
Press, 1995) won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Her
second collection, Silences from the Spanish Civil War, was published
by Enitharmon Press in 2002. A third collection, Coastal, is due in
the autumn.
Plus guest poet (tba) and Open Mic
session.
Monday 6th June 2005
The Way Back
with Nora Armani,
award-winning actress, playwright, author, producer, born in Egypt
of Armenian parents, asks: "Is 'return' really possible?"
She reads from her new writing on the theme of 'Exile and Return'.
In her new work, Nora explores the issues of belonging and return
to one's place of birth after experiencing other cultures and living
through exile.
Darija Stojnic
will read her short stories on Return. She is from
Sarajevo, Bosnia where she lived until the outbreak of war in 1992.
Some of her short stories have been published in SaLon, Big Issue,
Crossing the Border and The Silver Throat of the Moon. She also writes
for Bosniak Post, Norway.
Monday 9th May 2005
Narratives of Africa
Tribute: Senait Gebremichaels reading Reesom
Haile's poetry in Tigrinea and English,
Eritrean music,
Black British Sierra Leonean, author Valerie Mason-John on
her debut novel, 'Borrowed Body'
Khadija George with guest (tbc) from her anthology: 'Write
Black, Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Literature'
Monday 4th April 2005
Sinti (gypsy) Hauntings
Settela by Aad Wagenaar
(translation publ. Five Leaves, March 2005)
Janna Eliot, translator, on the search for Settela with
Florina, Romany poet and Romany music
Monday 7th March 2005
"Citizenship of Sand: Window of Illusion"
Ghias Aljundi, Anywhere
Bashir Sakhawarz, Afghanistan
He has written articles, poetry and short stories and has also published
three books. He recently appeared in 'And the City Spoke' performed
at the Hampstead Theatre, London as part of EWI's European project.
Wafaa Abdul Razzaq, Iraq
Wafaa came to the UK in 2000. She has had 3 collections of poetry
published plus a CD book with music, two short stories and four novels.
She has produced a further two unpublished collections of poetry,
all in Arabic. Her work is gradually being translated into English.
Guitarist and singer Meguen Touko, Cameroon
Monday 7th February 2005
Writers from tsunami affected countries
Parm Kaur, Mir Mahfuz Ali, Shantachar
Saturday 5th February
Exiled Writers Ink in Paris
with Ziba Karbassi (Iran, London, Paris), Jennifer
Langer (London), Ali Abdolrezaei (Iran, Paris), Parham
Shahrjerdi (Iran, Paris)
Monday 10th January 2005 at 7.30 pm
Strangers on Other Shores
a night of poetry presented by Richard McKane (poet and translator)
with Cristina Viti (Italian poet ), Stephen Watts
(poet and translator- English) and Alev Adil (Turkish Cypriot
poet).
2004
Monday 6th December 2004
Scottish night followed by a party
Scott Russell, academic and performance poet,
will read his Christmas poems. Funny and full of rhymes!
Andrea Muir, writer, editor and creative writing tutor, will
read her short stories.
Graham Muir, self-taught guitarist, well acclaimed Highland
musician. Atmospheric and technically challenging.
Please bring snack food and drink.
Monday 1st November 2004
To the Memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa:
Nigerian author and environmentalist
with Olayinka Sunmonu (novelist) and Francis
Akpata (poet)
and others tba
Monday 4th October 2004
Life for Us
CHOMAN HARDI EWI's first Chair, will be reading
from her first published poetry collection 'Life for Us' published
by Bloodaxe Books, September 2004
JASON PETTUS slam poet from Chicago on a UK tour (http://www.jasonpettus.com/uk)
NAZANEEN RAKHSHANDEH was born in Tehran and has been living
in England since 1976. Her collection of poetry Runway of Words was
published in London in 2003.
PIREENI SUNDARALINGAM poet of Sri Lankan origin from San Francisco
A PEN USA Rosenthal Fellow, Pireeni was recently named as " one
of America's emerging writers" by the literary journal Ploughshares.
Born in Sri Lanka, her poetry addresses the issues of civil war and
exile, examining such universal themes as the loss of land and language.
Her work will be featured in the documentary film "Veil of Silence"
and the International Museum of Women in 2005. Pireeni's new CD, entitled
"Bridge Across the Blue", weaves together poetry and music
to tell the diaspora stories of different immigrant groups in America.
(http://www.wordandviolin.com)
Monday 6th September 2004
Journey of the Emotions: Self-censorship
or self-exposure?
with published poets
Ziba Karbassi with translator, Stephen Watts, Mimi Khalvati, Peter
Phillips
Monday 2nd August 2004
'Speaking in Other Tongues'
Members of Exiled Writers Ink! present a collage of
poetry and music with audience participation featuring Agim Morina,
Sophia Buchuck and Mir Mahfuz Ali
Monday 5th July 2004
'Aires de Buenos Aires'
an evening of Argentinean poetry and song
with
Lloica Czakis (www.lloicaczackis.com)-
celebrated singer with guitar Miriam Frank - writer and translator
of Juan Gelman and Hector Tizon
'Aires de Buenos Aires,
una noche de poesia y canciones argentinas
lunes 5 de julio
Lloica Czackis voz y guitarra
Miriam Frank escritos y traducciones de Juan Gelman
Monday 7th June 2004
Moris Farhi
author of the recently published
‘Young Turk’
in conversation with Richard McKane.
Moris Farhi was born in Turkey in 1935. He has
written several novels, including Children of the Rainbow (The Independent,
The New Statesman and The Daily Telegraph 'Book of the Year') and
Journey through the Wilderness ('bears comparison with the best of
Graham Greene'). He is a vice-president of English PEN and a patron
of Exiled Writers Ink and in 2001 was appointed MBE for 'services
to literature'. He lives in London.
"Beautifully rendered, poetic and mystical,
this is an intoxicating collect ion of 13 tales run together like
kebabs on the skewer of Turkish history." Daily
Mail
Monday 10th May 2004
'Out of Iraq'
with writer: Haifa Zangana,
poets: Fadhil Assultani and Awad Nasir and
singer and oud player: Sahira Hussein
Monday 5th April 2004
extract from Florida, The election play
by Dale Reynolds, ex-patriot American writer
with Dale Reynolds and actors
After the coffee break:
opportunity for exiled writers to perform and discuss their work
Monday 1st March 2004
Anne
Dreams of Sand
Ghias Al Jundi: poet from a fjord
Khadija Ait Ammi: writer from Morocco
Adriana Diaz Enciso: writer from Mexico
Stanisous Meguen: singer and guitarist from Cameroons
Organised by Ghias Al Jundi,
Followed by a discussion led by Marta Niccolai
‘Culture/s and Europe’
Monday 2nd February 2004
ACROSS FRONTIERS
ANNA CARTERET and STELLA MARIS
read
POEMS, PROSE AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
by REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS and WRITERS IN EXILE
Including work by contributors to CROSSING THE BORDER AND BEND IN
THE ROAD, edited by Jennifer Langer - pub. Five Leaves.
The book ‘Crossing the Border’ will be on sale on the
night
ANNA CARTERET joined the National Theatre at the Old Vic in 1967 -
and appeared in many plays - including Peter Hall's production of
JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN - which opened the new National Theatre. She
enjoyed many roles there and in the West End - her favourite being
MRS CHEVELEY in Peter Hall's AN IDEAL HUSBAND - which transferred
to Broadway for six months. For the RSC she played Mme de MERTEUILLE
IN LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (national tour and Johannesburg) and QUEEN
MARGARET in RICHARD III. Her last West End appearance was in Franco
Zefirelli's production of Pirandello's ABSOLUTELY (PERHAPS). She has
also directed 5 plays on the fringe. Her television parts included
Inspector Kate Longton in JULIET BRAVO. She also helped to form RAVING
BEAUTIES - whose first two shows IN THE PINK and MAKE IT WORK were
shown on Channel Four TV. At the ICA she co-founded CENSORED THEATRE
who presented plays banned in their own countries for political reasons,
the first of which was Ariel Dorfman's DEATH OF A MAIDEN.
STELLA MARIS worked in repertory in her native Argentina before coming
to England in 1979 - when the military junta banned the play in which
she was appearing, as subversive.. she stayed with Anna for four years
- and has taken part in several plays dealing with political oppression
including Francisco Morales' CHILE LEST WE FORGET, THE PORTAGE OF
AH TO ST CHRISTOBAL (dir. John Dexter), MY SONG IS FREE (Monstrous
Regiment), FALKLAND SOUND - VOCES DE MALVINAS (dir. Max Stafford Clark,
Royal Court and Traverse) and recently THEATRE FOR THE IDENTITY (Arcola),
EVERY DAY PALESTINE and SHOCK AND AWE (both with Meeting Ground).
In the 80s, Stella spent 3 years doing Popular Theatre with the Landless
Movement - Sem Terra - in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Recent film work includes IMAGINING ARGENTINA (dir. Christopher Hampton)..Other
films - TRULY MADLY DEEPLY, BAMBINO MIO, HILARY AND JACKY, NELLY'S
VERSION - and her recent TV work includes FAMILY (LWT), AWF WIEDERSHEN
PET - and DIE KINDER, BETWEEN THE LINES and UNDER THE SUN (dir. Michael
Winterbottom)
Monday, 5th January 2004 at 7.30 p.m.
Performance of extract from: Peeling the
Skin of Time
Peeling the Skin of Time is a work of experimental theatre which was
devised especially for Refugee Week 2002 by writers from Cyprus, Iran,
Kurdistan and Bangladesh - Choman Hardi, Abol Froushan, Julia Kaminska,
Gulgun Mustafa, Mir Mahfuz Ali, Fatma Durmush, Afshin Babazadeh. It
is an exploration of internal and external landscapes and depicts
the excitement and commotion of a society made up of people from elsewhere
and was performed at the Arcola and New End Theatres, London in June
2002.
