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.

To the Memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa:

Nigerian author and environmentalist

with Olayinka Sunmonu (novelist) and Francis Akpata (poet)

and others tba

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)

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, Sofia Buchuck and Mir Mahfuz Ali

‘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

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

‘Out of Iraq’

with writer: Haifa Zangana,

poets: Fadhil Assultani and Awad Nasir and

singer and oud player: Sahira Hussein

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

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’

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)

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.