BAWC 2013 Programme 2013
10.30am:
Introduction and context by Cultureword Artistic Director, Pete Kalu
Address by Arts Council Literature Representative, Alison Boyle
Keynote Speech by writer, Fred D’Aguiar, poet, novelist.
Morning 11am- 1pm
Writing For Children Panel Space 2
Q for panel: How do we get more diversity into published children’s writing? Children’s publishing in the UK does not reflect the diversity of the UK as a whole. There are few black characters in children’s fiction and few black writers being published. Solutions proposed have ranged from (a) getting more diverse editors and agents into the industry (b) redoubling efforts to locate and encourage diverse writers to write for this market, (c) amassing empirical evidence that diversity is what the book buying market wants. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and why is this problem so persistent?
Malorie Blackman, author, Noughts & Crosses.
Melvin Burgess, author, Junk.
Bali Rai author, Trouble, Shivers. Chairperson.
Alexandra Antscherl, executive editor for children’s fiction, Puffin Books
Tariq Mehmood, author, While There Is Light’, UK & Lebanon
Morning: 11am – 1pm
Women In The Spotlight Panel Space 1
From theory to practice, focusing debate on issues related to performance and gender, this session will examine the reception and subtle exclusions that female spoken word artists face in public space that remains dominated by men.
Shamshad Khan poet, Megalomaniac
Desiree Reynolds author, Seduce Chair.
Malika Booker poet, host & co-founder, ‘Malika’s Kitchen’ poetry collective
Sujata Bhatt poet, Pure Lizard; Winner, Commonwealth Poetry Prize
Stephanie ‘Dogfoot’ Chan poet, semi-finalist, World Cup Poetry Competition, Paris, 2013
Morning 11am – 1pm Space 3
Young Identity young people’s group leads creative writing workshop for young people
Workshop 1: examining Identity and diversity: Is a Black Writers Conference still needed? Is assimilation into host communities necessary? Is resistance futile? A lively debate that will lead into creating your own poem. Led by Reece Williams, with Shirley May.
1pm – 2pm
Book Launch: Desiree Reynolds’ debut novel: Seduce (Peepal Tree) Space 1
Hear Desiree Reynolds read from Seduce: “A remarkable debut novel, told in nation-language prose that is poetic, delicate, vulgar and slyly funny.”
Commonword Diversity: Writing For Children Prize Ceremony Space 2
Commonword will be announcing the winner of its national, Diversity Writing For Children Prize 2013. Sponsored by Penguin/Puffin and Catherine Pellegrino Agency, the prize is in its second year and is unearthing some compelling new voices.
Lunchtime Digital Writers Salon. Space 3
Check in for the digital writers’ salon. Come and discover new possibilities for digital writing. Get your hands dirty with some hot writing apps. With Maya Chowdhry.
2pm-4pm Afternoon: LGBT Panel Space 2
Title: ‘Black in the Rainbow’
Description: What space does the black LGBT+ writer occupy? Is there ‘room at the inn’ for black LGBT+ writers? How does ‘double discrimination’ inform and undermine our writing? Are LGBT+ writers and black writers friends in the struggle for representation and equality? What might the black LGBT+ literary landscape look like, who stands there, and with whom?
Adam Lowe (Young Enigma, Dog Horn Publishing, Peepal Tree Press) Chair
Afshan Lodhi, playwright, performer, Deputy Director of Dog Horn Publishing
Dorothea Smartt (Inscribe writer development programme, Peepal Tree Press)
Thomas Glave (Jamaican Forum for Lesbians and Gays, Binghamton University (NY))
Okey Nzelu poet, publicist at Carcanet
2pm-4pm Afternoon: Uprisings, Springs & Literatures of Resistance : “David has beaten Goliath with a stone. But if the sling is in the hands of Goliath, what can one do?” – Joumana Haddad
Space 1
In the politics of hope, and of the human spirit, often the sling remains in the hands of those dedicated to oppression. What role does the writer have in navigating and interpreting the lessons of uprisings?
Fred D’Aguiar poet, author, ‘The Longest Memory’
Tariq Mehmood, author, While There Is Light’, UK & Lebanon
Samuel Shimon (novelist: eg ‘An Iraqi in Paris’) London/Tokyo/Lebanon
Fereshteh Mozaffari, Iranian journalist and exile
Abdel Bagi Elrayah, Sudanese exile
Martin De Mello of Commonword. Chair.
Afternoon: 2pm – 4pm Young People’s Performance Workshop Space 3
Workshop 2: Performance workshop! – a workshop to lift your poetry from the page to the stage, embodying many theatre practices, for example mic techniques, stage presence and the use of physical theatre.
4pm – 4.20pm Afternoon: Roundup Plenary session with Fred D’Aguiar Space 1
Afternoon Book Launch: 4.20pm Samuel Shimon’s ‘Underwear Under War’ Space 1
Afternoon Book Launch: 4.20pm Thoma Glave’s ‘BloodPeople’ Space 2
Afternoon 5pm. Young Identity End Afternoon: showing of skills by Young Identity performance workshop participants. Space 5. Participants at the two workshops share their work, either through a performance or a reading.
7.30pm
Evening Entertainment Space 1
Young Identity (poetry group, Manchester)
Sujata Bhatt (poet, Germany)
Stephanie Dogfoot (poet, London/Singapore)
Malika Booker (poet, London)
Pocket Soul
JP Cooper, musician
Host: the legendary Julian Daniel.
Young Writers Programming Strand:
There are two specific young writers’ workshops and a performance opportunity all led by Young Identity young writers group member, Reece Williams, with Shirley May:
Morning
Workshop 1: examining Identity and diversity: Is a Black Writers Conference still needed? Is assimilation into host communities necessary? Is resistance futile? A lively debate that will lead into creating your own poem.
Afternoon
Workshop 2: Performance workshop! – a workshop to lift your poetry from the page to the stage, embodying many theatre practices, for example mic techniques, stage presence and the use of physical theatre.
Late afternoon
Performance opportunity: Live & Direct! Participants at the two workshops can then share their work, either through a performance or a reading in space 5.