If you’re in London on Saturday, April 1, drop in at Rich Mix to hear 30 UK-based writers, poets, novelists, playwrights and artists read the works they’ve reated in solidarity with imprisoned and at-risk writers:
The afternoon and evening readings, a joint venture of English PEN and the Enemies Project, begin at 2 p.m. and run through 9:30 that night.
In the first section, Luke Kennard will read a piece written for Saudi blogger Raif Badawi; SJ Fowler will read a piece he wrote in tribute to Saudi human-rights lawyer Waleed Abu Al Khair; and Mischa Foster Poole will read what he read for Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, who has lately not been able to receive books in prison, along with all other prisoners at Tora Prison Complex B, apart from textbooks for study purposes.
The second block includes Rebecca Tamas reading for imprisoned Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, who is serving eight years and 800 lashes in part for his collection Instructions Within, which has been translated into English by Mona Kareem; and Camilla Nelson reading for Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour, whose long and surreal trial is coming to a close, and who has had to argue that police mistranslated her poem.
The third and final block, which begins at 7:30 p.m., includes Tom Jenks reading for Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab; Chrissy Williams reading for the entire Al-Khawaja family, also Bahraini human rights activists; and Tony White reading for Egyptian novelist and journalist Ahmed Naji, who is currently free within Egypt — although under a travel ban — and who returns to court April 2.
Entrance is free, but organizers ask that you “please consider joining PEN or making a donation.”
