Covert Literary Magazine Writing Workshop w Akila Richards & Sonia Quintero | Stratford Library
Arts
Literary Arts
Join us on Wednesday, 13 November, from 6 pm - 7:45 pm at Stratford Library for a creative writing workshop on the theme of Rest Yourself and rest as resistance and inspiration for your writing, led by Covert Guest Editor Akila Richards. This workshop is a great opportunity to polish your skills and learn about our fifth issue of Covert Literary Magazine and our associated Talent Development Programme! The deadline to apply to the programme is Fri 15 Nov 2024. In March & April 2025, we will invite Global majority/BPOC creatives to submit to the magazine. The workshop is organised by Writing Our Legacy in partnership with Newham Poetry Group. Writing Our Legacy is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation 2023-26. For more information about Covert, see https://writingourlegacy.org.uk/whatwedo/covert-literary-magazine/ Akila Richards is an award winning poet, spoken word artist and fiction writer. Her work is published in Covert Magazines, Mosaic Writers, Penguin, Waterloo Press, Peepal Tree Press and on digital platforms. Her soundscapes and audio work can be listened to at Dulwich Gallery website, Wasafiri Instagram and her own Youtube channel. Her poetry pamphlet Ritual for a Mango was published by Flipped Eye in February 2024. Akila’s artistic year-long residency at Brighton Dome in 2021 led to the development of The Rest Experience offering a range of participatory activities, events, collaborations and programmes. As a socially engaged artist her belief is that rest is a collective experience which leads us to our purpose and true self, where we are rested and relevant , connected and visionary and the impossible becomes possible, here and for futurity. Akila is a proud member of the Inscribe Group an imprint of Peepal Tree Press whose support and encouragement have also led to her first novel writing. Her poems and stories speak to our humanness, of complex lives and ultimately the deep joy of liberation. https://akilarichards.wordpress.com/ Sonia Quintero I am a queer Colombian–British poet, have lived in Newham for several years. I am passionate to community knowledge production, co-production, and participatory methodology as well as grassroot movements promotion. I have become an active member of the community and have led several projects that combine my passion for poetry and LGBTQ+ rights. Seven years ago, I started Newham Poetry Group, a grassroot initiative that facilitates access to creative writing for people who speak English as their second or third language as well as engaging with marginalised communities through artistic activities such as open mics, spoken words or even publishing their own books. I also co-founded Queer Newham and Borderless local initiatives that bring visibility to LGBTQ+ issues in my area and support LGBTQ+ refugees. We work closely with the LB Newham, community groups and neighbours to tackle discrimination, hate crime and other issues that impact us. Simultaneously, I founded Casa Sofia in Colombia, my home country. Casa Sofia is a collective of creative community artists that use artistic approach to connect people, challenge dispowenred narratives and support local initiatives. We love co-creating new maps that help people navigate their neighbourhoods, find their unique resources, strengthen their abilities and develop new initiatives that support the wellbeing of their local areas. @sonesquin | soniaquintero.co.uk Writing Our Legacy CIC is an arts and heritage organisation that enables Black, Asian and ethnically diverse/BPOC* people to tell their story through writing and the creative arts. We were established in 2012. We give writers and other creatives a platform and community to feel supported, nurtured and evolve their work through the creative pipeline, from start to publication. We share stories and heritage of diaspora communities and bring them to life through various art forms for audiences to learn and take part in cultural heritage. We are an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. *BPOC stands for ‘Black people, People of Colour’ and is a self-identifying term. While we use the term BPOC, we acknowledge the limitations of this terminology. At the core of our network is the aim to address and overcome systemic barriers that our members face directly or indirectly based on their ethnic or national identities, race or perceived racial identities, or the colour of their skin as per the Equality Act of 2010. This includes people who identify as Black, brown, people of colour, Global Majority, mixed-race, multiple heritage and/or are from the Global South, and/or are East and South-East Asian, West Asian, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, African-Caribbean, Caribbean, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, or First Nations, and diasporas.
Information Source: Writing Our Legacy CIC | eventbrite