About this event
Whether you’re an established performance poet or dreaming of writing your first poem, come and join us to explore the power of poetry for trans liberation and euphoric celebration!
In this two-hour workshop, poet and editor Ash Brockwell will share the stories behind the TransVerse anthology series and Reconnecting Rainbows Press, some of his own poetry, and tips for transforming life experiences into poems. This will be followed by some creative unblocking activities aimed at overcoming the dreaded ‘blank page phobia’. We’ll then work in small groups to explore the themes of the forthcoming anthologies, Transcendence: Words on Faith, Love and Authenticity and The Wait Is Killing Us: Trans and Non-Binary Writers Demand Healthcare Justice. The final half-hour will be an open mic for sharing earlier finished work, or any bits of work in progress from the session - stanzas, lines, or phrases. If you have poems you’d like to share, whether relevant to the themes or not, please bring them along!
Copies of TransVerse: We Won’t Be Erased! and TransVerse II, No Time For Silence: Words of Survival, Resilience and Hope will be available to buy. We’ll also have copies of the new book published in 2022 by Reconnecting Rainbows Press, The Boy Behind The Wall by Dalton Harrison - a solo collection by a trans poet about life in prison, on probation, and beyond.
This workshop is open to anyone who identifies as trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming or is questioning their gender identity. Participants are welcome to try out new names, and there will be no pressure to share anything in the group if you don’t want to.
Accessibility:
The Centre's accessibility statement is here.
Covid-19 safety:
To keep our community safe, we ask that all visitors take a Covid test before coming to the Centre and to not come if you’re feeling unwell. Please wear a mask unless exempt.
Please note we are unable to refund donations.
About the facilitator:
Dr Ash Brockwell is a transmasculine poet, songwriter and trans activist and an Associate Professor at the London Interdisciplinary School, where he teaches on an innovative degree programme that brings together different subjects to tackle complex real-world problems. He held his first solo exhibition of visual art and poetry at the Art House, Southampton, in 2019. This coincided with the publication of the first TransVerse anthology, We Won’t Be Erased!, which brought together 25 trans and non-binary poets from the UK, Kenya and the USA. This was followed, two years later, by TransVerse II, No Time For Silence: Words of Survival, Resilience and Hope, which grew out of the need to affirm and celebrate trans identities in positive ways in response to the pandemic and an increasingly hostile media.