The Resilience Readings
Join us for an incredible star-studded virtual literary festival to help survivors of torture.
Running over three nights in November, you will be able to explore Resilience through literature, and hear from a host of famous actors, authors, and poets, alongside survivors of torture.
NIGHT ONE. Tuesday 24 November (7pm – 8pm GMT)
The Resilience Reading List – a celebrity hosted book club and panel discussion, covering books that have helped us all to get through challenging times. Led by award-winning authors Nikesh Shukla, Louise Doughty, Caleb Femi. Submit a book to be discussed, and download our full Resilience Reading List after the event.
NIGHT TWO. Wednesday 25 November (7pm – 8pm GMT)
Words of Resilience – Poems and performances from leading poets and winners from our poetry competition. Hosted by Daljit Nagra, Ian McMillan, Imtiaz Dharker and Inua Ellams. After-party with Bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, and Poetry Prescriptions with poet Ronna Bloom.
NIGHT THREE. Thursday 26 November (7pm – 8pm GMT)
The power of Resilience – Performances and Readings from authors, actors, poets and survivors of torture around the theme of Resilience. With readings by Thandie Newton, Tracy Chevalier, Jackie Kay, John Hegley with Write to Life and more. Plus a special virtual performance by the Sing for Freedom choir – a choir made up of survivors, staff and volunteers from Freedom from Torture which is run by Together Productions.
The Resilience Auction - now LIVE!
www.resilienceauction.org
Thursday 12 November (10am GMT) - Thursday 26 November (closes 9pm GMT)
Running alongside these events will be The Resilience Auction - an online silent auction of unique literary-themed experiences and prizes. With prizes confirmed so far from artists Edmund de Waal, Chris Riddell and Quentin Blake as well as Margaret Atwood, Lee Child, David Nicholls, Rose Tremain, Ian McEwan, Jonathan Coe, Michael Morpurgo, William Boyd, Philip Pullman, Bernardine Evaristo, Michael Morpurgo and more.
Want to be the first to know when the auction launches? Email: [email protected]
THE RESILIENCE POETRY COMPETITION
The poetry competition has now closed and submissions are being judged. First prize: have your poem performed by actor Samuel West on his Pandemic Poems radio show, and appear in Aesthetica Magazine online. All winners will receive a selection of books from publishers including The Folio Society, Penguin and Faber Members (which is free to join). Plus have the opportunity to film themselves performing their poem OR have it performed by our award-winning poets and broadcast to a worldwide audience on NIGHT TWO of the literary festival.