16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence
Poetry and Activism : 16 Day Festival examining how poetry and Language can create transformational social change
16-Days of Activism is an international campaign running from 25 November to 10
December, dedicated to raising awareness and combating gender-based
violence. This year, Manchester Met is hosting a series of events featuring poets,
activists, and academics to explore how poetry and the arts can respond to
gender inequality and bring about social change.
Throughout the 16 days, the university will host readings, panel discussions and
writing workshops, including events with Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates,
author and psychoanalyst Katherine Angel, and poet and playwright Joelle
Taylor. From powerful spoken-word performances to in-depth conversations, the
festival is designed to amplify voices fighting against gender-based violence and
highlight the critical role of creativity in activism.
Professor Andrew McMillan adds, “We here at Man Met are delighted to be supporting and
hosting this unique and much-needed festival which brings together thinkers, writers and
communities to do what we all know poetry can – validate experience, create new methods
of connection, and articulate in new ways experiences which are sadly common to so
many. Projects like this are at the heart of our mission as a modern civic university.”
The festival is wheelchair accessible and will take place in person at the Manchester Poetry Library and the Lowry Building at Manchester Metropolitan University. Some events will also be
online or live-streamed. This is a trans-inclusive festival.
ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
The Manchester Writing School is based at Manchester Metropolitan University, and is one of the biggest and most successful literary centres in the UK. Established in 1998, the School hosts exciting writing programmes, a vibrant series of public events, a city-wide children’s book festival, and a major international writing competition.
Manchester Poetry Library (MPL) is the North West’s first public poetry library – open to all. Based at Manchester Metropolitan University, it hosts a collection of over 14,000 books and recordings profiling 20th and 21st century poets, a growing children’s collection, and a languages collection co-curated with bilingual and multilingual poets. MPL has a year-round learning programme for readers and writers, as well as a free events, workshops and an exhibition programme.
FULL PROGRAMME
25 Nov | Reading & Discussion: Dr Kim Moore & Laura Bates An evening of poetry & engaging discussion about everyday sexism, how we move through a damaged patriarchal society & how we can resist injustice. |
26 Nov | Reading & Discussion: Clare Shaw & Dr Malika Booker Award-winning poets explore articulations of inherited trauma, gendered violence & resistance. |
27 Nov | Workshop: Erasure Workshop with Roma Havers & Catherine Davies |
28 Nov | Discussion: Dr Frazer Heritage & Caroline Stancer Vital discussion on incels, ideologies & performances of masculinity. |
29 Nov | Performance: Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa Live literature show navigating the historical narratives of Barbadian women. |
30 Nov | Workshop: Late Night Writing Hour with Kim Moore |
1 Dec | Discussion: Charlotte Shevchenko Knight, Naomi Morris & Char Heather Panel exploring feminist approaches to illness narratives & gender inequality in medicalised spaces. |
2 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Dr Derek Bousfield and Professor Helen Mort Interdisciplinary discussion investigating how poetry can illuminate & examine the language of gaslighting. |
3 Dec | Workshop: ‘We Sinful Women’ with Anjum Malik Discussion, reading and workshop exploring the 1980s iconic Urdu poetry collective, We Sinful Women. |
4 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Dr Kim Moore & Prof Khatidja Chantler Performance of ‘i-poems’ – drawn from the voices of survivors of domestic abuse & family members of victims of domestic homicide. |
5 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Anjum Malik & Charlotte Shevchenko Knight Multilingual poetry readings exploring gender hierarchies, the female body & hunger. |
6 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Joelle Taylor Deep dive into Joelle’s recent work examining violence against women & butch lesbian counterculture. |
7 Dec | Open Mic |
8 Dec | Workshop: Permission to Speak with Caroline Stancer Develop your creative practice by reading and writing the poems you want to write. |
9 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Nat Raha & Roma Havers Explore the disruptive potential of poetry, collective action and radical queer joy. |
10 Dec | Reading & Discussion: Dr Katherine Angel & Professor Helen Mort In celebration of Human Rights Day, a discussion focussing on issues around female desire, sexuality, consent and violence. |