Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write, Freedom to Move
Join English PEN for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement.
English PEN
Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write, Freedom to Move
Tareq Baconi, Rémy Ngamije, Khaled Alesmael
Saturday 13 June 2026, 4.00pm - 5.00pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Join English PEN, in partnership with Essex Book Festival, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement.
Palestinian writer, scholar, and activist Tareq Baconi, Namibian author, editor, and publisher Rémy Ngamije, and Syria-born author and journalist Khaled Alesmael will appear in conversation with Turkish Cypriot writer and multidisciplinary artist from North London Tice Cin.
They will ask: how do experiences of home, migration, diaspora, and safety inform their writing? How do relationships to place – to land, to sea, to borders, to movement across them, to departures, to arrivals – shape creative identity and the literary landscape? And how do the freedoms to write and to read relate to the freedom to move – and to its restriction?
The event will include an audience Q&A. The speakers’ books will be available to buy and have signed.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
This event is part of The Writers Room
Essex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops, multi-genre panel discussions, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.
The Writers Room Day Pass
Five events for £25 / £15 concessions
1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan
2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton
3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read - English PEN
5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema
Join English PEN for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement.
English PEN
Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write, Freedom to Move
Tareq Baconi, Rémy Ngamije, Khaled Alesmael
Saturday 13 June 2026, 4.00pm - 5.00pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Join English PEN, in partnership with Essex Book Festival, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement.
Palestinian writer, scholar, and activist Tareq Baconi, Namibian author, editor, and publisher Rémy Ngamije, and Syria-born author and journalist Khaled Alesmael will appear in conversation with Turkish Cypriot writer and multidisciplinary artist from North London Tice Cin.
They will ask: how do experiences of home, migration, diaspora, and safety inform their writing? How do relationships to place – to land, to sea, to borders, to movement across them, to departures, to arrivals – shape creative identity and the literary landscape? And how do the freedoms to write and to read relate to the freedom to move – and to its restriction?
The event will include an audience Q&A. The speakers’ books will be available to buy and have signed.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
This event is part of The Writers Room
Essex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops, multi-genre panel discussions, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.
The Writers Room Day Pass
Five events for £25 / £15 concessions
1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan
2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton
3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read - English PEN
5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 hour
- In person
Refund Policy
Location
Lakeside Theatre
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ
How do you want to get there?
