Writing Trauma: A Life Writing Workshop
Event Information
About this event
How do you write a story of survival without re-traumatising yourself? How do you write across cultures and languages, and for different audiences? In this workshop for survivors, writers, academics and facilitators, we will explore challenges and techniques in writing stories of survival, looking in detail at stories of survival from the Rwandan genocide. Participants from Rwanda, Kenya, Colombia and Argentina are especially welcome.
This workshop is supported by UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Meet the facilitators
Laila Sumpton is a freelance poet, educator and producer, who works on ACE funded diverse literature shows on themes of war, asylum and colonialism. She is currently poet in residence at Keats House and delivering Poetry vs Colonialism project with Queen Mary University of London. She leads poetry projects with hospitals, parks, refugee charities, schools, museums, galleries and universities.
Born and raised in Rwanda, Jo Ingabire Moys is a filmmaker and writer based in London. A survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi, she uses art to make sense of the world. She's currently writing and editing the 100 Stories Project, a collection of reflections of life in light of genocide, for Ishami Foundation.
Jo and Laila worked with survivors of the Genocide Against the Tutsi who collaborate with the Ishami Foundation to share their testimonies using poetry and storytelling. These stories are being used to inspire a new Arts Council funded radio and theatre production. This is a part of the 100 Stories project- https://ishamifoundation.org/100-rwandan-stories/.
Organiser Wasafiri Magazine
Organiser of Writing Trauma: A Life Writing Workshop
Wasafiri is a leading magazine in the field of International Contemporary Writing. It publishes ground-breaking work on literary cultures from across the globe, and offers a rare platform to emerging writers from all backgrounds, in particular reaching out to marginalised voices. For over three decades, Wasafiri has created a dynamic platform for the publication of international contemporary writing, featuring a diverse range of cultural contexts, both in Britain and elsewhere.
