Poets pen literary protest for Pussy Riot
Appeal hearing for imprisoned members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, Monday 1 October. English PEN publishes international poetry protest for Pussy Riot
Phill Jupitus, Ali Smith, Deborah Levy and John Kinsella have joined a poetry protest for imprisoned punk band Pussy Riot.
Three members of the band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, are currently serving a two-year prison sentence on charges of ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’ after they staged a performance art protest at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. The case has attracted wide condemnation as a violation of the right to freedom of expression.
The appeal hearing is scheduled for Monday, 1 October. There are concerns that, if unsuccessful, they may be sent to a remote penal colony.
In order to rally support in the run up to the appeal, English PEN has launched ‘Poems for Pussy Riot’. Poets from all over the world have been invited to write creative responses to the case. PEN has been publishing daily online tributes to the band, in the form of some extraordinary poems and images on our website.
An e-book collection of the best submissions, Catechism: Poems for Pussy Riot, edited by poets Mark Burnhope, Sarah Crewe and Sophie Mayer, will be published on 1 October. Contributors will be reading their work as part of a peaceful poetry protest outside the Russian Embassy in London from 11am-1pm on 1 October, one of many protests due to take place across the globe.
The poems are also being translated into Russian with the intention of sending them directly to the band members and their families.
For more information and to request review copies of the e-book, please contact Cat Lucas at English PEN on 020 7324 2535 or cat@englishpen.org.
(Source: English Pen)
