Late .. and inspired

Trains can be very unreliable- you might hope to arrive slightly early and end up arriving ten minutes later instead. Such was my introduction to this year's Demon Crew reading at the Cultural Exchanges festival, and it was for this reason that I almost didn’t attend.

I am beyond glad that I reconsidered. I was barely noticed as I made my late entrance- so absorbed were the attendees in the performances. And soon enough, so was I. Each performance was unique, ranging from political satire to humorous odes, personal experiences, and duets - I’d never heard of poems being performed in that way before. The short hour passed much too quickly for my liking and I found myself wanting to listen to more stories and poems from the immensely talented writers present.

I'd never been to a poetry reading before, and though the setup didn’t look the way I imagined it to (the TV show Jane the Virgin is to blame for my perception of book readings...), I came away feeling invigorated with new ideas and the urge to just write.

Here’s hoping this surge of inspiration will last more than a day!

Hanaa Nisaa

Reviewing the Demon Crew

This morning I had the privilege to witness brave Creative Writing students showcase their own work as part of the Cultural Exchanges Festival in Leicester.The enthusiasm in the room was evident and the students' passion for their writing quickly reached the audience. A huge range of styles and topics were on show and this diversity added to the excitement of the event.

 When you're a writer, getting your work out there and heard can be one of the hardest things. You've written a book? A poem? A short story? That's great. But, if you don't do something with it, it could easily sit gathering dust on your bookshelf or lost and forgotten on your laptop.

That's why events like this matter so much. They give students/aspiring writers a platform on which to showcase what they can do - and they give audiences a chance to encounter new writers and new work.


Chloe Smart 

"Get them to get it"

The moment Paris Lees entered the room, a respectful silence followed. People from all walks of life had gathered to have their ears and eyes opened to the struggles of the trans community - struggles some have faced and struggles that some wouldn't believe.

 

Paris's captivating talk took us on a journey from the summer in which she "ditched her boy clothes" to her discovery of her political voice through charities and media outlets. The Gender Trust Charity, Trans Media Watch and All About Trans are just three of the organisations with which she has campaigned.

 

When you watch Paris talking, you notice how comfortable she is in her skin, how she dominates the space, and really tries to connect with what she is saying.

 

Starting with The Pink Paper, Paris also gained a foothold in journalism. She then moved onto other publications, including The Guardian, and is currently an editor for Attitude magazine.

 

While these achievements are awe-inspiring, she also spoke about the wider picture. Increasing transgender representation in shows like Eastenders and The Voice will help to "get them to get it" - and by "them" she means the ones who would use the trans community as a "punchline or a punch bag."

 

Paris's message was simple, yet effective. "Get out there and do it - just live." A mantra that everyone should live by.

 

 

Jack Wilkin  

A preview of Paris

Brighten up your Monday afternoon by seeing Paris Lees, editor of Attitude magazine, who is coming for talk at Clephan Building (De Montfort University). Talking about her experiences growing up will open the eyes of many cis-gendered people by giving them an insight into everyday life for the trans community.

With a weekly column in VICE.com under her belt, Paris is the woman to talk to about editing, publishing and broadcasting. I hope this talk will take us behind the scenes of magazine work and excite members of the audience to put pen to paper.

 Paris is currently embarking on a campaign for better representation of transgender people in the media, and I've no doubt this topic will inspire and captivate the lucky people who get to hear her.

 

Don’t miss out on being inspired. 



Jack Wilkin