Black Lives Natter Announce BLN-WRITE SpeakEasy #TakingUpSpace Project Black Lives Natter will be holding 12 SpeakEasy Poetry for Performance Sessions over 24 Weeks Online & In Person, from 30th April - 8th October 2024. Black Lives Natter is a Community Arts organisation and a platform for Black and Global Majority artists and individuals, with a focus on survivors, neuro-diverse, queer, queenagers, those with disabilities, and individuals within those communities who historically have been denied access to the arts. Black Lives Natter believes that in order for communities to thrive, the individuals within those communities have to be seen and heard. We imagine the power of shared stories, art and theatre to heal trauma. Our soul endeavour is to create safe non-judgemental spaces, to increase access, awareness and engagement, both in the arts and in sharing and learning from the lived experience of those revealed ‘invisible’ stories. The #TakingUpSpace project is a long-term endeavour and a series of BLN-WRITE twelve-session writing courses hosted in partnership with Theatre Deli. The first of the series is BLN-WRITE SpeakEasy which is conceived and facilitated by: Eljai Morais - The SpeakEasy Story SpeakEasy is a course designed for ‘Mouth Writers’ a term coined in 2022 after working with an incredible writer, who ‘hated writing’ due to leaving education early in Jamaica. And yet her words echoed at a training weekend for survivors as she stood up in the reflection circle and ‘mouth-wrote.’ After a series of 1:1 online sessions and her attendance at a BLN-WRITE Survivor writing workshop, Florence performed on the BLN-LIVE stage at Bush Theatre to thunderous applause. The power of words to transform, the power of stories to connect, and the right to ‘Take Up Space’ is the story behind this writing project. Florence was and Is the muse and inspiration for BLN-WRITE SpeakEasy. BLN-WRITE SpeakEasy at Theatre Deli 2024 SpeakEasy is a writing course for those who find writing on paper or computer difficult. Those who have literacy or learning challenges and/or are ‘Mouth-Writers?’ In SpeakEasy you will NOT ‘Write’ you will Speak your Words. Record them on your phone and learn how to turn your Speech into Performance ready scripts with the help of technology and mentorship. All you need is your Phone, your Voice and the Commitment to Join, Share and Perform. At the end of the 12-weeks the group will perform a short piece of their collected work at the monthly BLN-LIVE open mic event SpeakEasy Po’JaM on 8th October. Over the 12 sessions you will be given:● Creative Prompts● Group and 1:1 Sessions● Mentorship & Feedback● Research & Development Prompts & Exercises● Creative Writing Exercises● Character Development Hints● Recording & Transcribing Support● Performance, Voice & Lyricism Advice & Direction● Self Belief, Affirmation & Marketing Guidance● Guest Poet Sessions Due to limited spaces and the nature of the course we are taking applications until April 27th. Please apply to be considered by sharing a short bio and a poem/spoken word via video/audio phone recording. Send these to [email protected] with BLN-WRITE Speakeasy in the subject line. Introduce yourself, with your name and the title of your spoken word piece. Only those who can attend the full 12-weeks of the course will be considered. You can also apply to BLN-WRITE SpeakEasy here: Booking and Tickets Once you have been accepted on the course you will be sent a private ticket invite to book your fortnightly sessions. Due to the limited places (8 places in total) failure to attend for two weeks in a row (without a legitimate reason) means the loss of your place on the course, your place will be given to those on the waiting list. Find out more about Black Lives Natter https://www.blacklivesnatter.co.uk Facebook: /blacknatter Twitter: @BlackNatter Instagram: @black_live_natter Theatre Deli Hires For more information about hiring Theatre Deli’s space for your event visit our website or email [email protected] Manage Cookie Preferences