High Impact
17th January 2017
Haringey Unchained was proud to participate in the European Literature Festival’s High Impact event at the Tabernacle in West London.
Our six creative writers worked behind the scenes with presenter Rosie Goldsmith to deliver an exciting evening dedicated to the promotion of Dutch writing into English translation. The students managed the coat check and helped guide arriving audience members and the performing talent to their various positions in the venue.
It was an all-star cast of writers including best-selling authors Herman Koch and David Nicholls, along with a host of other critically acclaimed writers from the Netherlands and the UK. Over 80 members of the general public were in the audience for this cabaret-style evening of entertainment: readings, chat, music, food and drink.
Our student Zubeyde then worked directly with Rosie Goldsmith to produce the following thoughts in light of the recent Brexit vote and her experience at this event:
Good literature and where to find it
At a young age, we experience the beauty and wonders of a picture book. We learn about how Dr. Seuss painted his words in ‘The Cat In The Hat’ and we as children loved every single book. We then grew up and had the option to choose what we read because not only did we develop as readers but also as writers who were now exposed to the glorious works of authors like Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. We grow up to learn and love our mother language, and discover how people have the power to shape and attribute meanings to words. What we don’t grow up with is literature that, once upon a time, wasn’t English. We don’t often get to experience texts that originated in other languages, for example, in Romanian, Turkish, Belgian or Dutch.
The English curriculum in the United Kingdom does not include books in translation, but it should. By incorporating into our education literature that was not written in our own language first, we would ensure that the younger generation is exposed to a wider range of critical thought, in an effort to teach them how to love and grow to embrace all other cultures, as translated literature not only gives an insight into other people, which develops into tolerance, but also gives us a chance of becoming a global community.
Literally Swiss
9th February 2018
Haringey Unchained was proud to participate, for the second year in a row, in the European Literature Network’s incredible literary event at The Tabernacle on Friday 9th February 2018. This year the theme was Literally Swiss, and saw an inspiring group of writers with ties to Switzerland sharing in all things Swiss.
Our six creative writers worked behind the scenes with presenter Rosie Goldsmith to deliver an exciting evening dedicated to the promotion of Swiss writing into English translation.
It was an all-star cast of writers including: Alain De Botton, Xiaolu Guo, Pedro Lenz, Deborah Levy, Monique Schwitter, Peter Stamm and Nicolas Verdan.
Deborah Levy generously donated her very own annotated copy of her collection: Lunatics, Lovers and Poets, which she read from that evening, to our Haringey Unchained writers as a thank you for their efforts.
Over 150 members of the general public were in the audience for this cabaret-style evening of entertainment, including hilarious readings, inspiring chat, ethereal music, and delicious food and drink.
The students supported Jon Slack, Creative Director, as he managed the inner workings of the event, linking the students in with microphones. Some students were stationed at the coat room, others were signing guests in and directing them to their tables, and others were floating around fielding queries when necessary. It was an exciting evening where our students learned just how much goes into organising and executing a publishing event.
“It was such a treat to have the Haringey girls on site and supporting our event. Their enthusiasm for the writer’s work was abundantly clear, and their willingness to help the event run smoothly was an invaluable asset on the night. Would gladly work with them again – and recommend to any future partners lucky enough for the opportunity to include them in their project.”
Jon Slack, Creative Producer
Haringey Unchained 