Burma: English PEN and the Free Burma VJ campaign “Worldwide Reading “to pay tribute to Burma’s Silenced Poets On 21 October

JOIN THE WORLDWIDE READING

“A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.” Salman Rushdie

English PEN (www.englishpen.org) and the Free Burma VJ campaign (www.freeburmavj.org/) are organising a Worldwide Reading to pay tribute to Burma’s Silenced Poets and we’d love you all to get involved…

On 21 October · 12:00 – 13:00 we will be hosting public readings of poetry by our imprisoned colleagues including Zarganar, Zaw Thet Htwe, Nay Phone Latt, U Zeya and Min Ko Naing, in order to raise and maintain awareness of their plight and of all those currently detained in Burma.

We already have events lined up in England, France and Thailand, but to help our message that these writers should be released immediately get through loud and clear we are hoping that PEN centres, other campaigning groups and individuals all around the world will take part by organising a similar event in your own country.Please join us in giving a voice to our silenced colleagues and in paying tribute to their incredible courage in the face of continued persecution. Together we can send a strong message to the authorities in Burma that these writers have not and will not be forgotten.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

To ensure that this initiative lives up to its name, we are looking for people all around the world that would be willing to organise a public reading of work by imprisoned Burmese poets. Readings can take place outside the Burmese Embassy in your country, if there is one, or in any other public place – the busier, the better!