Stand Up For Diversity: Essex Writers House

An evening of 5 x five-minute mini-talks and short soap-box shout-outs that put a spotlight on diversity, writing, words and storytelling.

Hosted in partnership with Essex Book Festival, for this event we teamed up with Metal and Essex Writers House in Southend-on-Sea, bringing together people to champion and celebrate diversity in the arts and in our communities, share the work they do with others, and collectively celebrate strong diverse voices.

Guest speakers:

TriggerBliss: multi-creative, and our compere for the evening
Emma Gibbs De Oliveira: writer, artist and founder of BrazilArte
S Reeson: Neurodivergent poet
Ian Treherne: blind photographer
Lu Williams: artist and founder of Grrrl Zine
Simone Yasmin: writer and spoken word artist

TriggerBliss

TriggerBliss is a multi creative who uses spoken word as an avenue to connect to the individual, to inspire healing, conscious thought, and authentic expression. This is achieved by incorporating spoken word into visuals, imagery, quotes, music, as well as performing live. TriggerBliss harnesses her creativity to spread mental health awareness, love, unity and encourage the authentic self.

@triggeryourbliss | @triggeryourtruth
https://www.instagram.com/triggeryourbliss

Emma Gibbs De Oliveira

Emma works in a mix of media, from film, writing and poetry, to bookmaking, drawing and illustration, and her art is very much rooted in community, nature and wellbeing. Much of her work is fueled by her passion for the Brazilian culture she has adopted over the years, as well as multiculturalism more broadly. Through her drawings and writing she seeks to navigate the world and her place in it. Brazilarte was founded by Emma and her husband Biscuim in 2012, born out of a love of Brazilian culture and the desire to share its many benefits through music, dance, art and movement. Self-expression and wellbeing have always been at its core, along with community empowerment.

linktr.ee/brazilarte | www.instagram.com/brazilarte | www.brazilarte.org | www.facebook.com/BrazilArte | brazilarte.substack.com

One-to-One interview with Emma: https://essexcdp.com/ecdp-people/emma-gibbs-de-oliveira/

S Reeson

S Reeson [she/they] is a 57 year old multidisciplined artist and mental health advocate who lives by the seaside. They are bisexual.

They have been published extensively in both physical print and online since winning a Poetry Society competition in 2018. In October 2022 they were shortlisted for inclusion as part of the South Bank Centre New Poets Collective. A debut poetry pamphlet entitled Flammable Solid was produced by Flight of the Dragonflies Press in November 2022. Their work was recently shortlisted for the Live Canon Pamphlet Competition.

When not writing newsletters, taking photos or making video, they lift heavy weights.

Ian Treherne

‘The Blind Photographer’

I am an Essex based Photographer born with the eye condition RP Type 2 Usher Syndrome (Blind + Deaf), which by default, naturally cropped the world around me, giving me a unique eye for capturing moments in time. Through my work, my mission is to bring multiple voices, Disabled & Non disabled people together, build the better place we envision. An environment catered for everyone, while eradicating the stigma and fears of disabilities.

My commissioned photography and role as an ambassador for Sense U.K, has led me to collaborate with newly formed U.K talent agency Zebedee Talent. Working with clients such as Apple, Canon UK, Ch4 Paralympics, On Running, Mullenlowe, WEX Photo/Video, M&C Saatchi & mentored by Rankin. I appeared on BBC2 Blind Ambition programme and a winner of the D&AD Pencil award for SuperHuman portraits photography. I have exhibited in London, The Truman Brewery Building, Brick Lane, Soho Square, Somerset House and locally in Essex.

Links to Ian’s website and related stories: https://iantreherne.co.uk/

Lu Williams is an artist producing sculpture, print, zines, drawing, writing, video, events and workshops through research, community engagement, collecting and collaboration. They make work around the themes of place and memory; community and collaboration; collecting; class and upbringing; accessibility; and platforming and uplifting marginalised voices- through the lens of queerness, neurodivergence and working classness. They are interested in class and taste, queerness, ecology, systems, paraphernalia and the notion of the ‘disposable’; elevating everyday offcuts, often ephemeral and nostalgic, into the valued but functional ‘art object’.

In 2015 they created Grrrl Zine Fair, a place for self-publishing and DIY art, music and culture surrounding feminist publishing. In 2017 the Grrrl Zine Library was born and hosted 600+ queer feminist zines, housed at The Old Waterworks.

Lu Williams Studio: Website | Instagram
Grrrl Zine Fair: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Patreon

One-to-One with Lu Williams: essexcdp.com/ecdp-people/lu-williams

Simone Yasmin

Simone is a writer and spoken word artist born and based in Leeds. Both her written and vocal work raise awareness for issues many choose to ignore in order to sit in comfort. Simone brings that discomfort into the centre of the room, pulling no wool over eyes with her blunt and realistic words. Simone is an artivist and the intersection of race and feminism is often central to Simone’s work. Her own experiences navigating the world – a white, male world – as a Black woman, largely act as a catalyst for this. Her interlocking identities cannot be separated or extracted. Simone connects dots many are scared to, creating parallel lines to highlight injustice and amplify marginalised voices.

simoneyasmin.com