King's College London

Part of the Activist-in-Residence scheme, Literature and Solidarity brings together King's academics and English PEN to think through the meaning of solidarity. How important is it to form bonds of solidarity, especially in moments of increasing political pressure? How challenging can it be to act in solidarity, not only because of the risks involved (political, financial and reputational), but also because of differences in aims and ideological commitments?

Through three workshops and an event to share learning, Literature and Solidarity will explore how to share these risks in a hostile environment.

Workshop 1 – Sharing terminology

When we’re working on broad umbrella coalitions, how do we best create frameworks of shared terminology? How do we define red lines and what should these be for an organisation like English PEN?

Workshop 2 – Sharing resources (physical space/capacity/skills)

When we explore ideas of mutual support – how do we determine what resources we have and what resources we need? How do we articulate and share these, and with who?

Workshop 3 – Sharing risk (safety, practicalities, best practice)

When we have agreed parameters of shared terminology and shared resources, how do we now approach the sharing of risk? How do we understand power dynamics and how to approach this?

Event – Literature and Solidarity

Sharing the findings from the three workshops and exploring what meaningful solidarity with marginalised voices looks like in the hostile environment for many in the UK.