Apples and Snakes Presents RALLYING CRY

2018 has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets in protest: against Trump, against immigration policies, for women's rights. Apples and Snakes, who for 35 years have been providing a platform for both established and emerging spoken word performers, will be holding a rallying, raucous call to arms in the form of an immersive journey through the iconic Battersea Arts Centre to celebrate and empower those taking a stand.

Performers will include writer and musician Roger Robinson, named one of the 50 most influential writers in the black literary canon, Malaysian-born poet Francesca Beard, whose work has been performed at the Royal Court, Southbank Centre and Houses of Parliament, and Hannah Silva, whose poetry collection Total Man was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award in New Work. There will also be a recorded performance from poet and broadcaster LemnSissay MBE, who was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics.

Travelling through Battersea Arts Centre, audiences will be immersed in the grade II listed building and hear from both widely respected and exciting new poets whose angry and affirming words address the state of the world today. Battersea Arts Centre's 125 year old building has housed a range of radical voices over the years, from leading suffragette Charlotte Despard to artist LubainaHimid. Rallying Cry brings this rebel spirit to the present day.

Alongside Rallying Cry, and as part of its 35th anniversary, Apples and Snakes will be presenting 35 Voices, produced in collaboration with students and staff at UTC (Elstree University Technical College), which showcases the recorded work of 35 poets you should know about. This "Blackbox Series" will give artists the opportunity to have their spoken word poetry professionally recorded, and will address pertinent issues from austerity to immigration, masculinity to motherhood.

Artistic Director of Apples and Snakes, Lisa Mead said, "Throughout our history Apples and Snakes has supported poets as social commentators and political activists. From picketing with the miners back in the 80s to present, we have always used words as a form of protest. In our current divided times, the importance of having voice and protesting for what you believe in has never been more vital. For us Rallying Cry celebrates not only some of the most well loved spoken word artists in the UK alongside some impressive new voices, but unites audience to show how collectively we can all be revolutionary and be heard.

Apples and Snakes is the UK's leading spoken word and performance poetry organisation and an Arts Council England NPO, that this year celebrates its 35th birthday. Started by a group of poets in 1982 in a room above a pub, their core belief is that poetry and spoken word is for everyone, and they work by encouraging artists and producers to push the boundaries of what poetry and spoken word can be. Whilst establishing themselves as the UK's leading spoken word organisation, they have worked with artists including Kate Tempest, Benjamin Zephaniah, Michael Rosen, Billy Bragg, Jackie Kay, LemnSissay, Malika Booker, Charlie Dark, Polarbear, and Caleb Femi, to name just a few. Apples and Snakes is dedicated to supporting artists at all stages of their careers; its artist development programmes include The Writing Room, a workshop series for young people in London and the Midlands, and spoken word collectives in the North East. The organisation's Book a Poet scheme also places poets into schools, galleries, and festivals across the country throughout the year.

@applesandsnakes | #RallyingCry2018 | www. applesandsnakes.org

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