Roger McGough with Penny Pepper at White Rock
St Leonards’ own writer, poet, and disabled activist Penny Pepper, hot from the world premiere of the D-Punk documentary film, is excited to be the support for legend Roger McGough as part of the Book Festival this year. Hastings Book Festival is an annual celebration of writers, readers and storytellers across East Sussex. Featuring workshops, keynotes, book fairs and live performances, the festival brings world-class literary talent and local voices together.
D-Punk, part of the We Crip film festival at the British Film Institute, was the closing feature on 19 July. Local resident Penny played a key role in this powerful exploration of the early disability punk movement and is often called its ‘spiritual matriarch’. The film also featured commentary from others with a local connection, including the daughter of punk icon Poly Styrene (former resident of St Leonards) and Jemima Dury (Hastings resident), daughter of mighty punk legend, disabled activist and influencer, Ian Dury.
Penny’s performance at The White Rock Theatre will bring audiences a 15-minute set of her signature blend of performance poetry with bite, provocation, humour and unique insight.
Penny has featured as part of the Book Festival on several occasions.She appears in the anthology, Poet Town: The Poetry of Hastings & Thereabouts. Penny is the first poet in the book, represented among several other locally and nationally well-known poets. She has also performed alongside Salena Godden at The Royal Albert Hall, and more recently at The Print Works, Hastings, at the Refugee Buddy Project fundraiser. As a performer at many Hastings events as a spoken-word poet, speaker and mentor, she has been proud to call this area her home since 2010.
Headliner for the event, Roger McGough CBE, is president of the Poetry Society and former host of BBC Radio 4’s Poetry Please, and remains one of the UK’s most beloved literary figures.
Penny Pepper: pennypepper.co.uk; Hastings Book Festival: hastingsbookfest.org/our-events Sunday, 13 September, 4:45 – 6:00pm, Studio 27, White Rock Theatre. Single Session and All-Afternoon Passes available at: hastingsbookfest.org/events/roger-mcgough. Studio 27 and the main foyer feature level, step-free access, dedicated wheelchair spaces, accessible restrooms, and hearing loop systems. Features as part 3 of the Poets in Performance event.
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