Poetry protest for Pussy Riot: Embassy of the Russian Federation, London, 11am-1pm, 1 October.

Meet at ‘The Champion’ Pub, 1 Wellington Terrace, W2 4LW

Poets will be reading their work from CATECHISM: POEMS FOR PUSSY RIOT, an e-book collection including pieces by 110 poets, to rally support for Pussy Riot’s appeal on Monday. Please do join us if you can. 

CATECHISM: POEMS FOR PUSSY RIOT, edited by Mark Burnhope, Sarah Crewe and Sophie Mayer, is published on 1 October: ePUB, Kindle and PDF versions will be available here from 00:01hrs. The book is distributed on the ‘Pay What You Think It’s Worth’ model popularised by Radiohead and others. We recommend £5, but any amount is welcome. All revenue will go to the Pussy Riot Legal fund, and the English PEN Writers at Risk Programme.

Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, are currently serving a two-year prison sentence on charges of ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’ after they staged a performance art protest at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. The case has attracted wide condemnation as a violation of the right to freedom of expression. Their appeal will be heard on Monday. 

Show your support

 – Join Monday’s Poetry Protest for Pussy Riot – meet at 11am at 1 Wellington Terrace, W2 4LW

– If you can’t make it to the protest, you can still support the campaign by downloading the e-book, making a donation, and writing about this campaign for a newspaper, magazine or website.