Penny, a wheelchair-user since childhood, brings her Naked Punk signature mash-up of poems of self-worth with a backdrop of disability activism to coincide with UK Disability History Month £6 / £4 concs
Author and poet Penny Pepper is a regular personality on telly, radio and in the press.
She is a guest performer at the National Centre for Writing with her genre-defying and ver- satile live works. Penny’s writing is a mixture of the quirky and the lewd, with a laser focus on the examination of difference and identity.
Penny, a wheelchair-user since childhood, brings her Naked Punk project to Dragon Hall in Norwich on Friday 22 November. The 7pm performance spotlights her signature mash-up of poems of self-worth with a backdrop of her many years in disability activism. The gig timing specifically coincides with the start of UK Disability History Month (UKDHM2019) and the relatable theme of disabled leaders and the struggle for acceptance.
Penny says; “I’m thrilled to be presenting my work at the start of Disability History Month. There are so many unique stories to tell - and at such a prestigious place! I’ll read from my poetry collection; ‘Come Home Alive’, as well as excerpts from my memoir, ‘First in the World Somewhere’. This covers my burgeoning as a disabled activist - a passion that has stayed with me all my life.”
In exploring the ‘social model of disability’ from the seventies to the present day, many of Pennys’ own works reflect the individual and collective resistance to oppression that dis- abled people have faced at work, in education, in their local community and at home. Penny is a strong advocate for fairness and equality. Far from whinging or tub-thumping, her live set brims with humour and compassion. She won’t stint on vintage glam or the killer heels either!
As Penny states in her Naked Punk Manifesto; “I’m naked because I strive to be open in my writing... To strip away stereotypes and expectation. I draw an audience in to sharing the fun and the message to accept yourself, accept a new story.”
Rochelle from the producers, Renaissance One, adds; “We look forward to a full-on evening of personal insights and passionate entertainment!”. The set is followed by a live Q&A and if you have a burning question do share it on the night or tweet in advance using the hash- tags #UKDHM19 and #Pennyforthem