10-26 May
Become a FriendCrossing the Line: Words and Walls with John Dennehy
John Dennehy, an award-winning writer and journalist for Vice and the Guardian, invites you to join him for a critical conversation about immigration, borders, and activism. In a climate defined by edges and division, can words be the way to break the wall?
John’s debut book, Illegal: A True Story of Love, Revolution and Crossing Borders, tells the true story of love and deception, revolutions and deportations. Naïve New Yorker Dennehy refuses to be part of the feverish nationalism of post 9/11 America. His search for hope takes him to Ecuador, where he falls in love with firebrand Lucia, who perfects his broken Spanish while they find solidarity in the brewing social upheaval. Amid the unrest, Dennehy is arrested and deported to the United States – but he has found something worth fighting for.
A raw account of a young American abroad grasping for meaning, this pulsating story of violent protests, illegal border crossings and loss of innocence raises questions about the futility of borders and the irresistible power of nationalism.
Part of the Handover Literary Festival of Social Activism, a one-day event at Norfolk & Norwich Festival.
Important information
About John
John Dennehy grew up in New York but left the United States when George Bush was reelected. For six years he lived in the developing world before returning to New York where he works for the United Nations. He has an MA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of East Anglia and is frequently published in places such as VICE, the Guardian, Narratively and The Diplomat.
His first book, Illegal: A True Story of Love, Revolution and Crossing Borders, has won the Di Vinci Award, Gold in the Wishing Shelf Awards and has been named a Notable Indy by the Indy Book Awards.
Illegal: A True Story of Love, Revolution and Crossing Borders
A raw account of a young American abroad grasping for meaning, this pulsating story of violent protests, illegal border crossings and loss of innocence raises questions about the futility of borders and the irresistible power of nationalism.
Illegal tells the true story of love and deception, revolutions and deportations as it chronicles the trials of John Dennehy. Naïve New Yorker, Dennehy refuses to be part of the feverish nationalism of post 9/11 America. His search for hope takes him to Ecuador, where he falls in love with firebrand Lucia, who perfects his broken Spanish while they find solidarity in the brewing social upheaval. Amid the unrest, Dennehy is arrested and deported to the United States but he has found something worth fighting for. Read more
*GOLD, Wishing Shelf book awards* *Da Vinci Eye, Eric Hoffer book awards* *Notable Indie, Self Unbound* *Finalist, Indie Book Awards*
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The Handover Festival is programmed entirely by a team of young people from ten Norfolk schools. Ticket sales and donations will go towards our work with young people and schools across Norfolk – to encourage everyone to have a chance to tell their story and have a voice. Please give what you can!
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Saturday
11 May
01:00 pm
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The Engage! Handover festival is a project funded by creative Europe, managed by the National Centre for Writing. The NCW programme team have been supporting a group of 15 x 14-17-year-olds from across Norfolk, to design and deliver a literary festival in a day on the theme of social activism. The group has taken a lead in all parts of the process, from inviting artists, to marketing and budgeting and finding a venue. It’s been an exciting year taking this group of inspiring young people on the programming journey and they are full of innovative ideas and creative energy, paving the way for more young people to take on the arts scene and keep the torch burning.
Engage! is a collaborative project between four UNESCO cities of literature around Europe – Barcelona (Spain), Krakow (Poland), Växjö (Sweden) and Norwich (UK). Find out more
In partnership with National Centre for Writing.
