Banned Books Week - Standing With Salman

Nearly 20 years after Salman Rushdie was forced into hiding following the publication of The Satanic Verses, pro-Rushdie campaigners Melvyn Bragg, Frances D’Souza and Caroline Michel re-unite to talk about their fight for freedom of expression then and now. They are joined by activist and writer Sara Khan and Lisa Appignanesi who will chair the conversation. With archive recordings of Salman Rushdie reading from The Satanic Verses.

Lisa Appignanesi is a writer, novelist and cultural commentator. She is currently Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, having been elected as a fellow in 2015 and Visiting Professor in Literature and Medical Humanities, King’s College London. She has previously held the roles of President of English PEN and Chair of the Freud Museum in London as well as the Deputy Director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Melvyn Bragg is an acclaimed writer and broadcaster. He has worked as a presenter for both the BBC and the ITV presenting The South Bank Show for the latter, from 1978 until 2010, and the discussion series I on Radio 4 since 1998. He won the W H Smith Literary Award in 2000 for his novel The Soldier’s Return, was made a life peer in 1998 and is currently Chancellor of the University of Leeds.

Frances D’Souza is a scientist and life peer in the House of Lords. Previous to joining the House of Lords in 2004 she worked as a research fellow for the Nuffield Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition and as a lecturer at both the LSE and Oxford Brookes University. She was convenor of the Crossbench Peers in the House of Lords from 2007 to 2011 and was elected Lord Speaker serving from 2011 to 2016.

Sara Khan is co-founder and director of Inspire, a counter-extremism and women’s rights organization set up with the aim of challenging gender inequality and Islamist extremism within Muslim communities. She has been involved with several high-profile campaigns including ‘Jihad Against Violence’ and the anti-Isis #makingastand. She has written for the national press, appeared on television and radio, and is co-author of the book The Battle for British Islam: Reclaiming Muslim Identity from Extremism.

Caroline Michel has been the CEO of Peters Fraser and Dunlop literary agents since 2007. Before that she headed up the William Morris Agency in London for three years. She has over 25 years’ worth of experience in the industry and ran both Vintage at Random House and Harper Press at HarperCollins. She is Chair of the Hay Literary Festival, Chair of the BFI Trust and a Trustee of Somerset House.

Enjoy food and drink purchased from the Knowledge Centre Bar from 18.00 and after the event until the Bar closes at 22.00.

In partnership with The Royal Society of Literature, Free Word and Islington Library and Heritage Services