Aflevering Napk Start International: Conversation With Rochelle Saunders

Rochelle Saunders is a cultural producer, curator and project manager with over 10 years of work experience that covers the arts, education, and community leadership. With particular expertise in literature, her work has focused on projects in national and international contexts. A graduate politics student from SOAS, she recently completed a master's degree at The University of Arts London, in Arts and Cultural Enterprise, where she held an academic interest in sustainable and transformative social change frameworks. She has worked as a creative producer at Renaissance One and Tilt live literature and spoken word organizations that primarily support underrepresented writers. In January 2020 she joined The British Council Literature team and recently became a Trustee at New Cross Gate Trust a grassroots community charity as director for education. About partner Renaissance One Renaissance One is an independent arts company based in the UK that produces, curates and galvanises literature. We promote high-quality literature of all kinds. We highlight global voices in contemporary Britain and the diverse arts and cultures that its writers, artists and communities produce. Our name is inspired by the Harlem Renaissance and the importance of rebirth and renewal. Since 1999, we have worked with leading and emerging voices including Bernardine Evaristo, Paul Beatty, Ali Smith, Gary Younge, Kerry Young, Caryl Philips, Shivanee Ramlochan, Kei Miller and the late Amiri Baraka. Through productions, creative business models, mentoring and artistic success as an organization led by people of colour, we push for greater diversity in the arts, and shape education programmes to inspire communities. About moderator Melanie Abrahams Melanie Abrahams Hon FRSL FRSA is a producer, arts curator, visiting lecturer, and mentor who has channeled a love of words and books into initiatives. Melanie has over 18 years’ experience in producing and curating, and her practice steers a focus on narratives of race, class, mixed-race identities and intersectionality. Of Trinidadian and Jamaican heritage, she has instigated and curated many events, exhibitions and festivals on the Caribbean including Caribbeanfest at the British Library and a Cultural Village festival with Dominique Le Gendre for the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission as part of the Olympics’ cultural programme. Melanie has collaborated with organizations including V&A (Jamdown Meets Liming), Chris Ofili and Victoria Miro Gallery (Freedom One Day), Paradiso Amsterdam (Urban Love), Museum of Modern Art Finland (Modern Love), Black Cultural Archives and Nottingham Contemporary and The Centre for Research in Race and Rights (C3R), (Unspeakable Things Unspoken) www.melanieabrahams.co.uk Music: Luminance by Ghostrifter Official https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/_luminance Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/EUp6JHXTcxk