Our assemblies in July-December 2021

Picnics

• 27th June, 4th July, 18th July, 1st August, 15th August 2021

In lieu of regular assemblies, Sunday Assembly London has an annual tradition of hosting picnics in August. This year we’ve decided to get started early! All of our our picnics will be held at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in Holborn. Grab a blanket, some food, and acoustic instruments and join us in the middle of the park!

Due to the pandemic, we kindly request that all participants either complete a basic info form or scan our QR check-in code to comply with the NHS Test and Trace System.

We’ll be sitting on the open lawn unless the weather’s not looking good, in which case we may take shelter under the gazebo. We’ll also set up a blanket a little further away from the crowd as a designated “Quiet Zone” for those who need it. 

An evening of poetry and healing featuring Jenny Mitchell

• Thursday 19th August 2021, 7:00pm

Welcome to the first in a series of intimate poetry readings and talks presented by Sunday Assembly London at the lovely Battersea Spanish in SW London.

For this event, we are delighted to welcome award-winning poet and longtime Sunday Assembly community member Jenny Mitchell as our featured poet. Jenny’s debut collection, Her Lost Language, was joint winner of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize 2019. Her second collection, Map of a Plantation, was published this year. She recently won the Folklore Prize and the Ware Poetry Prize.

The theme of the evening will be healing. It will be an opportunity to hear healing poems about legacies of historical trauma. We’d also like to invite you to participate by reading some of your poems during our open-mic. Please contact us if you’d like to read an original work. The order of events will be as follows:

– Intro from Jenny
– Open mic – 3 or 4 poets, one poem each
– Jenny – 3 poems
– Break- enjoy food and drinks at the venue’s Tapas Room
– Open mic – 3 or 4 poets, one poem each
– Jenny – 3 poems
– Q&A

We’re very excited to return to in-person events as that’s what we do best. This will also be our first hybrid event- we will livestream it to YouTube! You can choose one of two ticket options: General Admission if you will be attending in-person, or Livestream Ticket to receive the link for the livestream in your email inbox prior to the start of the event. If watching online, you’ll be able to participate by asking questions in YouTube’s live comments feed during the event.

We’re Back!

• 5th September 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Rosie Wilby

This September we’re back to in-person assemblies! We’ve learned a lot from our virtual assemblies, so we’re going to attempt our first ever ‘hybrid event’: we’ll meet in Conway Hall, but also livestream the assembly on YouTube to the larger community who have come to enjoy our assemblies from far and wide. For this assembly we’re coming together to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community because even though London’s parade has been cancelled, we’re still going to celebrate Pride!

Not only are we coming back after a long time away, but our main speaker, Rosie Wilby, is also returning after having last spoken at Sunday Assembly London in 2015! An award-winning LGBTQ+ comedian, Rosie will share some of the insights she has gained while writing her new book “The Breakup Monologues”, published by Bloomsbury in May. She believes that breakups, painful as they are, can sometimes be harnessed as an opportunity for learning and growth, a catalyst for new adventures and a helpful nudge towards making better future partner choices. Breakups can perhaps even help us to stay together in the long run.

Hosted by Sanderson Jones, the co-founder of Sunday Assembly and founder of The Lifefulness Project, this assembly will feature epic sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly London band and choir (live, not music videos!) poetry, and a talk from Chloe Kazantzis, a member of our community who is Trying Her Best.

Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community. We’re excited to welcome back The Insecurity Guards who will be around after the assembly to help you kill your insecurities with fire! And Rosie’s book will also be available for purchase at the merch table.

For accessibility, we will have a BSL interpreter, and Conway Hall has step-free access and an induction loop.

We’re All Valued Equally

• 19th September 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Bernice Hardie

How much time do you spend with people who live with learning disabilities? Do you feel apprehensive about socialising with people who are differently abled? Bernice Hardie, co-founder and CEO of the award-winning WAVE for Change, believes that when we create spaces where people of different abilities can socialise together, everyone benefits. In her talk, she will show us how we can gain confidence and reduce anxiety by bringing all members of our community together in positive and respectful social spaces.

Hosted by street art blogger Stuart Holdsworth, this assembly will feature heartfelt sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly London band, poetry, and a talk from a member of our community who is Trying Their Best. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.

This will be a hybrid event, which means it will be held in-person as well as live-streamed to YouTube. For in-person accessibility, we will have a BSL interpreter, and Conway Hall has step-free access and an induction loop.

Why Your Memories Are Wrong

• 3rd October 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Professor Kimberley Wade

Sometimes we can feel absolutely, completely, 100% certain that we remember something that happened- and it never happened. Most of the time, there are no negative consequences for ‘false memories’; it’s just a funny thing our brains do. But other times, they can have real and lasting impacts on people’s lives. Professor Kimberley Wade is a cognitive psychologist whose research explores the causes of autobiographical memory distortions. She will help us to understand how this phenomenon occurs and why it might actually be good for us.

Hosted by Sanderson Jones, the co-founder of Sunday Assembly and founder of The Lifefulness Project, this assembly will feature mind-blowing sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly London band, poetry, and a talk from a member of our community who is “Trying Their Best”. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.

This will be a hybrid event, which means it will be held in-person as well as live-streamed to YouTube. For in-person accessibility, we will have a BSL interpreter, and Conway Hall has step-free access and an induction loop.

Keeping It Reel: A Sunday Assembly London Ceilidh

• Friday 8th October, 7:30pm

As we come out of our shelters and stretch our creaky joints, it’s time to move these bodies once more. Five-and-a-half years ago, Sunday Assembly London had its first ever ceilidh, and it was a huge success! So we’ve decided to bring it back in celebration of this beautiful community that has managed to stick together during some of the most difficult times.

Expect:
Energetic dancing, stomping and jumping about in full Sunday Assembly London style! Music by the incredible Reeling Icenis in partnership with Culture Trip

Wear:
Whatever you like, but kilts and anything tartan would be fab if you’ve got ’em.

Bring:
Friends, family, and a love of life- all are welcome! Also bring cash or a card, as we’ll be serving beverages (both alcoholic and alcohol-free) and some nibbles.

Sunday Assembly London is a secular community that celebrates life under the motto “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More”. This event is a fundraiser for our community and all profits will go towards sustaining our programming. A handful of tickets have been made available through our hardship fund. Please contact us at london@sundayassembly.com if you require one of these tickets.

Video of first SAL ceilidh in 2016

The Rhythm of Life is a Powerful Beat

• 17th October 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Ollie Tunmer

Ollie Tunmer, the founder and director of Beat Goes On, promotes the use of music as a means of encouraging wellbeing, for both individuals and teaching communities. For this assembly, Ollie will tell his story of how he became a music educator, as well as give a short demonstration of his body percussion workshops.

Stomp to the beat of our sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly London band, enjoy poetry, and hear a talk from a member of our community who is “Trying Their Best”. This assembly will be hosted by longtime community member and street art blogger @inspiringcity Stuart Holdsworth. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.

This will be a hybrid event, which means it will be held in-person as well as live-streamed to YouTube. We will make a Zoom room available for livestreamers after the assembly has finished. Link to be shared on the day.

Watch the recording on YouTube

Social Distancing Dance Party: HALLOWEEN II //

Saturday 30th October

“From The People Who Brought You ‘SDDP Halloween’…
More Of The Night HE Came To Norfolk.”*

“The sensational follow-up to the worldwide phenomenon. More terror, even more terrifying.”

:{SD#158}: SOCIAL DISTANCING DANCE PARTY //
October Edition: HALLOWEEN II //
www.facebook.com/groups/socialdistancingdanceparty/ //
Saturday 30th October 2021, 8pm-12am //
www.thethursdaynightshow.com //

What are you doing on Saturday?
Staying in?
So am I – what a coincidence.
How about we get together, online, and have a little dance?

The theme is *only* a suggestion. You can interpret it however you like and, if dressing up isn’t your thing, we’d much rather see your splendid, smiling, dancing selves, wearing whatever you feel comfortable in.

Stay safe, stay home and see you Saturday on the virtual dancefloor.

*With apologies to John Carpenter.

:{SDDP CIDER SQUADRON}: paypal.me/ianjoliet //
If you enjoyed the party and would like to buy me a virtual pint (please don’t tick ‘Paying for goods or a service’, because PayPal charges me).

:{MUSIC, ZOOM & CHAT}: www.thethursdaynightshow.com //
Thanks to our friends at internet radio station, The Thursday Night Show. More details will be posted by 8pm on Monday.

:{THE AFTER-PARTY}: 12am //
PASSWORD: afterparty
MEETING ID: 962 895 9130
http://us02web.zoom.us/j/9628959130…
NB: this Zoom link is *ONLY* for the The After-Party. Click to join us after the last song and I’ll be on the sofa with a half of mild.

What Is SOCIAL DISTANCING DANCE PARTY?
www.facebook.com/groups/socialdistancingdanceparty/permalink/524428834943427/

:{SD#158}: SOCIAL DISTANCING DANCE PARTY //
October Edition: HALLOWEEN II //
virulent bangers for the virtual dancefloor //
Saturday 30th October 2021, 8pm-12am BST //
Ian Joliet plays Motown, electro pop, indie, hip hop, electronica, bootlegs and funk //
@ your own, personal, self-isolation discotheque //
RIDICULOUS ECLECTICISM, GUARANTEED //
www.facebook.com/groups/socialdistancingdanceparty/ //

Big Love,
ian.

Breaking Free

• 7th November 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Debbie Sadler

After someone has completed their sentence, how long must they continue to pay for their crime? There are over 11 million people in the UK with a criminal record. Having a record can make it harder for a person to gain employment, a higher education, social opportunities, housing, and many goods and services. Debbie Sadler, the advice manager at the charitable organisation Unlock, explains how most of the problems faced by people with criminal records are a direct result of discrimination. Unlock helps them to break free from this and to find a better life.

In addition to Debbie’s talk, join us for our sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly London band, enjoy poetry, and hear from a member of our community who is “Trying Their Best”. This assembly will be hosted by Anj Cairns, author and poet at We Wrote a Poem. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.

This will be a hybrid event, which means it will be held in-person as well as live-streamed to YouTube. We will make a Zoom room available for livestreamers after the assembly has finished. Link to be shared on the day.

Our assemblies are free to attend, but we kindly request that you support us so we can continue to keep it open to those who cannot afford to contribute. For this assembly, 50% of the money we raise will be donated to Unlock.

The Beauty of Struggle

• 21st November 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Grace Marshall

When the going gets tough most of us try to get out of it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, sometimes, we just can’t. We’re stuck. But what if we can find beauty in the mess? Grace Marshall, award-winning writer and coach on productivity, has overcome her own struggles to give others the tools they need to embrace challenges and work through them.

In addition to listening to Grace’s talk, join in with the Sunday Assembly London band, enjoy poetry, and hear from a member of our community who is Trying Their Best. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.

This will be a hybrid event, which means it will be held in-person as well as live-streamed through our website. We will make a Zoom room available for livestreamers after the assembly has finished. Link to be shared on the day.

Open Your Mind

• 5th December 2021, 11:00am
• Speaker: Tarsilo Onuluk
• Poet: Rick Dove

This statement might ruffle some feathers: sometimes our elected officials don’t know what’s best for us. After half a century of governments around the world blocking research into the benefits of psychedelics, we are finally seeing a shift in the mainstream narrative, and the results of the studies that have been conducted over the past decade are astounding. Substances such as LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’) can alleviate or even cure a variety of some of our worst mental and physical ailments, from cluster headaches to PTSD. So why aren’t these medicines legal?

Tarsilo Onuluk, the managing director at the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group, asks you to open your mind to the possibility that psychedelics can do far more good than harm. Hosted by Mags Houston, a Sunday Assembly community member, event curator at The Psychedelic Society and Head of a medical cannabis study for the UK’s leading drug policy charity, Drug Science, this assembly will also feature original poetry by Rick Dove, as well as a This Much I Know talk by Guy Murray, an ex-war veteran who has used psychedelics as part of his healing journey. Please stay after for tea, biscuits and lively conversation with our community.