On Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 7 PM - 9PM, The Common Press welcomes Rebecca Devika Dharmapalan who will read from her recently published book "My Pen Is Sharp like the Gun in My Hand". The book explores the revolutionary feminism of the Tamil Tigers.
About the book:
In My Pen Is Sharp like the Gun in My Hand: On the Revolutionary Feminism of the Tamil Tigers, Rebecca Devika Dharmapalan challenges the legal frameworks that form an otherwise narrow understanding of the women who participated in the armed resistance movement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka from 1983–2009. As an archival project, My Pen Is Sharp like the Gun in My Hand centers the voices and lives of women of the LTTE as they respond to genocide, and considers their creative output in relationship to their armed resistance. In addition to Dharmapalan's feminist analysis of the movement, the book includes historic photographs by Roger Parton, poetry by LTTE women originally compiled and translated by Dr. N. Malathy, as well as a recent interview between the author and K., a member of LTTE.
Rebecca's book "My Pen Is Sharp like the Gun in My Hand" along with a limited run of political posters will be available for purchase at the event.
Free and Pay What You Can tickets are available. All are welcome!
About Rebecca Dharmapalan:
Rebecca Dharmapalan (@dharmapalan) is a Eelam Tamil and Goan interdisciplinary artist, archivist, and social theorist. Her practice engages with themes of memory, resistance, ontological genocide, and trauma.
Her interest in revolutionary movements was sparked when she first learned about the Black Panther Party's foundational work in the city she was born and raised in: Oakland, California. Seeing overlaps with the armed revolutionary movement of her own people, her work observes the patterns and overlap of oppressed communities globally. From the Black Panthers to the Tamil Tigers, Dharmapalan strongly believes that women who participate in revolutionary struggles are fighting for the future of feminism, and their participation in these movements should be carefully and meticulously archived.
About Sheerah Ravindren:
The reading will be followed by a discussion, moderated by Sheerah Ravindren (@Sheerahravindren). Sheerah (she/they) is a British Eelam Tamil Multidisciplinary creative with fingers in many pies: cultural curator, radio presenter, model, DJ, and advocate for nuanced Tamil and South Asian representation & having real conversations around the uncomfortable or taboo topics that affect these communities.
She uses fashion, music, and media as tools for self-expression and cultural disruption, celebrating my personal identity through sound, style, and storytelling. She also hosts Sheerah's Mixtape on Foundations FM, where nostalgia meets discovery through her love of alt-rock and eclectic tunes Honestly, being herself is her job. She's been featured in and worked with the likes of Paper Magazine, Vogue India, British Vogue, Savage X Fenty, Beyoncé's Brown Skin Girl, and Ashish, to name a few.