Borderlands symposium 6th June: programme and registration

We’re pleased to announce the final programme for upcoming symposium on ‘Borderlands’, organised by students on the MA in Contemporary Literature, has been completed. Download the Borderlands Programme here.

 

Borderlands are defined as being both ‘an area of land close to a border between two countries’ and ‘an area between two qualities, ideas or subjects that has features of both but is not clearly one or the other’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). The significance of borders and borderlands has become particularly prevalent in contemporary society. Literature has always responded to the issues of its context of production such as Burke writing on the French Revolution up to and including Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s 2013 novel Americanah addressing global concerns of nationality and migration. Following recent events such as the refugee ‘crisis’, the Scottish Referendum, issues of borders are constantly being reshaped, creating liminal spaces in which literature can respond and has a tradition of responding to.

 

Americanah  This one-day symposium invites critical reflection on the role of ‘borders’ and ‘borderlands’ in contemporary literature (from 1975 onwards). We aim to celebrate and reflect on a number of issues in current literature addressing ‘the border’ in its multiple forms: What do we mean when we talk about borderlands? How are borders represented in literature? Is role of the border more significant to different types of people? How is the role of the borderland important in modern literature? To what extent can both geographic and conceptual borderlands be considered social constructs?   For further information, including registration, please contact the conference organisers: ysj.ma.symposium@gmail.com   Follow the conference on Twitter @borderlandsYSJ  

 

Whitby trip

 Second Year English Literature student Jenny Prout reflects back on her trip to Whitby last semester as part of the Literature at Work module.

 

On Monday 14th March I set off with my fellow Literature students for a day trip to Whitby.  Once we arrived at half ten we split into groups to have a wander around.  I went and walked along the pier and then had a nosey around the shops.  As we were walking along the cobbled streets, Kaitlin spotted a book shop, and as English Literature students we couldn’t help but go in! I picked up a book about the lives of the Brontës and read for while until it was time to meet up at St Mary’s Church.

 

At the church, we headed to a classroom where Dr Liesl King and Dr Janine Bradbury ran a workshop.  We worked in groups to close read a passage on ‘Yorkshire air’ from A.S. Byatt’s novel Possession.  Then Liesl explained different ways of referencing and we had a go at putting these into practice.

abbey

When the workshop had finished we all separated into our previous groups and had a look at the ruins of Whitby Abbey.   The abbey itself is a wonderful example of gothic architecture and this led us into discussion of Dracula, a novel some of us are studying in the Gothic and Horror module.  Bram Stocker knew Whitby well and used the abbey as a backdrop for parts of the novel. During our visit the fog contributed to the uncanny gothic atmosphere, as you can see from the photo below of the adjacent church grounds.

 

whitby church

 

Next, we headed to the award-winning Quayside on the water front for fish and chips. They did not disappoint! We returned (slowly!) to the bus, stuffed full, and headed to Robin Hood’s Bay, where Janine took a group photo of us all on the cliff top.

Whitby group
Dr Janine Bradbury’s group photo of the Whitby trip.

 

 

We strolled down the steep path to the beach to collect some shells, and then back up the cliff for fifteen minutes walk towards Boggle Hole. The location is featured in Byatt’s Possession, so I wanted to go and see it for myself.boggle hole Local folklore has it that the crevice is haunted by a ‘boggle’, or goblin.

 

 

Exchange Semester Experiences

By Vasilena Chogolyanova

 

I’m a second year student in English Literature and Linguistics at Malmö University, and I spent this semester (Spring 2016) at York St John. My main objective was to take practical modules, so I can get some more experience in the field of publishing. I ended up choosing “Publishing, Production and Performance” (PPP) and “Literature at Work”, which proved to be the best combination of modules. I took part of two amazing projects, the goal of which was to put together and print out pamphlets.

 

The aim of the Text & Contexts project in the Literature at Work module was to produce an anthology from some of the excellent work of Level 3 students in the English Literature programme. It was exiting to have the opportunity to read through their critical essays. The PPP project’s objective was to publish the first ever York Literary Review – a journal of new writing. This project took most of my time this semester, because our team had to read through over 700 submissions of poetry, fiction and non-fiction coming from all over the world for our first issue.

 

vasi post pic

 

 

I think that the PPP project especially provided me great insight into the life of an editor and the amount of work one has to go through. I worked very hard on both projects, but it was worth it in the end when I got the two finished pamphlets in my hands and could see my name on them. I’m so proud of my team and myself for putting together these amazing publications. I have already put them in my CV, and I believe the experience I’ve got from these two university modules is as good as doing a placement.

 

Studying and living in York proved to be a truly lovely experience. The university is filled with life, creativity, and amazing people. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to get an immersive experience of York – the best small city in Britain – and York St John University.

In profile: Janine Bradbury

Dr Janine Bradbury, Lecturer in English Literature

What are your research interests?

 

Broadly speaking, I’m very interested in issues of race, gender, and performativity in African American literature and American popular culture. My teaching and research spans a diverse range of topics including passing-for-white novels; drag; American professional wrestling; Black hair, beauty, and stylisation; critical race theory, and Afrofuturism.

 

What was your last publication about?

 

I’m putting the finishing touches to a book chapter about an American pro-wrestler named ‘Goldust’ who, back in the mid-1990s, toyed with androgyny and drag in his in-ring performances. Gold, glitter, and camp are three of my favourite things.

 

GoldustAugust2013

 

What are you currently working on?

 

I’m currently reworking my doctoral research on literary passing into various forms, and I’m drafting an article on the performer/actress Grace Jones.

 

Which modules are you teaching on this year? (UG & MA level)

 

Writing for Academic Success, Reading Texts 1, Literature at Work, American Literature, Space and Place, Gender and Sexualities, and American Literature in the Twentieth Century. I supervise undergraduate and MA dissertations (including several on African American women’s writing). I also contribute to modules on our MA in Contemporary Literature.

 

Is there a topic or text you especially enjoy teaching?

 

I obviously love teaching things related to my research interests, especially where there is scope for interdisciplinary learning and teaching (film clips, music, advertising, as well as literature). Highlights of the semester include lectures and seminars on Jennie Livingston’s documentary Paris is Burning (1991), the Harlem Renaissance, and Sapphire’s Push (1996). But I especially love working with our first year students on their writing skills – their energy and enthusiasm is infectious.

 

 

What do you read for pleasure, when you’re not researching?

 

I’m a big fan of contemporary American crime thrillers and I really like Attica Locke’s novels (The Cutting Season is my favourite, and I’m halfway through Pleasantville – she’s also a writer for the TV series Empire).  At the risk of sounding like I’m plugging it, the last book I devoured in one sitting was written by my wonderful colleague, Naomi Booth. It’s called The Lost Art of Sinking and I was utterly absorbed by it. I love sports writing and commentary –specifically anything to do with pro-wrestling. I adore books as objects and collect first and rare editions. I like books about art (books about Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kara Walker, Ellen Gallagher, and Lorna Simpson are on the coffee table at home). I also really enjoy podcasts (RuPaul has a great show, I was engrossed by Serial), audiobooks, and American TV boxsets (The Walking Dead, Mad Men, etc.).