Say Owt! Slam #11

By Jessica Osborne

@p0etry_

At its first event two years ago York’s very own Say Owt Slam had to turn away over forty people after unexpectedly selling out. Last Saturday people were still scrambling for tickets at the last minute only to be disappointed.

Run by local poets Henry Raby and Stu Freestone who described the slam as “an embracing of the [poetry] scene” the slams held at the Basement seem to always be filled with enthusiastic poetry fans. The slam’s hosts go out of their way to advertise other poetry events around York such as open mics or readings and also set up workshops with their guest poets for those hoping to get inspired, all in an effort to embrace the scene.

Each slam brings old hands and new comers alike to the stage, allowing all writers the perfect platform for building confidence in their writing and even just making their writing known. The most recent slam was no exception to the rule; the room was jam packed with bodies cheering and clicking along to the rhythmic beats of the local poets, booing the harsher judges, and ultimately celebrating spoken word.

In recent years we’ve seen poetry sales falling, with sales of the novel rising. With some publishers (such as Salt) dropping single authored collections, why do poetry slams and readings seem to flourish? Has poetry really been usurped by the novel? Or has it simply moved from page to stage, bringing with it a new generation of poetry fans?

Tickets for Saw Owt Slam #12 (12^th Nov) can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1302007043182788/ (Facebook Event for Say Owt Slam #12) Be sure to book early before they sell out!

September 27, 2016September 27, 2016

Black History Month events 2016

Black History Month 2016

The School of Humanities, Religion and Philosophy will be celebrating Black History Month this year with an exhibition of student work and a programme of exciting events.

3^rd October 3pm – 4pm Quad South Hall

Interview with Noma Dumezweni

Noma is an internationally recognised actress. She has undertaken several Shakespeare roles including Paulina in the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Winters Tale and more recently Alice and Mistress Quickly, as well as working alongside Jude Law in Henry V.

Amongst numerous stage roles, Noma recently directed, I See You at the Royal Court and appeared in the award winning A Human Being Died That Night which toured to the Hampstead Theatre, the Market Theatre Johannesburg and Brooklyn Academy of music in New York. Both plays explore reconciliation and South Africa after Apartheid.

Currently, Noma is cast as Hermione in the sell-out Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End.

This event will be a discussion about Noma’s roles including in A Human being Dies that Night, I See You, and for the RSC in the west end, a production of Henry V with Jude Law

Event starts at 3.00pm, all guests to be seated in Quad South Hall for a prompt start.

This event is FREE but booking is required. Please visit the YSJ online shop to reserve a space.

5^th October – 27^th October Arts Foyer

York/New York Exhibition

Earlier this year, English Literature students from the ‘Literature at Work’ module were tasked with developing and creating materials that could be used as part of York St John’s Black History Month 2016 exhibition.

Students have created, developed and curated a range of materials which allow us to celebrate the culture of Harlem, New York, right here on our ‘Old’ York campus. The materials include film, collage, photography and 3D models. Each work is an original and unique take on the cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance. Please come and explore the work and learn a little more about this exciting moment in black cultural history.

5^th October 5pm – 8pm Arts Foyer

York/New York Exhibition Launch Evening

The exhibition will be officially launched with an evening of discussion and live music. The students responsible for the art work and curation of the exhibition will be on hand to talk you through their work and the cultural value they place on the Harlem Renaissance and Black History Month as cultural experiences. The evening will be sound tracked by a four piece jazz band playing wonderful music from the likes of Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. Come and enjoy a glass of wine with us and celebrate this evocative and enriching cultural moment.

This event is FREE but booking is required. Please visit the YSJ online shop to book your tickets.

26 October, 5.30pm -7pm De Grey 016

Black History Month: Comics Reading Group with Dr Adam Smith

Marvel Comics Superheroes Game Card 13 - Black Panther

Black Panther and Power Man: Marvel Heroes of the Civil Rights Era

Meet T’Challa and Luke Cage, better known in their heyday as Marvel superheroes Black Panther and Power Man. Among the first African-American superheroes to appear in mainstream American comic books each character’s origins are bound up in both the Civil Rights Movement and the popularity of Blaxploitation cinema in the 1960s and 70s. Now, thanks to Netflix and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both characters are enjoying global popularity for the first time. As part of YSJ Black History Month we invite you to join us for an informal discussion of some of these characters’ most celebrated comic-book appearances.

Email Adam Smith (a.smith3@yorksj.ac.uk ) for a reading list.

This event is FREE but booking is required please visit the YSJ online shop to secure book a place.

27^th October 6.30pm – 8pm Arts Foyer

An Evening with Jack Mapanje

To mark the end of York St John’s Black History Month events, human rights activist and award-winning poet Jack Mapanje will be reading from his latest poetry collection Greetings From Grandpa. Jack will also be discussing his memoir And Crocodiles are Hungry at Night, and reflecting on his time as a political prisoner in Malawi. There will be an opportunity to ask Jack questions about his work, and he will also be signing copies of his poetry. In addition, the winner of the YSJ Black History Month Creative Writing Competition will be announced, and there will be a chance to hear the winning entry.

This event is FREE but booking is required. Please visit the YSJ online shop to book your tickets.

September 23, 2016

Say Owt! Poetry Slam

By Jessica Osborne

This weekend sees the return to York of the popular Say Owt Slam #11, featuring Scott Tyrell and hosted by local poet Henry Raby.

Poets will have three minutes to win the votes of judges in the audience. With two rounds of performed poetry it’s sure to be an electric and exciting evening for new comers and returning fans alike.

The slam will take place at The Basement at City Screen on Coney Street.

Be sure to pre-book tickets for only £7 from the link below!

http://www.thebasementyork.co.uk/say-owt-slam-11 (Tickets link)

https://www.facebook.com/events/600806336757534/ (Facebook event link)

September 16, 2016September 15, 2016

Beginning University: a 2nd year perspective

By Tom Young

@tomjonyoung

Beginning university is a time of uncertainties. Will you make friends easily? Can you manage to balance a social life with your academic activities? Is there anywhere local that still serves booze at four in the morning? In a period of your life where everything seems a bit up in the air, there is one certainty that will keep you sane: who you are.

If there is one thing I can tell you about my first year studying at York St John University, it’s that I discovered more about who I am in that single year than I have throughout the rest of my life. I have worked with a faculty that tailored my education to suit me individually. My lecturers observe what interests me, how I want to work and encourage me to take the path that I have chosen, not one that has been chosen for me. I have been provided with independence, so that I can take pride in knowing that what I achieve is mine. I have been presented with opportunities to work collaboratively with others, to learn how I can contribute to build something bigger than myself. Engaging with alternative perspectives to convey the messages of many feels like the first steps you take to become a member of a global society, one that is intelligent and progressive.

When you are in an environment that constantly challenges you and encourages you to overreach your perceived grasp, you are not just being educated; your identity is being revealed to you. I would argue that the greatest reward you can take away from your time at university is the knowledge that you have your own style, your own method and your own way. With this knowledge, you can begin the rest of your life striding with confidence, excited by the momentum your hard work continues to create. You could be forgiven for believing that success is a fruit that simply needs to be plucked from the tree. Be ambitious, reach out and take what is yours.

I began my degree with the question “What am I going to do with my life?” and here I am a year later, only a third of the way into my studies, saying “There is nothing I can’t do with my life”. This sense of identity and assurance in yourself is the invaluable certainty York St John University provides you with, the sturdy buoyancy you need in a time that can make you feel like you’re treading water.

September 14, 2016

Making the most of Uni

By Rachel Louise Atkin

@rachelatkin_

Moving to university is strange – that’s how I remember it anyway. It was strange because it was a complete mess of feelings and I was thinking about ten things at the same time. My moving weekend didn’t start great when it turned out I couldn’t fit all of the books I’d bought with me onto my shelf (I’m a literature student, it’s what we do), but speaking to my housemates for the first time kind of gave me the sense that everybody was in the same boat. We were all a little scared, a little excited, and relieved to know the others were too.

Credit: Carlbob.com (Flickr) CC-BY 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/carlbob/8297636030

But of course, the worries didn’t go away after the first weekend. I remember spending days and days worrying about what exactly could go wrong in each situation. What if I didn’t learn how to cook? Or I did… but set the kitchen on fire? Or if everyone was smarter than me? Or if I ran out of money? You can’t exactly get rid of fears like this, and questions are bound to plague anybody who is making such a huge step in their life towards independence. But take it from a third year who survived – I don’t really see why I worried about all of that stuff anymore. There are so many things which I wish I could go back and tell myself in first year, just to make the experience that less daunting and more like something I want to look back on with pride. Every experience is one in which you learn something, and though these lessons are important, so is realising that it’s okay to just stop worrying, and enjoy your year.

Viking shield wall — Nothing to worry about: York’s been a friendly place for centuries… [Credit: http://www.wyrdlight.com Author: Antony McCallum • CC BY 3.0 (via Wikipedia)]

If there is one thing I wish I would’ve known, it’s that it’s completely okay just to be yourself. For a long time, I tried to please others in the way I dressed, acted, and spoke, but all it did was make me constantly worry about how I was perceived. Being yourself is underrated. Not only does it just make things 100% easier in terms of not always having to make an impression, but I felt that it gave me the confidence to develop my own voice in my assignments. For a long time, I would play on things that other people had said in lectures and seminars because I was too afraid to create my own arguments. Now, I know that’s perfectly okay. Establishing my own critical voice and sense of self made me feel more confident, and I’m much happier overall.

The highlight for me on the course last year was all of the reading. We got through one text every 1-2 weeks per module. And we did three modules per semester. That’s a lot of reading. But I loved it. You think I’m crazy right now, but reading is what I live for. Bear this in mind; there’s so much stuff to read, but it’s worth it. Maybe one week you’ll not want to read a text just because you can’t be bothered. Okay, you do that, but you’ll never know what Barthes meant by ‘Death of the Author’ and you’ll never actually find out the importance of being earnest. The texts are rich with culture, information and ideas which really enhance your university experience. Over the past few years, I have uncovered some real favourites.

On the flip side, don’t stress yourself out with work. Set yourself certain times to do reading and research so that you can give yourself breaks and time to do other things. There are so many amazing places in York. On the first week I walked the walls with my housemates, and it was a great way of getting to know them. The Perky Peacock is a cafe on Gillygate which do amazing coffee (and YSJ students get a discount too). The Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum and Railway Museum are good places to go on days out, and students get in free to York Minster. On Saturday nights the SU had karaoke, and the Golden Fleece is the most haunted pub in York. Oh, and check out the cocktails in Evil Eye too.

If I have to sum up my advice for you, it’s just to make the most of it. You can’t re-do your first year, and it’s such a great opportunity to try new things and meet new people, as well as laying a good foundation for the rest of your degree. York St John is full of amazing, colourful and creative students and staff – the expanse of sports and societies just shows this. You’ll want to look back on the year knowing that it was the best it could be, so don’t worry about other people, just make yourself happy.

I’m most looking forward to discussing my texts next year. (That’s boring, sorry.) Third year gives you access to a lot of well-known texts and by this point I’ve really developed my confidence. But I’m also going to spend about half of my life in the library because dare I say it – dissertation. Wow. You lucky first years.

September 12, 2016

Welcome week begins

Welcome to all new students!

Today marks the start of Welcome Week for Freshers at York St John and we’re really looking forward to meeting all the new students. Introductory sessions are planned for Wednesday 11.30-1.30pm and Thursday from 9am-11am in Temple Hall, for all single Honours and Joint Honours students.

Temple Hall

If you’re new, don’t be shy: come and say hello to any of the staff in the Literature team! Find out more about some of us on the ‘in-profile’ pages.

Next week, classes start and we will be welcoming back returning students.

In the meantime, to keep up-to-date with news, events, study tips, student voices and more follow this blog, and follow us on Twitter (@YSJLit)