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.

3rd 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.

5th October – 27th 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.

 


 

5th 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.

27th 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.

 

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.

 

Shure mikrofon 55S

 

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)

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.

Local boozer: gargoyle on York Minster depicting a Medieval student night out. Perhaps. Credit: SaraJB (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
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.

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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.

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
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.

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)

 

Texts and Contexts: a student-led publishing project

By Jenny Prout, second year English Literature student

 

The Texts and Contexts Project is facilitated by the Head of Programme for English Literature, Dr Liesl King, who works with a group of students on the Literature at Work module. This year there were six of us who came together to create the anthology for 2016. The anthology comprises extracts from some of the best work produced by students over the past year, and interviews with the featured students. The project gave us the opportunity to put forward the English Literature Programme’s Contribution to Create ’16, the Faculty of Arts end of year festival.

 

As a group, we had regular meetings to discuss our thoughts on the content, layout and design of the new anthology.  We also had meetings with Liesl to discuss our progress with her, so that we were on the right track.  We worked really well together because we kept in constant communication and presented our own ideas as well as listening to each other’s.  Members of the team were individually responsible for choosing extracts, editing them and sending out interview questions to students selected to appear in the anthology.

 

One of our aims was to improve the anthology from the previous years.  The biggest change that we made was including illustrations, created by the art students, to accompany each module description.  I’m also pleased to say that we were able to include a bigger volume of work, so that many more students were recognised for their talent.  The module descriptions themselves were also re-written by the module tutors, in their own words, making the anthology more accessible for the new students that are looking to join the university.  To put our own stamp on the project we included an afterword, signed by the team.

texts and contexts 16

Overall, this project was very rewarding  as we got to hold a finished product in our hands. If you decide to take the Literature at Work module, I would recommend taking the opportunity to get involved in the Texts and Contexts project, as you can gain so many skills.  If this is something you take part in I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as I did!

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.).

Talk on artist Tom Phillips’ “A Humument” project, 10 May

Lunch Time talk by

Patrick Wildgust and Lucy Shortis

On the work of

TOM PHILLIPS

Tuesday 10th May

12.30pm in Lecture Theatre QS111

 

We are delighted to welcome the curator of the Lawrence Sterne Trust’s Shandy Hall Patrick Wildgust and Phillips’ creative producer Lucy Shortis to York St John University to talk about the work of Tom Phillips and his extraordinary work A Humument.

A Humument  03

A Humument has been a work in progress since 1996 when artist Tom Phillips set himself a talks: to find a second-hand book for three pence and to alter every page by painting, collage and cut-up techniques to create an entirely new version.

 

The talk will share Tom’s work in progress and offer students the opportunity to treat a page to enter into a gallery exhibition of Tom Phillip’s work at the Shandy Hall Gallery Coxwold, from 8th May – 26th June.

The Writing Room – new sessions

The Writing Room is an open space for Literature Students to discuss and develop writing skills.

I tend to scribble a lot
Image: Nic McPhee CC-BY-SA 2.0

The Writing Room Sessions:

Wednesday 27th April 1-4pm QE106

Thursday 5th May 2-5pm HG050

Thursday 12th May 9.30-12.30pm DG127

The sessions are not for assessing or marking work but for developing skills in peer review, confidence and writing.

  • Do you find yourself struggling with essays?
  • Unsure of the leap between A-Level and University?
  • Rushing before the deadline?
  • Don’t know whether it should be a semicolon or hyphen?
  • Want to hone your academic writing skills?

…then come along to The Writing Room!

A writing skills session dedicated to Literature students and run by MA Literature students

“Ezra Nazi?” Prof. Matthew Feldman 27 April

 

Our Talking Literature, Talking Theory programme continues on Wednesday 27th April, when we welcome Professor Matthew Feldman, Professor in Contemporary History and co-director of the Centre for Fascist, Anti-Fascist and Post-Fascist Studies at Teesside University. Matthew is an expert on fascist ideology and the contemporary far-right in Europe and the USA.He has written widely on these subjects, as well as on the interaction between politics and faith in the modern world.

 

Matthew will be discussing Ezra Pound from first to second generation fascism in the seminar. His lecture, ‘Ezra Nazi? Reassessing Pound’s fascist politics, 1933-1958′  will present an empirical reassessment of Pound’s fascism.

 

The programme for the afternoon is as follows:

1330-1500: Seminar, DG/119. Preparatory reading to follow shortly. All are welcome to this event – all undergraduates students, postgraduates and staff.

1500-1530: Refreshments, DG/080 (foyer)

1530-1700: Lecture, DG/125 All are welcome to this event – all undergraduate students, postgraduates and staff.

 

We hope you can make some or all of these two events. For more information please email s.lawsonwelsh@yorksj.ac.uk