English Literature Archives

March 23, 2023March 23, 2023

International Women’s Day by Polly Reed

Polly Reed is a second year undergraduate student on the English Literature programme at York St John University. She is also a feminist poet. Here she reflects on her experience of going back to visit her high school for International Women’s Day.

I was recently asked to go into my old school (Ponteland High School), for international women’s day to talk to 40 young women on my experiences since leaving school and my writing career. My school nominated me two years ago for an award for international women’s day and I won the Northumberland’s most inspirational young women’s award due to my sporting and academic achievements, whilst also being noticed for my volunteering work. I had previously helped my mum coach children and young adults with disabilities, developing their social and physical skills that are crucial in everyday life. I had also volunteered as a netball coach at the local primary school, whilst being a part of the charity committee in sixth form. Being noticed for this was a huge privilege, and it was through this event I heard about other women’s experiences, and what they do to raise awareness on important topical issues.

This was one of the events that inspired me to voice my own opinions and experiences on being a woman. Since then, I’ve done many open mics, sharing my own feminist poetry to diverse audiences. The response I’ve received from many individuals has encouraged me to continue writing poetry and fiction in the hopes that other women can relate to my work and educate others on the injustices that women experience.

I was thrilled to be invited back to school and have this opportunity to share my work with students, whilst encouraging them to write, voice, and think about their own opinion on feminist matters. The event included a range of women who were spreading awareness on important matters. For example, a solicitor, business owner and a probation officer. One woman had created a business using wasted plastic to create art, showing the environmental impact waste can have.

The feedback I got on my poetry from the students was incredible. Many of them had questions on how I go about writing, where I get my inspiration from, and what made me want to express and explore these matters within my writing. To see so many young girls intrigued and interested in the themes explored within my work was hugely rewarding, and I hope the sharing of my poetry and the discussions we had, encourages them to use and find their own voice on the inequality that occurs towards women.

October 17, 2022

Words Matter 2022: “Literature and Its Uses” with Dr Adam J. Smith

Join us for the fifth annual Words Matter Lecture on Thursday 10th November, at 5pm.

Book here for a free ticket. The event is open to all, and includes a drinks reception.

The Lecture

Drawing on his research exploring the role played by print in mediating the relationship between citizens and the state throughout the long eighteenth century, Dr Adam James Smith (Associate Professor, English Literature) will consider the “uses” of literature. Adam will introduce a series of case-studies in which literature was “used” for the purposes of propaganda, protest and satire during the eighteenth century, before examining the ways in which this same literature was used (and perhaps also abused) by readers and critics. Tracing a brief history of reading, misreading, deliberate misrepresentation and the active avoidance of reading, Adam will argue that most valuable “uses” of Literature arise from a deep, careful and sincere engagement with the form and substance of texts. Finally, the lecture will investigate recent advocations for the “use” of Literature as a means of promoting citizenship, empathy and social justice.

Dr Adam J Smith

Adam James Smith is an Associate Professor of English Literature, specialising in eighteenth-century print culture. Adam has a PhD from the University of Sheffield, where he also completed an AHRC-funded post-doctoral project before joining York St John University full-time in 2016. He has published on the works of Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Eliza Haywood, James Montgomery and Virginia Woolf, amongst others. He has co-edited three volumes – Poetry Conspiracy and Radicalism in Sheffield (Spirit Duplicator, 2016), Print Culture, Agency and Regionality in the Handpress Era (Palgrave, 2022) and Impolite Periodicals (Bucknell, forthcoming). He is also currently a series editor for People of Print (Cambridge University Press), a multi-volume collection of printer biographies documenting the lives of individuals who were integral to the print industry but who have been, historically, less well represented.

Adam is also co-director of the York Research Unit for the Study of Satire, co-host of the ongoing monthly podcast Smith & Waugh Talk About Satire, he sits on the executive committee for the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS) and is chief editor of Criticks, the online reviews site for BSECS. His recent writing examines the relationship between politeness and satire and the character of the satirist across the long eighteenth century.

February 28, 2022

Level 5 Research Refresher Event with Dr Adam J Smith and Katherine Hughes

Online Event, 2.30-3.30 Monday 7 March

Image of chairs, desks and shelves in a library

The Academic Library Liaison for Literature, Katherine Hughes, and Level 5 Coordinator for Literature, Adam J Smith, will be co-delivering a one hour ‘research refresher’ session 2.30-3.30 on Monday 7 March. They will recap everything you need to know to effectively conduct research for Literature assignments including the dissertation.

Continue reading “Level 5 Research Refresher Event with Dr Adam J Smith and Katherine Hughes”

February 28, 2017

Opportunities in Creative Writing and English Literature at YSJ

The English Literature and Creative Writing departments offer more than you may realise. There are secret perks hidden in the nooks and crannies of the offices – including a bookshelf full of freebies! There are places you can get your work published you might not of thought of, so in this blog post I aim to enlighten and surprise – have a read to find out what’s available to you!

Point Zero – A blog that this may appear on. Run by Tutor Adam Stock, the English Lit blog is a space for students to blog about their interests. You’ll find most of my posts revolve around sex with robots. Nothing is off-limits! http://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/englishlit/

Contact: a.stock@yorksj.ac.uk

Extra Lectures – Interested in a lecture but you’re not in the module? Email a tutor! Most tutors are more than happy to let you sit in on a lecture!

LGBT history month – LGBT History Month offers tonnes of events, 50 during February this year – to be exact, and a lot of them revolve around reading. From reading groups to pub poetry readings, don’t be afraid to tag along and talk gay writing! https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/events-calendar/events/lgbt-history-month-/

The Literary Festival – York holds an amazing Literary Festival. Including the likes of Sue Perkins and Mark Gatiss, the upcoming Literary festival has a whole host of events enabling networking, learning and open mic readings. https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/events-calendar/events/festivals/event-title-28032-en.html?timestamp=1490783160&ref=ecal&

Beyond The Walls – If you came to an open days, you may well have been handed a copy of the Beyond The Walls anthology. Run by students for students, the anthology is taking submissions until the 25^th of February. Entry is free! https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheWalls2017/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Student Showcase – An opportunity for students to give readings of their work to a wider, public audience! Currently taking submissions until the 28^th of February, entry is free. https://www.facebook.com/YSJshowcase17/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Writing Workshops – Although not specifically for English Lit and Creative Writing students, keep an eye out around Holgate for leaflets on extra-curricular seminars on essential academic writing skills! An upcoming timetable of which can be found here: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/media/content-assets/student-services/documents/Workshops-16-17-sem-2-programme-v2.pdf

Black History Month – Black History Month is developed mainly by the English Literature team. Frequently involving projects developed by students, and visiting authors, the month is inspiring and enriching – don’t miss it this October!

Writer in Residence – Royal Literary Fellow Mark Illis has been writing novels, short stories, TV and Radio dramas for around 30 years. He’s done it all, and can help you with developing your writing. If you head to a meeting, you’ll get 45 minutes of literary goodness. Check it out here: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/student-services/learning-support/study-development/writer-in-residence/

Programme Representatives – Your elected Programme Reps are there to help – I’m one of them! Currently working with the SU to provide a book selling system in university, we are willing to voice any opinions you have about your course – let us know what you’d like to see, and stand for rep if you’d love to help with feedback collection and course development.

The University Website – The university website hosts a tonne of resources. Indexed here are the key writing materials: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheWalls2017/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

And more! – Check your emails frequently and flag up opportunities as they roll in. Thanks to the email system here at YSJ, I’m currently involved in a scriptwriting project for a suicide prevention short and will soon be heading on a trip to London to learn about literature and bees! There really is no limit to what you can achieve when you embrace the huge volume of opportunities to hand. If you want something, don’t be afraid to enquire with careers services or your tutors!

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.