Review by Cameron Stewart
It was fantastic to attend Sarah’s lecture, and learn more about her career and her area of study. I found it fascinating to see how Caribbean culture was of deep interest to Sarah, from being a child. The event had a chronological order through life, from child to student then an academic. It was incredible how Sarah had a passion, to write about Caribbean culture and teach it. I enjoyed the literature aspect, of seeing her favourite authors through her years of research.
The underlining theme was interruptions. The planned and unplanned interruptions, of the pizza delivery halfway through the lecture, and technology slowness, was both humorous and very apt. I felt I could relate to the Covid interruption, as it was something everyone collectively went through. It was moving how Sarah discussed both personal, collective and academic interruptions, that can be faced. It was a powerful point of how an interruption, gives a moment to pause, reflect and re-evaluate what is most important in life.
The evening was peppered with jokes, interesting academic research and a life of interest, to share Caribbean cultural perspectives. The event was a celebration of Sarah becoming a professor and by attending, it was a way to support her, in great thanks for all the support she gives her students.
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.
International Women’s Day 2022
#BreakTheBias
Happy International Women’s Day!
This year’s campaign theme is #BreakTheBias – find out more at the IWD website
To mark IWD, Dr Anne-Marie Evans is hosting an online event on Thursday 10th March with acclaimed playwright Ade Solanke. Ade will be talking about her play Phillis in London. The play explores the life of Phillis Wheatley – an enslaved woman – who was famously the first African-American woman to publish a book of poetry, and only the second American woman to do so. Find out more and book a ticket here.
You can also celebrate IWD2022 by calling into the Fountains Learning Centre to see their YSJ Women display, which explores resources from our archives that provide a glimpse into the changing lives of female students over the years.
Lost in a Sea of Glass and Tin by Gary and Claire, York Theatre Royal, 28 March 2019
This York Literature Festival event is in the Studio at York Theatre Royal
Book tickets here
What does it mean to leave everything behind? Take off and live a life of solitude. Where can we go and what can we become? A textual and visual performance by Gary Winters and Claire Hind.
Lost in A Sea of Glass and Tin responds to David Lynch’s concept of ‘the eye of the duck’, particularly with regards to what the eye can teach us about repetition, texture, shape and the colour of performance. We play with cross-fertilisations of art forms between Lynch’s noireesque cinema and a distortion of gestures for the singing body once explored by medieval hermits and in solitude. We draw upon our own fascination and observations of a seaside entertainer who week in and week out sings the classics and to his heart’s content along with the energy and commitment of his super fans.
Lost in A Sea of Glass and Tin premiered at The Defibrillator Gallery Chicago and is a mixed media live work of light, sound, projection and voice.
As well as a performance maker, Claire Hind is associate professor in our School of Performance and Media Production.
Hidden Figures Screening: March 28th
By Charlotte Stevenson
On Thursday 28th March 2019 at 17:00, FT/002, York St. John Feminist Society will be hosting a free screening of Oscar nominated motion picture, Hidden Figures. The movie tells the story of mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson who produced defining work which made possible numerous NASA successes during the U.S. Space Race and beyond.
Continue reading “Hidden Figures Screening: March 28th”
LGBT History Month Event: Trans and Non-Binary History and Acceptance, 13 February, York St John University
Spells: 21st Century Occult Poetry by Abi Whitaker
By Abi Whitaker
In this Event piece, Abi Whitaker shares with us on a deeply personal retrospective of last week’s event for the launch of Spells: 21st Century Occult Poetry , a poetry anthology edited by Rebecca Tamás and Sarah Shin.
Continue reading “Spells: 21st Century Occult Poetry by Abi Whitaker”
‘Et in Arcadia ego’ – Reflections on Visiting Castle Howard
By Charlotte Stevenson
Each year, to accompany reading Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, third year students studying our Twentieth-Century Writing module visit the Brideshead of the screen, Castle Howard. Here Charlotte Stevenson reflects on her thoughts of the 2018 trip and her experience of reading Waugh’s novel.
Continue reading “‘Et in Arcadia ego’ – Reflections on Visiting Castle Howard”
on the power of poetry: an evening with rupi kaur
By Jenna Houston
Current student Jenna Houston reflects on a poetry reading with bestselling poet Rupi Kaur. Continue reading “on the power of poetry: an evening with rupi kaur”
york literature festival launch
by Nicoletta Peddis
Current student Nicoletta Peddis reports on last week’s launch of the York Literature Festival at York St John University. Continue reading “york literature festival launch”
a showcase of talent
By Tia Byer
On Wednesday 7th February 2018, English Literature students at York St John University were treated to a Literature Research Showcase. English Literature Faculty members presented their research and gave the low-down on what they are working on. Third-year student and Sub-Editor Tia Byer reports.
‘beyond all imagination’. holocaust memorial day and writing the incomprehensible
By Charlotte Stevenson
Current student Charlotte Stevenson reflects on the recent screening of Night and Fog for Holocaust Memorial Day and on her reading of Rena’s Promise for the module Conflicting Words, commenting on the tension between the necessity of commemoration and impossibility of writing about the unimaginable. Continue reading “‘beyond all imagination’. holocaust memorial day and writing the incomprehensible”
a cold cheeseburger & the waterstones lock-in, 2017
By Beth Davies
I’m fully aware all those reading this post right now have been sat eagerly by their phones, awaiting the tweet of a new Words Matter post. Well, I’m not one to disappoint. Here we are: grab a brew, sit and read all about my experiences at this year’s Waterstones Student Lock-In. I hope you made it to the night, but if you couldn’t attend we now use the power of literature to allow you to re-live it through words. Let’s see how it goes…
Continue reading “a cold cheeseburger & the waterstones lock-in, 2017”
Publishing Jobhack event with Penguin Random House 28-10-16
Careers website gothinkbig.co.uk are holding a ‘Jobhack’ event with major publishers Penguin Random House. Here’s how they describe it:
JobHack is a workshop day on Friday 28th October in Halifax. Through activities and talks, you’ll learn about how to get into publishing, the different roles in the industry and what they really mean, and find out how to stand out and get hired.
We’ll put you in the shoes of an editor, a recruiter, a marketer and many other roles in between, so you can get to grips with what it’s like to work in those functions. Plus, you’ll even get a chance to network with the team (we’re nice, promise!), get CV tips and advice, and go behind the scenes of the world’s first global publisher.
For more information on how to apply, head over to the gothinkbig website:
https://gothinkbig.co.uk/opportunities/job-hack-penguin-random-house-yorkshire-28th-october
The deadline for applications is 21 October
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)