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

It’s LGBT History Month in February and we have some great events. How about coming along to this:

Trans and Non-Binary History and Acceptance, 13 February, York St John University

A talk with Kit Heyam. Former co-ordinator of the York LGBT History Month, and experienced trans-awareness trainer, Kit will return to York St John to share stories of trans and non-binary history and acceptance. Kit identifies as a non-binary transgender man and co-ordinates the Rainbow Plaques project.

This event is free and is open to all. The talk will be 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q+A.

Book via Eventbrite here.

‘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”

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.

Continue reading “a showcase of talent”

‘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.

 

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)

Cityscapes: Media Textualities and Urban Visions. Registration now open!

YorkMinster 

Saturday 23rd April, 8.30am – 6pm

 

York St John University is hosting a one day conference exploring representations of the city and urban spaces in literature and media, organised by Dr Kaley Kramer and Dr Anne-Marie Evans. Drawing on the recognition of York as a UNESCO City of Media Arts and a member of the Creative Cities Network, this one day conference will provide a space for ongoing discussions about the representation of cities in literature and narrative arts, media, theory, and practice.

 

The event is FREE for YSJ students, and you can access the conference programme on the blog here: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/cityscapesconference2016/conference-programme/

 

If you would like to attend and book a place, please register here: http://store.yorksj.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&deptid=7&catid=6&prodid=428

 

If you have any questions, please email Dr Anne-Marie Evans (a.evans@yorksj.ac.uk) or Dr Kaley Kramer (k.kramer@yorksj.ac.uk )