Student of the month: Louise Fligman – BA (Hons) English

This month we meet English student Louise Fligman. Here’s her story…

‘I’m a total bookworm who’s friendly, organised, and loves compelling TV shows ‘

Tell us about your time at QMUL. What have been your highlights?

The variety of modules on offer on my course is fantastic. If Shakespeare is your passion, you can study it. If you love medieval texts (like I do), you can study them. Or, if you prefer more contemporary novels, you can study them. There is something at Queen Mary for everyone. I have loved being able to get involved in the student media outlets, CUB Magazine and The Print. Not only have these allowed me to develop transferable skills for my time after uni, but they have put me in touch with some wonderful people. There is such a friendly and communal feel amongst the team members of both publications, and I will really miss being a part of these teams. Another highlight at QM for me was the social badminton sessions I attended in my second and third years. They were brilliant because I was able to pursue a sport I loved, have some great matches, and meet some lovely people who I hope to stay in contact with beyond my time at QM.

How has your course at Queen Mary helped you to progress into the world outside? What’s next?

I have studied a variety of literature, which has broadened my reading tastes and that leaves the field very open in terms of publishing jobs that I can (and would like to) apply for. Some publishing jobs are for specific genres of novels, and I feel that I am in a good position to apply for them because of my course. My course has improved my confidence in suggesting ideas in seminars, which were “safe spaces” in which no idea or perspective was wrong, and no question was irrelevant or deemed stupid. In addition, my course has enhanced my public speaking skills as I had to articulate my thoughts in a clear manner, and some assignments were presentations or leading seminars.

Aside from course content what have been your favourite elements of the experience of studying here as a whole?

Getting involved with the student media outlets CUB Magazine and The Print have been thoroughly enjoyable. They were run by some fantastic editors who were very friendly, and were always open to suggestions and new ideas for articles. There was a lovely communal feel amongst the team members of these publications, and I really felt like I was part of a little family. The social sessions of badminton were such fun! I had some really competitive matches with some great people who I hope to stay in contact with beyond my time at QM.

Tell us about your life outside Queen Mary including any projects you work on, ambitions you have or jobs.

In the summer between my second and third years, I obtained a publishing internship, which has equipped me with invaluable experience with which to apply for publishing jobs. I was given good grounding in the end-to-end publishing process and some office admin experience, which is always useful to put on your CV.

What could be improved to enhance future students’ experience at Queen Mary?

Changing the timetable in such a way that would make 1 day per week available for people to pursue other interests, such as sports and society activities. Some of these events took place when students had classes, meaning they could not take part in a sports club or society activity.

Find out more about our English degree here

June Opportunities Digest

Jobs and Work Experience

Brandbassador

Opportunities with leading social media company recommended by graduate Rima Rashid who has worked there.

Pitch: Our Stories – Work with Sky

Are you a committed, motivated and talented young person 18+?

Pitch is proud to be partnering with Sky Marketing Group on an exciting project offering opportunities to talented young people looking to take their first steps into the creative industry. 

Pitch are looking for a diverse mix of original creative ideas people, confident organised people, lovers of technology people, to apply for live vacancies, internship placements or apprenticeship schemes in Sky Marketing and Sky Creative Agency. No qualifications needed, training will be given and all opportunities are paid.

The application process is super simple: all you need to do to apply is to share your story (life journey so far) as either a written 250-word biography, a 5-minute mobile-phone filmed piece or a 5-minute interview Podcast interview. Please also include your longer-term aspirations and career goals.

Successful talent will be invited to the Pitch Our Stories Open Day on July 4th 2019 at Sky HQ in Osterley, where you will learn more about Sky Marketing and Sky Creative Agency and get the chance to apply for a variety of roles at our open day.

Please submit your story at the link below by Monday 24th of June 2019

MORE INFORMATION

Young Foodies Graduate Scheme

Download the information presentation here: http://www.blogs.sed.qmul.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/YF-Grad-Programme-19-Grads.pdf

Register and apply here: https://grads.youngfoodies.co.uk/grad-programme/

Courses and Training

DIY LIFE SKILLS

1-2-1 CAREER PLANNING MEETINGS: Your BIG chance to make a plan if you don’t have one – 25-26 June

Book a 1-2-1 appointment to get a bespoke plan for your next steps.

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER: Presentations, Verbal Communication Skills & Your Elevator pitch – 17 June

Hate speaking in public? Build your confidence with this interactive workshop aiming to enhance your communication competence with Andrea Cox from Careers team.

How to freelance, get paid and pay tax (And avoid fines!) – 3 July

The most boring subjects imaginable live and in 3D. But seriously, tax can be complicated so come and get this guide for beginners to the world of work.

ANDROGYNY!  – Apply by 20 June

A weekend of dance and discussion for anyone interested in thinking about gender through dancing.

Frankenstein (How to make a monster): BAC Beatbox Academy Workshop

A beatbox workshop for young people with Conrad Murray (Artistic Director of BAC Beatbox Academy) using Frankenstein as a stimulus.

Opportunities

Take part in a large-scale outdoor show on Roman Road!

Ever wondered what it’s like to work with an international street theatre company? Well here’s your chance! To take part you must be available to attend the following: Rehearsal Fri 28 June 6pm-10pm and Show Sat 29 June 7pm (for a 9:30pm start). No previous experience is necessary, just enthusiasm and a willingness to get stuck in! Interested? Contact Elizabeth on 07899 893935 / Elizabeth@festival.org to sign up!

Student of the month: Ndumiso Peter Ndlovu – BA (Hons) Drama

Next in our series of meeting our students we meet Ndumiso Peter known as Dee who sums up themselves with this:

Sometimes I write, other times I direct, and most times I am thinking about “who the hell are we?”.

Tell us about your time at QMUL. What have been your highlights?

I have enjoyed my time at QMUL. A few highlights have been learning about the things that would never cross your mind like the poetics of archives, and also, spaces within spaces within gallery spaces.

How has your course at Queen Mary helped you to progress into the world outside? What’s next?

The BA Drama course has equipped me with a great research foundation, and what’s next is an MA in Theatre and Performance because somebody has to think about ‘scratch’.

Aside from course content what have been your favourite elements of the experience of studying here as a whole?

QMTC. Though I never joined, I have enjoyed watching shows come together in incredibly tight circumstances.

Tell us about your life outside Queen Mary including any projects, ambitions or jobs you’ve had.

Outside of QM I have written three plays (SALT, 42 Hollow Knocks, and Communion). I have started a creative writing circle called ‘The Moon and Her Daughters. What else have I done? Oh, I have worked at a cafe the entirety of my degree. How fun! Currently working on staging one of my players at one of London’s many stages.

What could be improved to enhance future students’ experience at Queen Mary?

A de-colonialised curriculum.

Find out more about our Drama course here.

Dr Duckie and a string of alternative performance coming up from our grads at performance legend, Duckie’s club night

PhD candidate Ben Walters has recently hosted an event called Dr. Duckie at Royal Vauxhall Tavern to explain his work around the legendary performance company and his theory around the power of queer fun.

read all about it on ben’s blog here

In addition to Ben’s research project we are excited to see the following students performing at the night…

  • Saturday 25 May: Rodent Decay
  • Saturday 8 June: Jo Hauge
  • Saturday 31 August: Joseph Schofield
  • Saturday 21 September: Alex Legge
  • Saturday 9 November: Figs in Wigs
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SATURDAY CLUB PROGRAMME

Love Hay Festival? Come and study your Master’s in English Literature with us

Hay Festival our very own Jerry Brotton will be in conversation with Germaine Greer on 27 May. If you’re getting inspired by the festival why not extend your knowledge in literature and culture with our MA in English Literature.

sign up for bespoke master’s information
see the hay festival line up

About Jerry Brotton’s event at Hay

Jerry Brotton, Hannah Critchlow, Catherine Fletcher and Germaine Greer, Leonardo 500 | Monday 27 May 2019, 4pm Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage

We celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of the incomparable Renaissance man – artist, scientist, inventor and lover. Brotton and Fletcher are Renaissance historians, Critchlow is a neuroscientist and Greer is a scholar and art historian. Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most inspiring figures of European history.

4 Unmissable Summer Events in the School of English and Drama

We’re not going anywhere this summer.

Join us for a London staycation full of sizzling summer events in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London.

Power at Play: responding to Pilot Theatre’s production of Noughts & Crosses (22 May, QMUL):

Join us for a FREE Noughts & Crosses (Malorie Blackman) panel event that asks questions like: ‘What wider questions does this production raise about drama and power? How is drama power for you?’. Join Esther Richardson (Director of Noughts & Crosses) and cast members, Drama academics and students from Queen Mary University of London to discuss and explore the powers of Drama. Book here

The panel includes: Heather Agyepong (Sephie, Noughts and Crosses), Esther Richardson (director, Noughts and Crosses), Gail Babb (QMUL and Goldsmiths lecturer and theatre producer, Talawa), Avaes Mohammed (poet, playwright, performer), Dee Ndlovu (QMUL Drama student and theatre maker).

Show and Tell at All Points East (28 May, Free Festival in Victoria Park, Mile End):

Join us for inspiring mini talks in the park at this free festival which has top street food, stalls and free activities.

Our line up talking about studying and working in the creative industries includes comedian Ahir Shah (BBC3, Live at the Apollo), writer Ayisha Malik, Masterchef winner Natalie Coleman and more pictured above. RSVP here

Open Days (21-22 June, QMUL)

Never been to our campus? Get a feel for the place and get tours and more information from our support departments. Book here

Gothic, Sci-Fi or Fable: Reading Frankenstein then and now – English A-Level Debate (27 June, QMUL)

Is your English teacher always telling you to refer to literary and historical context but you’re unsure what this looks like in practice? Have you heard that there are theoretical and philosophical approaches to texts but aren’t confident using them yourself? Do you wish you knew more about the Gothic genre and how this could link to more contemporary genres, such as Science Fiction?

Three outstanding academics, from Queen Mary’s School of English and Drama, are here to help.

An expert in the body and technology in contemporary culture, Zara Dinnen, a specialist in the Gothic across the nineteenth century, Sam Halliday, and an expert in Romanticism with interests in theory and philosophy, Shahidha Bari, will be unpicking issues around context, theory, genre and ‘Frankenstein’. They will share their expertise on context, theory and genre, to unpack how the text could have been received then and how readers receive it now. They will discuss different frameworks that can be used to interpret this seminal text, and demonstrate to you what it looks like to apply those frameworks in practice.

You will leave this event with a better sense of how to use literary and historical context to develop your analysis of this text; and you will leave knowing what it would be like to study English at Queen Mary, where diversity of ideas is at the heart of what we do.

It promises to be the type of lively and engaging discussion our School of English and Drama is known for!

Line up just announced: SHOW AND TELL at ALL POINTS EAST in Victoria Park on 28 May

Show and Tell at All Points East: In the Neighbourhood in Victoria Park

Tuesday 28 May 2019, 2.15-3.30pm

North Stage, All Points East, Victoria Park

Free and open to all

RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/290092538606956/

See more about the event here: https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/info/nbhd/show-and-tell/

Queen Mary University of London presents Show and Tell, a podcast recording of over 10 inspiring mini talks from current students and special guests on studying and working in the creative industries.

Discover the insider secrets to working in the arts, humanities and social sciences and hear young people with something to say from one of London’s most inclusive universities.

Show and Tell has been running for 2 years at Queen Mary with over 35 speakers from TV producers, award-winning writers, researchers and journalists inspiring over 300 people to enter these industries.

LINE UP

  • Alain English: Scottish actor, writer, autism advocate and performance poet.
  • Ayisha Malik: Ayisha Malik is author of this year’s CityReads London book, ‘Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged’ (often called ‘The Muslim Bridget Jones’), ‘The Other Half of Happiness’ and upcoming novel, ‘This Green and Pleasant Land’. She is also the ghost writer for Great British Bake Off winner, Nadiya Hussain’s adult fiction.
  • Ahir Shah: Ahir Shah (BBC Three, Live at the Apollo) is a stand-up comedian and writer based in London. He has been twice nominated for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, in 2017 and 2018.
  • Gabriel Krauze: QMUL English graduate and ‘estate-noir’ author Gabriel Krauze (Vice) has just signed with publisher 4th Estate publish his first novel ‘Who They Was’. Gabriel Krauze grew up in London in a Polish family and was drawn to a life of crime and gangs from an early age. Now in his thirties he has left that world behind and is recapturing his life through writing.
  • Mile End Community Project: MCP will show their Chicken Film, which explores the fried chicken shop phenomenon in Tower Hamlets and provided insight into what fried Chicken means to different communities.
  • Nadia Valman: Dr Nadia Valman is a literary historian at Queen Mary University of London who has led various public projects including on the history of Jewish people in the East End, The Royal London Hospital and Brick Lane.
  • Natalie Coleman: Natalie Coleman was winner of MasterChef in 2013. Since winning MasterChef Natalie Coleman has worked with some of the UK’s best restaurants including Le Gavroche (Michel Roux Jr) and is currently the head chef at immersive dining concept in Waterloo, Hello Darling.

Plus: Five current students will give their creative manifestos for the future: Blanka Plocha, Aamir Ayyub, Simone Hazanavicius-Lovisone, David Mitchell and Saramarie Harvey.

About All Points East: In the Neighbourhood

Bank Holiday Monday 27 to Thursday 30 May 2019 | Opening Hours: 10am – 9.30pm daily

Four days of Free Entry and Free Activities in Victoria Park

Four days of FREE entry and a host of FREE activities across BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY and HALF TERM WEEK: Outdoor Cinema, Live Music, Creative Workshops, Street Food, Pop Up Bars, Panels & Talks, Sports & Wellbeing, Family Activities AND LOADS MORE FOR ALL THE FAMILY.

Full programme here: https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/info/nbhd/

Mental Health Support at Queen Mary University of London

As it’s mental health awareness week we thought it would be good to do a quick run down of all the support available at QMUL.

Please do get in touch with these services if you need support. If you’re confused about which ones why not speak to a Mental Health First Aider.

Inside QMUL

Advice and Counselling Service

Our advice and counselling service runs 1-2-1 counseling, group sessions, informal drop-in advice, information on other organisations.

Big White Wall

Queen Mary has just subscribed to online support service Big White Wall. It’s available for students and staff 24/7 and there are trained professionals on the platform who can help.

Dyslexia and Disability Service

If you have a mental health condition, it is important that you register with a doctor so you can access the necessary support and medicine you may need. In order to ensure that you access all the support you need during your studies, please also make an appointment (preferably before the start of your studies) with the Mental Health Coordinator to discuss what can be put in place for you.  Email dds@qmul.ac.uk or call 020 7882 2756.

Mental Health First Aiders

If you’re in crisis or just need to know where to go next please come and talk to trained Mental Health First Aiders. In the School of English and Drama there are lots of us including Rupert Dannreuther and Suzi Lewis in the School office.

Student Health Centre

On site we have a medical centre for students if you’re diagnosed with a mental health disorder or think you should be diagnosed.

Wellness Trail

Need some headspace? Download this map.

Outside QMUL

East London Mental Health Line

Call 0207 771 5807 for 24 hour mental health support in East London.

Samaritans

Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans any time, from any phone for FREE. Call 116 123

Shout

A 24/7 new text service for people in crisis. Text Shout to 85258. If your life is in imminent danger, please call 999.

PhD and Teaching Associate Karina Likorish Quinn leads ‘Celebrating Multilingualism in the Classroom’ Workshop – 1 June 2019

Date: 1 June 2019, 2.00pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

book tickets

One in five state-educated UK children are exposed to a language other than English at home. This figure rises to 50% of state-educated children in areas such as London or Leicester. And yet there is no space in the National Curriculum for children to explore their multilingualism.

This free workshop, led by Karina Lickorish Quinn and Rahul Bery, will explore ways to bring multilingualism into the secondary MFL and English classroom as a resource that can enrich all students’ interaction with the learning of reading and writing. The session will furnish educators with practical, versatile activities and resources to use to encourage multilingual students to make creative use of their language skills and to get young people thinking about the importance of language. 

Karina Lickorish Quinn is a Peruvian-English writer, an English teacher at Townley Grammar School, and a Teaching Associate in Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London. She was previously a lecturer in English and Creative Writing at the University of Reading. Her work has been published by The White Review, The Offing, and Asymptote, and she is currently working on her debut novel, represented by Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander. Karina has a particular interest in multilingual literature and in diversifying the school curriculum, especially in the English classroom.  

Rahul Bery is a translator from Spanish and Portuguese into English, as well as a qualified secondary teacher with experience teaching Modern Foreign Languages and English as an Additional Language in primary and secondary schools in London, Bristol and South Wales, where he is currently based. His translations of authors such as Álvaro Enrigue, Guadalupe Nettel and Daniel Galera have appeared in publications including Granta and The White Review. He is currently the British Library’s translator in residence.

See final year drama students’ work at The Crown Jewels Festival on 16-17 May 2019

The Crown Jewels Festival | 16-17 May 2019 | Chats Palace, E9 6DF

more info
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The Crown Jewels Festival is two days of exciting new performance by final year Drama students at QMUL. Over the last five months, the artists have been leading their own independent and group practice based research projects. Their hard work in the studio has investigated a wide range of topics from explorations of body and identity politics, to pushing the form of durational performance, to using soap in performance and much, much more. Come and join us at Chats Palace on 16th and 17th May to see some new performance!

Follow us on social media! We will release a link to book tickets for the festival soon. Admission is free, but book to reserve a space!

English and Drama Newsletter – May 2019

Welcome to the May Newsletter.

May is an exciting month for us including Mad Hearts: The Arts and Mental Health conference and a free outdoor edition of inspiring mini talks series Show and Tell at All Points East: In the Neighbourhood in Victoria Park.

Pictured above: Our MA Live Art cohort and staff took over the Victoria and Albert Museum on for V&A Friday Late on Friday 26 April. Photo credit: Hydar Dewachi.

Events

Throughout May-July 2019

DIY LIFE SKILLS
May-July 2019  | QMUL – Mile End

We’re launching a programme of 10 unmissable workshops to help you develop your skills to work in the creative and cultural industries. The creative skills project formerly known as DIY HIGH SCHOOL is back for 2019 as DIY LIFE SKILLS.

DIY LIFE SKILLS gives our Queen Mary University of London students and our community vital extra practical skills for working in the creative and cultural industries. These include making videos, photography, tax, CVs, public speaking, social media for work and WordPress/blogging. The workshops are free for our students and our local community. See the programme

May Listings

Identify: A research network for neurodivergent students – second meeting
Fri 3 May | Room 2.18, ArtsTwo, QMUL, Mile End

Identify is a postgraduate study group that will meet regularly to build a research cohort within SED. Participants identify as having Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), including dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurodivergent ways of being that impact our study patterns, academic activities, and research outputs. 

Their second meeting will be held on Friday 3rd May from 4-6pm in room 2.18, Arts Two. All are welcome. If anyone requires directions or wants to get in touch for more information, they’re welcome to email John Dunn on j.l.o.dunn@qmul.ac.uk.

Queen Mary Centre for Religion and Literature in English Seminar
Wed 8 May, 1pm  | Room 2.17, ArtsTwo, QMUL – Mile End

Mimi Ensley (University of Notre Dame, London Global Gateway)
will speak on ‘Meeting Lydgate’s Ghost’.

Drama Futures
Wed 8 May, 4.30pm  | Theatre Peckham

If you are considering studying drama make sure to book a spot on this. Email c.palmer@qmul.ac.uk


Dr Duckie
Sat 11 May, 6.30pm | Royal Vauxhall Tavern

‘Introducing Dr Duckie – aka our very own Ben Walters (Drama department) – in a public explanation ünt examination of his just completed PhD with Queen Mary University of London on Duckie in the Community

It’s about the neo-liberal wobble, the technology of queer fun, and doing family differently.

Aimed at community theatre workers and grass roots performance activists – and random interested punters – it unpacks methods of performance, cabaret and event culture interventions for so-called ‘marginalised’ communities”.

A Nation of Tea Drinkers: British Culture and the Global Tea Trade
Sat 21 May, 5.15pm | Senate House

This free talk will explore the history of tea and the performance of its consumption at the Georgian tea-table. Markman Ellis (English department) will examine tea as a commodity, an event and an idea by looking at poems, essays, satires and paintings from the early 1700s. These highlight the event of tea-drinking, its context in the global trade of the East India Company and its construction among high-status women.


‘Queer Occulture and Feminist Ritual Performance’: Dennis Denisoff
Thu 23 May, 6pm | ArtsOne Lecture Theatre, QMUL – Mile End

All are welcome to attend this insightful lecture on the connections between Victorian and Modernist authors and writers and queer/feminist reformulations of gender.


Show and Tell at All Points East: In the Neighbourhood

Tue 28 May, 2.15pm | Victoria Park, Bow

Queen Mary University of London presents Show and Tell a podcast recording of 10 inspiring mini talks from current students and special guests on studying and working in the creative industries. Discover the insider secrets to working in the arts, humanities and social sciences and hear young people with something to say from one of London’s most inclusive universities.

Show and Tell has been running for 2 years at Queen Mary with over 35 speakers from TV producers, award-winning writers, researchers and journalists inspiring over 300 people to enter these industries.

Add to your calendar


S A L O N – LONDON presents PRODUCED BY LOVE: REPRODUCTION IN FEMINIST POETICS, featuring Amy De’Ath and Nisha Ramayya
Fri 31 May | King’s College London

At this event, Amy De’Ath and Nisha Ramayya will discuss their current research, sharing a combination of critical writing and poetry. They will consider the overlaps in their work via the concept of reproduction in feminist poetics. Book tickets

Book Ahead

Live Art Now
1 June | QMUL, Mile End

The Live Art Development Agency and the Drama Department at Queen Mary University of London present a day of discussions around kickstarting and maintaining a Live Art practice and an opportunity to find out more about the exciting new MA Live Art programme.

Photo credit: Molly Horner by Holly Revell


Romanticism at The Royal Institution
Fri 7 June | The Royal Institution, Green Park

In a special addition to its regular programme, the London-Paris Romanticism Seminar has partnered with the Fordham Romanticism Group (New York) and the Royal Institution of Great Britain to hold a half-day symposium on the theme Romanticism at the Royal Institution.

Picture: Surrey Institution Ackermann 1808

News

Tamara Atkin and Jaclyn Rajsic (English department) have edited and published a collection of essays called: Manuscript and Print in Late Medieval and Early Modern Britain: Essays in Honour of Professor Julia Boffey. The people of Twitter showed their love for our very own Professor Julia Boffey here.

Shahidha Bari (English department) hosted the launch of Queen Mary University of London’s Strategy 2030 at Victoria and Albert Museum on 3 May 2019. See the strategy

Jen Harvie (Drama department) appeared on two BBC broadcast discussions at BBC Free Thinking Festival which you can listen to on iPlayer:

  • ‘The Emotions of Now’, Sage Gateshead, 29 March 2019, BBC Radio 3, 8 April 2019, 22:00 Listen here
  •  ‘The Actors’ Guide to the Emotions’, St Mary’s Church, Gateshead, 31 March 2019. BBC Radio 3, 7 April 2019, 18:45 Listen here

Gabriel Krauze (English graduate) has got a book deal with Fourth Estate for a “breath-taking” debut work of autofiction about London gang-life. Read more


Gem Stokes (English student) is our very first student of the month. Read our interview with her here.

Student of the month: Gem Stokes – BA (Hons) English

This is the first in the series where you can meet our students. First up is Gemma who describes herself as…

A 6 foot queer infatuated with gigs, films and literature.

Tell us about your time at QMUL. What have been your highlights?

My first year at Queen Mary has been a whirlwind. I wish my highlights were something cool like a crazy night out or a hilarious experience, but my fondest memories I’ve made are the times spent drinking tea, deep chats in the middle of the night or nerdy conversations about literature with the friends I’ve made here.

How has your course at Queen Mary helped you to progress into the world outside? What’s next?

Focusing on the study of English has made me fall back in love with literature and I’ve felt myself progress more into the literary sphere. In the last year I’ve invested more time in my journalism, writing articles (and finally being brave enough to actually share them). This will likely aid me in developing my future, as I aim to become a foreign news correspondent or music journalist.

Aside from course content what have been your favourite elements of the experience of studying here as a whole?

Coming from a small town to a big city, I’m enjoying the huge LGBTQ+ community here and the inclusive environment that Queen Mary provides.

Tell us about your life outside Queen Mary including any projects, ambitions or jobs you’ve had.

In London, I work as a nanny and back in Kent, as a customer adviser in the food service industry. Although I do not aspire to continue these positions forever, I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve possessed an interest in journalism for as long as I remember, and currently write monthly articles for a local newsletter, but aspire to progress further in this field and search for new opportunities in this field.

What could be improved to enhance future students’ experience at Queen Mary?

I feel Queen Mary as a university is very active in aiding students’ issues, but I’ve been wanting to campaign about trigger warnings for a while: lectures often bring up triggering/upsetting subject material which I myself am often unprepared for. I wondered if it would be beneficial to other students, as well as myself, to release a general list of common triggers mentioned in each specific lecture to allow students to prepare more adequately whilst dealing with trauma.

24/7 Online Mental Health Support for QMUL Students on Big White Wall

Queen Mary students going through a tough time can now access free online support with Big White Wall. Whether you’re struggling to sleep, feeling low, stressed or unable to cope, Big White Wall can help you get support, take control and feel better.

Visit big white wall

You will have access to a 24/7 online community and professional support from trained counsellors. Big White Wall provides a safe space online to get things off your chest, explore your feelings, get creative and learn how to self-manage your mental health and wellbeing.

Big White Wall is totally anonymous, so no one will know you’ve chosen to use it unless you tell them!

93% of members feel better as a result of using the service, and nearly 90% use Big White Wall as an out-of-hours support.

To join Big White Wall, simply go to www.bigwhitewall.com and sign up under Queen Mary University of London with your university e-mail address.

MA Live Art student Şenay Camgöz to present her film HALA at the V&A

Our MA Live Art student Şenay Camgöz will screen her 6 minute film, ‘Introducing HALA’ at the V&A tomorrow, Thursday 25 April 2019 at 8.30pm following a talk about art school with QMUL’s Dr Dominic Johnson and Dr Martin O’Brien.

The event is free and is part of the museum’s V&A Friday Late series. 

Find out more about the event

Martin O’Brien, Dominic Johnson, Shahidha Bari and our MA Live Art students live at V&A Friday Late on Friday 26 April 2019

The next Victoria and Albert Museum free Friday Late event is around the idea of the art school and raises the question: ‘Do they still have the space to break rules and challenge the status quo? ‘

Our staff will join the Live Art Development Agency to host an event talking about what it is to teach radical art practice.

Taking our MA Live Art Martin O’Brien, Dominic Johnson and guests will discuss the way in which the programme runs and provides an alternative arts education.

Plus our very own Shahidha Bari will be part of a panel discussing decolonising art schools and education led by AZEEMA.

See below for details of the event.

see more about v&A’s friday late

Events infomation

Live Art and Education

Learning Centre, Seminar Room 5

19.30

In this conversation, Martin O’Brien, Dominic Johnsonand the Live Art Development Agencydiscuss Live Art within academic institutions and what it means to teach a radical arts practice. They focus on the way in which the MA Live Art at Queen Mary UniversityofLondon and the Live Art Development Agencyteach Live Art, opening up wider questions around educationand experimental arts practices.

AZEEMA: Anti-Art School: on decolonisation and identity

The Raphael Cartoons

20.15

Discuss decolonising art schools and education in this panel talk led by AZEEMA. Joining them to explore themes of identity, inclusivity and personal experiences are Shahidha Bari, Danah Abdulla, Jannat Hussein and Shades of Noir. @azeemamag azeemamag.com

Action Lab

Learning Centre, Seminar Room 5

From 20.30

Please note, these performances contain nudity and sensitive material

Join the QMUL/LADA MA Live Art students as they perform actions in response to the spaces and collections at the V&A. Experience an exhibition of separate durational performances, sharing a space with one anothe

download the full programme