Roman Road Trust has launched their Crowdfund London to transform The Common Room into a fully-functional learning facility for the local community. Our alumna Rosie Vincent is the Director of the trust.
The Common Room is a temporary structure first built in 2014 in an un-loved corner of Roman Road. For the past six years, Roman Road Trust and Public Works have been testing out different uses for The Common Room to discover the needs and desires of local people.
The Common Room has been used by the local community for more than 50 events, workshops, and activities. It has become clear that local people are seeking a dedicated space to share their knowledge and skills with others.
However, The Common Room can only be used for
short periods during warm summer weather; the roof leaks, the floor is
slippery when wet, and it is too cold in the winter. It is clear the
structure needs to be transformed to enable Learning and Cultural
Programmes to be delivered throughout the year.
Roman Road Trust
is raising funds through the Mayor of London’s Crowdfund London to
transform the existing structure. The Common Room will need new roofing,
flooring, front extension, storage, and toilet.
Rosie Vincent, Director of Roman Road Trust says
‘This is a chance for the local community to come together to make something amazing happen in Roman Road. The Common Room is known and has been used by many local people and organisations over the years. It is now time for The Common Room to become what it truly deserves to be’
‘If we have enough support
from the local community, then the Mayor of London will pledge up to
£50k towards our project. But we have to first prove The Common Room is
something the community want through gaining pledges from local people
and organisations.’
Once The Common Room is built, Roman Road
Trust and Public Works will plan a Learning Programme that will begin by
focusing on sustaining healthy high streets and providing training in
Community Organising to local groups. Cultural Programmes will be
planned in collaboration with local institutions to reflect our diverse
local community. The programmes offered in The Common Room will
continually evolve to suit the needs, desires, and interests of local
people.
Lois Weaver (Drama) will host a Long Table on Queer Spaces & Anti-Capitalist Resistance in Brighton as part of New Queers on the Block Weekender.
Oozing Gloop (Drama graduate) will present The Gloop Show episode 2 on the same day. Karis Shearer Archiving Performance and Feminist Close Listening 12 Feb, QMUL (Graduate Centre GC202 3-5pm) Karis will be speaking about archival work and its hidden aspects, in a discussion informed by the methodology of ‘feminist close listening’. All staff and postgraduate students especially welcome for further information please contact Howard Finn at h.j.finn@qmul.ac.uk.
Vote for your favourite SED couple in this dance special organised in aid of Domestic Violence UK including special guest judge Janette Manrara (Strictly Come Dancing).
Charlote Byrne (English/Comparative Literature) will be launching her Young Adult novel on Tuesday 3 March. Details here
Josh Fraser (English student) reveals all about the English society for Cub magazine. Read the piece
Saramarie Harvie (English student) hosted and curated Show and Tell #11 with a fantastic panel of speakers including: Sumaya Kassim Writer and Researcher (The Museum Will Not Be Decolonised) presenting inspiring intersectional mini talks.
Jen Harvie (Drama) has given a presentation on Genderqueering Time, Ageing and Relationships, with Split Britches at the
Save the date – 28 March: ‘Festival Economies: Sustaining Creative Communities of Practice’ will look at the economic impact and value of festivals with panel discussions on Outdoor Arts, Fringe, Carnival, and showcasing findings from our QMUL Centre for the Creative and Cultural Economy‘s mapping of the Durga Puja in West Bengal.Follow Network on Twitter for announcements
Keen to explore a career in teaching but unsure of the route to take? Join us for an exciting panel featuring multiple teaching providers. This event will give you the opportunity to hear from recent graduates, recruitment staff and senior staff who will tell you about their training programs, recruitment processes, the types of opportunities available and what it’s like to work for them. There will be an opportunity for informal networking and Q&A with the representatives. Confirmed providers include: Ark Teacher Training Department of Education – Train to Teach Burnt Mill Academy Trust St Mary’s University Teach First The Thinking Schools Academy Trust
Looking for an LGBT+ friendly employer, not sure where to begin? Join us as part of the Students’ Union LGBT+ History Month and ahead of the Pride Careers Fair to find out the key aspects to look for when searching for the right employer to begin your career journey. Hear from a panel who will give invaluable advice and talk about their personal experiences.
Topics will include:
How to identify a supportive employer How to come out at work and the benefits How to build a network What LGBT+ students have to offer
We’ll be hearing from:
Triona Desmond – lesbian co-parent and Senior Chartered Trade Mark Attorney at Pinsent Masons LLP. Sal Morton (he/they) – a queer artsperson and senior researcher and content writer for career guide Chambers Student. Daniel Nasr – diversity & inclusion specialist for the charity and international development sectors, currently leading on Unicef’s inclusion strategy in the U.K. Dr Lipi Begum– senior fashion and sustainability lecturer and researcher for the University of the Arts London. Kenneth Pritchard– gay public affairs and strategic communications professional for the Post Office.
Timings for the event will be as follows: 16:00-17:00 Panel conversation 17:00-17:30 Audience Q&A 17:30-18:00 Chit chat
Interested in the Media sector? Journalism? Publishing? Theatre? Radio? Join us to explore a variety of industries and roles. Learn why these roles are realistic to pursue and how to secure a position in your chosen sector. You will hear from professionals who will talk about their personal experience of the sector and give you top tips along the way! Come prepared with some questions and be ready to do some valuable networking.
Confirmed representatives include (with more to follow!):
PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) is a global
professional services firm operating in 157 countries and employing 276,000
staff in 100s of different roles advising businesses on areas including
audit, tax, legal, consultancy, climate change, human resources, risk, deals
and many more. They are really interested in employing graduates studying
Humanities and in fact already do employ a number of QM Humanities alumni.
Ashley O’Connell, a recruiter at PwC, is
coming to talk about why a global business such as PwC is interested in you,
what skills do you have that are valuable to a business like theirs, what kind
of opportunities exist, why these are good roles for Humanities students, what
they look for in students, what kind of activities they value that you get
involved in and how Humanities students can do well in recruitment.
Ashley is flying over from the Channel
Islands and will talk about opportunities in both London and the Channel
Islands including, graduate jobs, summer internships and insight
programmes. N.B. There are still vacancies for 2020 graduates to start in
the Channel Islands this summer.
If you are curious as to what you have to
offer a big business operating in any sector, this is a great chance to
understand how to market your degree in a way that makes you relevant and to
get top tips and insights from a business recruiter.
Finding deadlines and time-management overwhelming? Requiring academic support and guidance from undergraduate students? PASS is here to help!
PASS
(Peer-Assisted Study Support) is a mentoring scheme which is run by students
for students, specifically first-year students who have a keen interest in
gaining academic advice from upper-year undergraduate students. PASS is firmly
established in 14 departments at Queen Mary, including the English and Drama
department. Mentors at PASS offer invaluable and comprehensive help to
students, which has proven to benefit students moving onto their final years at
university.
For
English PASS, most of the sessions which run on a weekly basis are orientated
around upcoming assignments and assisting students with queries related to
academia. I think this scheme is a great opportunity for first-year
students to consolidate their learning by discussing their queries or
interests.
For
more information about PASS feel free to email the links below:
Dominic Johnson is a Professor of Performance and Visual Culture in our department of Drama. In his profile below, he discusses his research which engages with LGBTQIA+ histories and practices, his work with living artists and his connection with the Pathology Museum.
How long have you worked at Queen Mary?
I’ve been at Queen Mary as a permanent member of staff since 2006. I worked
here for a year before that whilst I was finishing my PhD at the Courtauld
Institute of Art on the artist Jack Smith,
who was a pioneer in queer theatre and performance art in New York in the 60s
and 70s.
Could you tell us about your involvement in LGBT+ History month?
My research engages with LGBTQIA+
histories and practices. I’ve been documenting and historicising the
relationship between performance and visual culture and sexual practices and
sexual identities. I’ve been looking at artists who identify as LGBTQIA+ and whose
work is critical to histories of sexuality and sexual practices. An
example of this is working on an artist who uses S&M practices in his work
and thinking about the ethics and politics of trafficking a sexual practice
into a performance.
I’ve also examined how representations of sexual practices invite contact
with the law. For example, in my book,Unlimited Action: The Performance of Extremity in
the 1970s, there is a chapter on Genesis P-Orridge
who was arrested and convicted for indecency for producing and disseminating
collages featuring the Queen and commercially-produced pornography.
Describe your average day/week
I teach the bulk of the week so I am busy with my students. I set up and
convene the MA
Live Art and I also run postgraduate taught programmes in Drama.
I also do research, which might include working directly with artists for
example through studio visits, as well as work in archives and arts
organisations. I’m a co-founder of the Sexual Cultures Research Group
and we have put on some really exciting events. I’m also on the board of
directors of the Live Art
Development Agency.
In July I’ll be taking over as Head of Drama, so that will be a big change.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I enjoy working with students, especially the MA students as they really
focus in on their aspirations. Teaching works best when it is an active
co-creation of knowledge. When a class goes well, you go in and propose
something you haven’t fully articulated and through the process of presenting
and discussing it, something profound might come about.
I feel really privileged as a researcher as I get to work with and spend
time with artists. For example, I recently worked with the artist Skip Arnold in Marseilles. It was really
exciting to spend time with an artist who has been making important work for a
really long time and to collaborate together: we ended up organising an event
together in London at the Live Art Development Agency – I’m also publishing a
journal article on his work later this year. I find that exciting, thrilling
and joyful. I’ve had similar encounters with a lot of different artists and I
get to see performances all around the world: I recently went on research trips
to Mexico City, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
What do you see as your role in helping the University achieve its
Strategy 2030?
The key strategies in, but also around, the published one have to be about
continuing to increase Widening Participation. Universities such as this one
need to encourage diversity – especially in terms of race and ability – amongst
its staff and students. The other strategy I had a hand in shaping was the Arts
and Culture Strategy, which runs until 2022 and is about encouraging
wellbeing through the arts, enabling access to the arts, and how it enhances
life for all students – and not just those studying courses in the arts and
humanities.
What’s your favourite place on any of our campuses?
My favourite place is the Pathology
Museum. I’ve done a few events with Carla
Valentine, the Assistant Curator, including giving a lecture, and taking
students there on a second year drama module to learn about the archives. I’ve
been working with the Queen Mary archives to acquire live art collections. We
have recently acquired archives for Ian
Hinchliffe and Jon
John. Jon John’s archive includes huge amounts of blood-covered canvases,
piercing instruments, and other surprising materials that remind me of
the specialist artefacts in the Pathology Museum.
If you could tell a prospective student one thing about Queen Mary,
what would it be?
It’s in the East End and that is really crucial. It is such a rich and
diverse environment. Everything is on our doorstep, especially in terms of
performance and live art. You can go to the Whitechapel Gallery down the
road and access gems such as Live
Art Development Agency in Bethnal Green, Toynbee Studios in Aldgate, and Acme Studios across the Mile End Park.
Do you have any unusual hobbies, pastimes outside of work?
I box at a gym called Blok in Clapton twice a week. I’ve been boxing for a
couple of years. I just went to a class one day and totally loved it and I feel
like it’s great to do a form of exercise where you are constantly learning – at
the same time it clears your mind so intensely of all the things I otherwise
have to worry about. It feels deeply primal.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
I published a book in 2015 called The Art of Living which included long
interviews with 14 artists or groups. I would invite them because the
conversations I had with them were totally thrilling and enjoyable. Three of
them have passed away since – each of them were friends – so it would be really
nice to talk to them again.
This interview was originally published on our staff website Connected.
See a free epic CLIMATE CHANGE art exhibition at Mile End Arts Pavilion: The exhibition will showcase the work of emerging
artists and designers alongside protest artefacts, exploring the
immediate challenges of the climate crisis and beyond, to the new way of
living. Throughout the exhibition there will be a range of associated events,
talks and workshops from organisations such as Women’s Environmental
Network, Client Earth and Extinction Rebellion as well as from featured
artists.
Applicants who wish to be considered for an AHRC-funded studentship must apply directly to the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP). The deadline for applications to LAHP is January 31.. Only home and EU applicants are eligible to apply for AHRC funding.
Candidates
who apply to Queen Mary before 19
January 2020 will
automatically be entered for the Queen Mary Principal’s Studentships (QMPS).
Home, EU and international applicants are eligible for the QMPS scheme.
BAME Studentships for UK/EU
candidates
We
encourage applicants from BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) groups who
have been previously under-represented in this process.
For
2020 entry, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences will be offering two
fully funded doctoral studentships (tuition fees and stipend of £17,009 per
year, or £8,505 part-time) to UK or EU applicants from a BAME background.
Awards are tenable for up to three years. Applications will also be considered
from students who are currently in the first year of a full-time PhD programme,
or the first two years of a part-time programme.
To
be eligible to apply for these studentships you must be UK or EU permanent
residents from a BAME background, and eligible to pay home/EU student fees.
Candidates
for the BAME studentships must make
an additional application to be considered for these awards. This will consist
of:
Your
ID number from your application to a PhD programme at QMUL
Diversity
monitoring information (via a questionnaire)
A
short statement of no more than 500 words detailing the challenges you have
experienced pursuing your research.
All
these elements should be entered or uploaded to an online application
tool administered by QMUL’s Doctoral College, by 1700 on19 January 2020.
Studying Drama might not seem like the obvious choice to start a sustainable career. But don’t worry the skills you can develop with a Drama degree are priceless and can help you to get into a career you love.
Skills you will develop
1. Creativity: Develop your creative side as you come up with ideas, arguments and projects while you study with us. Useful for: problem-solving, leading projects, researching new topics.
2. Critical Thinking & Writing: Make informed arguments verbally and in writing with skill.Useful for: analysis of text and data in many career areas, writing reports, writing copy for advertising, creating content.Useful for becoming: a lawyer, journalist, entrepreneur.
3. Confidence: Build assertiveness and stand up for what you believe in through the confidence our courses can give you. Useful for:public speaking, acting/performing, presenting ideas in any job.
4. Understanding Social Justice & Cultural History: Theatre and performance doesn’t exist in a vacuum and can be used for activism, education and heath. Useful for: working in care, NGOs, health and education settings such as been a drama teacher.
5. Teamwork & Project Management: Our courses feature collaborative working practices and lots of independent work so you can practice creating your own projects and research ideas with the support of your peers and our tutors. Useful for: creating a theatre company, directing, developing scripts and ideas and managing people.
2. THEATRE PRODUCER – Karl Taylor works as an independent producer for top alternative theatre legends including Scottee, Lucy McCormick and many more.
3. TECHNICAL MANAGER –James Dawson works for innovative warehouse performance space The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick.
4. SOCIAL MEDIA – Anastasia Nichollworks on Brand Partnerships for TikTok.
5.USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER AND EXPERIENCE STRATEGIST – Rochelle Dancel has worked with Diageo (Malts), Disney, The Economist, Emirates Airline, Jack Daniel’s, Kellogg’s, Knight Frank, Kozel, Miller Genuine Draft, McDonald’s, MTV, National Rail, The National Trust, NHS BSA, Volkswagen and more.
Nadia Valman (English) continues her Leverhulme Research fellowship to produce the first literary history of east London – the site where key national questions such as social mobility, immigration, and urban regeneration are repeatedly contested.
Meet our Student of the Month! Rebecca tells us about her time at SED so far
Irish lady moves to London and now, does not sound so Irish anymore.
Tell us about your time at QMUL. What have been your highlights?
By far, my time at QM has been made incredible by the people. I know that I have met people here who will be my friends for the rest of my life. And that’s something you always hear will happen at university and hope it’s true! I’m very glad it became true for me. And it’s not just the people themselves, it’s the way they inspire me as well. The art that is being made here, particularly in the sense of theatre, is something I have never been exposed to before.
How has your course at Queen Mary helped you to progress into the world outside? What’s next?
My course has helped me in a lot of ways. Before coming here, I definitely saw myself as a strict theatre maker but I know now that’s not the case! Performance art is a whole new kind of theatre in itself that I have been exposed to through the Drama degree at Queen Mary and a kind of theatre that I find so compelling and thought provoking!
Aside from course content what have been your favourite elements of the experience of studying here as a whole? (societies/friends/community/values)
Definitely the Queen Mary Theatre Company. QMTC has been the highlight of my whole first year. I’ve been involved in it since the first festival in September and basically haven’t slowed down since then! The theatre being made in QMTC and the standard of student written work being produced there is just astounding. And the welcomeness and friendships I have made inside of QMTC are going to stick with me for life.
Tell us about your life outside Queen Mary including any projects, ambitions or jobs you’ve had.
Well, I’ve been involved in a bit of theatre outside QM. I performed in ACT 2, which is the new title for the London Student Drama Festival. That was incredible, because I got to do some great work with theatre people outside of QM. Expand my horizons, shall we say. I also worked with a fantastic company called SHITE Productions, which was making a play in a day. And I am working as FOH staff for Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds The Immersive Theatre Experience, also getting to be a standby for some of the acting roles. That opportunity has been an incredible one for me. There are so many opportunities for experiences in theatre outside QM – you just have go look!
What could be improved to enhance future students’ experience at Queen Mary?
I think less of a segregation between arts and sciences.
Our very own Jerry Brotton (English Professor) has advised on London’s Theatre of the East a new exhibition by Dr Johnson’s House and The Arab British Centre. The accompanying events programme includes: London’s Theatre of The East: Artists in Conversation Thursday 14 November 7pm featuring our very own Jerry Brotton.Irene at Dr Johnson’s House: Thursday 21 November 7pm featuring Pen Woods and our very own Drama students.
Told through one woman and a live DJ, with projected animation, STARS tells the story of a very… very old lady who goes into outer space… in search of her own orgasm. Isn’t that where all the orgasms go?A moving, sensitive yet funny, multi-sensory and transformative space odyssey to be made aesthetically accessible for all.
Reimagining Britain: Curating, Performing, Publishing, Reading Friday 8 November 2019, QMUL This one-day symposium will host a series of discussions about the current climate for artistic and cultural production in Britain. The four thematic strands are on English literature (in particular school and university curricula design), publishing, curating and performing.
An Island Full of Voices: Writing Britain Now – Wasafiri Saturday 9 November 2019, British Library Celebrate 35 years of Wasafiri the magazine of international contemporary writing with a day at British Library featuring writers including Bernadine Evaristo (2019 Booker Prize Winner) and Nikesh Shukla (The Good Immigrant editor and QMUL graduate).
Saleem Haddad’s first novel, Guapa, published in 2016, was awarded a Stonewall Honour and won the 2017 Polari First Book Prize. His short stories have been published in a number of anthologies, including most recently in the Palestinian science fiction anthology “Palestine +100”. Haddad was also selected as one of the top 100 Global Thinkers of 2016 by Foreign Policy Magazine. His directorial debut, Marco, premiered in March 2019 and was nominated for the Iris Prize for Best British Short. He is currently based in Lisbon.Saleem will be in conversation with Nadia Atia (QMUL).
Stephanie Newell will present a public lecture called:’ ‘Dirty’ Films in Colonial West Africa: Audience Responses to Health Propaganda Movies, 1930s-1950s’.
East meets west in this high octane dance-off with two titans from the dance world, IMD and Bolly Flex. This show fuses hip hop and Bollywood in four acts, The Greatest Bollywood Showman, The Real Avengers of the UK, The History of Hip Hop and Romeo and Juliet Remixed!
Exclusive tickets for QMUL students and friends, email: rsvp@bac.org.uk
We are Queens. And we don’t need you to crown us.’ Getting to the roots of intersections of race, class and gender and how they impact careers, for womxn in the media and creative industries.
The Guardian, Queen Mary University of London, Battersea Arts Centre and Omnibus Theatre unite to bring the themes around race and exclusion brought to light in Nouveau Riché’s Queens of Sheba, into the world of work.From racism towards BAME+ people to the lack of role models in many high-profile industries, this debut collaboration aims to open up discussion around the issues and give you insight into the organisations who desperately need a more diverse workforce.
Show and Tell #10 Wednesday 27 November, 6-8pm, QMUL Booking just opened!
The 10th edition includes some top guest speakers giving inspiring mini talks. Line up includes Neil Connolly (The Crystal Maze Experience), Nafisa Bakkar (Amaliah), Mzz Kimberley (Trans activist), Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley (QMUL alumnus) and Moj Taylor (Comedian). Open to all.
Mojisola Adebayo (Drama lecturer) has been awarded a 33 month Fellowship at Potsdam University for ‘White Climate: Afriquia Theatre Literatures and Agri/cultural Practices’.
Maggie Inchley (Drama)and Dr Sylvan Baker will lead The Verbatim Formula team working with its young people co-researchers to share young people’s experiences with MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.
Catherine Silverstone (Drama Reader) will speak at “Protest: Remembering Derek Jarman”, a seminar at IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art), which coincides with the opening of the exhibition, Derek Jarman. The exhibition is a major retrospective of the work of acclaimed British artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman (1942-1994), marking 25 years since his death. This is the first time that the diverse strands of his practice will be brought together in over 20 years.
Barbara Taylor (English and History Professor) appeared at Mental Health and the Georgian World: The ‘Madness’ of George III on 5 November. Lois Weaver (Drama Professor) has received a Centre for Public Engagement large grant for ‘Embodied Imagination: An Interactive Workshop for Stroke Survivors’. The project is a collaboration with Prof. Pat Healy (EECS) and Rosella Galindo (EECS) and together they will develop a series of interactive workshops for Stroke Support groups around England in partnership with the Stroke Association. Follow us on InstagramWhilst we try our hardest to make sure listings are accurate we recommend contacting the event organiser or registering before attending as mistakes can be made and we apologise for these.
If you have any news or events for next month please reply to this email.
We have ground-breaking events galore in our first semester of the 2019/20 year. Please do join us for collaborations with Southall Black Sisters, The Guardian and many more in-house events.
Jeanne-Marie Jackson-Awotwi (Johns Hopkins) & Rashmi Varma (Warwick) Chair: Andrew van der Vlies (QMUL) present a panel discussion on ‘The Postcolonial Novel of Ideas’.
The event will include: discounted copies of the book, a chance to discuss its core topics (neurodiversity, awkwardness, audience participation) using Daniel’s clunkily conceived Rong Table format and due to the date, fully non-commital/over-committed Halloween dress code will be optional.
This one-day symposium will host a series of discussions about the current climate for artistic and cultural production in Britain. The four thematic strands are on English literature (in particular school and university curricula design), publishing, curating and performing. The event brings together experts and practitioners who will share their experience of how these areas of the arts may or may not be changing, especially given ongoing agendas around inclusivity, diversity and ‘decolonising’.
Speakers include: Aditi Anand, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Natasha Bucknor, Elizabeth Cooper, Corinne Fowler, Rachael Gilmour, Nadia Yahya Hafedh, Anthony Joseph, Danuta Kean, Madhu Krishnan, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Malachi McIntosh, Rachael Minott and Jeremy Poynting.
The Sexual Cultures Research Group at QMUL: Saleem Haddad
Saleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City to an Iraqi-German
mother and a Palestinian-Lebanese father. His first novel, Guapa, published in 2016, was awarded a
Stonewall Honour and won the 2017 Polari First Book Prize. His short stories
have been published in a number of anthologies, including most recently in the
Palestinian science fiction anthology “Palestine +100”. Haddad was also
selected as one of the top 100 Global Thinkers of 2016 by Foreign Policy
Magazine. His directorial debut, Marco,
premiered in March 2019 and was nominated for the Iris Prize for Best British
Short. He is currently based in Lisbon.
Saleem will be in conversation with Nadia Atia (QMUL).
There will be an opportunity to buy copies of Guapa, which Saleem
is happy to sign on the day.
East meets west in this high octane dance-off with two titans from the dance world, IMD and Bolly Flex. This show fuses hip hop and Bollywood in four acts, The Greatest Bollywood Showman, The Real Avengers of the UK, The History of Hip Hop and Romeo and Juliet Remixed! Check out glittering examples of cinema’s great dance moves with breath-taking agility and dynamism at Queen Mary’s Great Hall. These tributes and stories use acrobatics and physical theatre and provide the perfect homecoming for both IMD’s Omar Ansah-Awuah and Bolly Flex’s Naz Choudhury to return to their east London roots. Special guest appearances will help ignite this energetic dance spectacular as a reminder that commonalities and differences between cultures can be celebrated in the most exhilarating ways!
A literary conversation between two groups of BAME women – published writers responding creatively to the stories of the SBS support group.
Launching an anthology of writings, Turning the Page, by the SBS Survivors’ Group
Southall
Black Sisters ends its 40th anniversary year with a unique evening,
crowning a year- long series of events to celebrate its survival and
reflect on its history. The anthology represents an intimate engagement,
a two-way literary conversation, between established writers and
emotionally vulnerable women who have found relief in writing about
their troubled lives.
The survivors’ group at Southall Black Sisters have spent six months writing their stories in the company of Rahila Gupta.
Jackie Kay, Moniza Alvi, Meena Kandasamy, Miss Yankey and Rahila Gupta
have written new work in response to the stories written by the SBS
women. Their new work will be published in the book and they will read
from this and other work alongside the SBS women. Imtiaz Dharker will also be performing at this event.
Be uplifted! Break your hearts and recommit yourself to the cause during the 16 days of activism against violence against women.
A Season of Bangla Drama is back in Tower Hamlets for another
month-long festival of British-Bengali theatre. It is now in its 17th
year and firmly established in the area’s cultural calendar and
includes a magnificent performance of East Side Story in our very own
Great Hall in The People’s Palace.
Nisha Ramayya is reading and speaking at New Suns which explores new and continuing debates in feminist approaches to technology. She will also be reading and speaking at: Exploring Poetry as Disruption (Sat 19 Oct – Southbank Centre) States of the Body Produced by Love (Fri 25 Oct – ICA)
In the first paper in our 2019/20 seminar series, Mark Lee from the University of Oxford explores devotional solitude through the lens of ‘religious insanity’ in the nineteenth century.
What role can literature play in combatting hostile environments? In a
new and exciting collaboration between Wasafiri and London’s Free Word
Centre, Roger Robinson, Winsome Pinnock, Inua Ellams and Bridget
Minamore join forces for readings and debate on writing and
resistance.
QUORUM Drama Research Seminar: Molly McPhee Wednesday 16 October 2019, QMUL Be sure to go to the next QUORUM entitled ‘Miasmatic Performance: Carceral Atmospherics in the Theatre of Clean Break’. Photo: Pests by Vivienne Franzmann. Photo by Jonathan Keenan.
How does philosophy contend with the mysterious and the inexplicable? Can it really be logic all the way down, or might rationality stand on something a little spookier? Our very own Nisha Ramayya is on hand to discuss at the Forum for Philosophy.
Decorating Dissidence, run by our very own Jade French and alumni Dr. Lottie Whalen, invite you to ‘WEAVE IT!’ an exhibition celebrating and challenging 100 years of the Bauhaus women’s weaving workshop. This exhibition considers the legacies of crafting and weaving from modernism to the contemporary, exhibiting textile practitioners who respond in different ways to the Bauhaus and beyond.
The launch night on 1st November will see performances by Rasia Kabir and SED’s Julie Rose Bower, with DJs and drinks. ONGOING
Join Read the Room every Wednesday (beginning 9 October) to gather together and fill the room with poetry. Each week we will read aloud work by a different poet or on a different theme, appreciating the culture of contemporary poetry and a collaborative environment.
Meet other poetry enthusiasts or casual readers, stay on top of poetry events, or just enjoy reading something new. Drop in or just come when you can, Read the Room aims to be an accessible space to have fun with poetry.
Daniel is dyspraxic and is too slow. Frauke has ADHD and is too quick. They are married and have kids.
Join the couple in the Meadowdrome, their fantastical escapist world. Together you will encounter awkwardly intimate interactive actions, strange dances, sweet and surreal songs, and other off-kilter “grown-up” activities.
This interactive show invites you to explore, converse and play within the neurodivergent realm Daniel and Frauke have created.
Launching an anthology of writings, Turning the Page, by the SBS Survivors’ Group: A literary conversation between two groups of BAME women – published writers responding creatively to the stories of the SBS support group.
Mojisola Adebayo will be presenting The Interrogation of Sandra Bland at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, in October, culminating in a performance by a huge chorus of black / women-of-colour on stage.
Pragya Dhital joined the English department in September as a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, with a project on proscribed political pamphlets in colonial India. During the summer she had two articles published: “From ‘Imam ul-Hind’ to Azizul Hind: The ‘One Man Media House’ in Modern India”, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 42:3, 452-468, DOI: 10.1080/00856401.2019.1596778 “Media satyagraha in the broadcast age: underground literature and populist politics during the Indian internal emergency of 1975–1977”, Interventions: Journal of Postcolonial Studies, 21: 7, 942-958, DOI: 10.1080/1369801X.2019.1585908
Michael Hughes (Creative Writing Lecturer)’s book is reviewed by The New York Times: ‘Hughes’s story proceeds at a breakneck cinematic pace, full of booby traps, double agents and arias promising gruesome revenge.’ Read the full review here
Eleni Sophia (aka English student Sophia Hussain) has published her third book ‘This One’s For You’. The poetry collection is about encouraging young women about the importance of self-love and provides words of encouragement for those going through a tough time.
In July, both Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian shared her poem ‘Her Mindset’ from my first poetry book, ‘Good Morning to Goodnight’ on their Snapchat and Instagram stories.
Susheila Nasta (English Professor) is has edited a collection called Brave New Words: The Power of Writing Now (Out 7 November) an anthology of essays by 15 world writers to celebrate 35 years of Wasafiri but also channels the hot political topics of today. It features work from Bernardine Evaristo, Tabish Khair, Blake Morrison, Mukoma wa Ngugi, Marina Warner and many more.
Pathologies of Solitude project has been awarded a ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ grant by the Wellcome Trust (£21,192) for a project addressing solitude and loneliness as aspects of migrant and refugee experience.
The 18-month project is led by Akshi Singh, postdoctoral fellow on the ‘Pathologies of Solitude’ project, and Nisha Ramayya ( Creative Writing Lecturer at QMUL), and is partnered by Akwaaba, an anti-racist migrant befriending centre in East London.
The project will support six creative arts workshops to be held at Akwaaba, facilitated by BME writers and other diverse artists. Its results will be disseminated through zines made with workshop participants, an exhibition and a public story-telling event.
People Palace Projects’Xingu Encounter has been nominated for a Times Higher Education award for ‘International Collaboration of the Year’. The project explores new ways to work with indigenous people in Brazil to preserve & protect their knowledge & culture.
Mahima Tyagi (English with Creative Writing student) has taken over the School of English and Drama Instagram.
Whilst we try our hardest to make sure listings are accurate we recommend contacting the event organiser or registering before attending as mistakes can be made and we apologise for these.
I am an artist and filmmaker developing my creative practice.
Tell us about your time at QMUL. What have been your highlights?
The highlight was a screening of my short film, ‘Introducing HALA’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Friday Late event in April 2019.
How has your course at Queen Mary helped you to progress into the world outside? What’s next?
I am half way through my MA in Live Art and have already had the chance to share my work with a wider public. The practical support I have received at Queen Mary University has helped me to promote my work on social media networks. Through QMUL I had the chance to screen my work at a major national museum which has given me the confidence to seek opportunities to share my work more widely.
Aside from course content what have been your favourite elements of the experience of studying here as a whole? (societies/friends/community/values)
Practical workshops have been very useful, in particular, the DIY Life Skills workshop on using Photoshop.
Tell us about your life outside Queen Mary including any projects, ambitions or jobs you’ve had.
The essay writing I have been doing as part of my MA has inspired me to write more and I am currently taking part in a collaborative writing project with other arts and humanities students.
What could be improved to enhance future students’ experience at Queen Mary?
More practical workshops on how to approach institutions with a view to sharing work and advice on writing applications for residencies.
We’ve just published staff profiles for our inspiring English and Drama Teaching Associates and Teaching Fellows who are working with our students this year.
Click the buttons below to get to know them better and find out about their specialisms.
