Show and Tell is a series of TED-talk style events where speakers from the arts, humanities and creative industries tell their stories at Queen Mary University of London.
Group sessions with top academics from Queen Mary will look at key A-level English and Drama texts and concepts to help with your revision. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
The philosopher mediating alone in his study is a cliché of western
culture. But behind the hackneyed image lies a long history of
controversy. Was solitude the ‘school of genius’, as Edward Gibbon
claimed, or did it breed irrationalism, dogmatism and melancholy, as Dr
Johnson and others insisted? In the 1730s David Hume suffered a
breakdown which he attributed to his solitary philosophising; three
decades later, in a much-publicised quarrel with Jean-Jacques
Rousseau,Hume attacked Rousseau’s reclusiveness as ‘savage’,
‘bestial’,the mark of an ‘arrant madman’. A life of lone thought was
pathological: a judgement that still finds echoes in present-day
concerns about social isolation and loneliness.
UK/EU PhD applicants have the opportunity to apply for London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) studentships as well as Queen Mary Principal’s Studentships (QMPS) but the deadlines differ.
Please see below for useful information from Dr Rehana Ahmed (Director of Research) or email sed-research@qmul.ac.uk.
London Arts
and Humanities Partnership (LAHP):
Home and EU students who wish to be considered for AHRC funding must apply directly to LAHP. International students are not eligible to apply.
There are two LAHP routes: the CDA (Collaborative Doctoral Award) and the ‘open competition’ route.
Prospective supervisors apply to the CDA route (the deadline for CDA applications is 3 December 2018).
Potential candidates for the LAHP open competition will need to make an application directly to LAHP. This will open for applications on 26 November 2018. The deadline is 28 January 2019.
Candidates must also apply for a place to study at their home institution by 18 January 2019. The nominated primary supervisor will be required to submit a statement of support in addition to the application form, and supporting statements must be received by 4 February 2019 in order for applications to be considered.
If you’d like further information and guidance about the responsibilities of academic supervisors, the LAHP is running an information session on 26 November, 1-2 pm, Room 243, Senate House. You can register via this Google Form
QM Principal’s
Studentships (QMPS):
As in previous years, the College is also running the QMPS round, although with a reduced number of studentships available across HSS (down from 20 to 18 across HSS, we think – but it is not impossible that this number will be reduced further).
Home, EU and international applicants are all eligible to apply. The deadline for applications to QM is 31 January 2019. All applications received by this deadline are automatically considered for QMPS.
SED can make a set number of nominations; these are written and submitted by the Directors of Graduate Studies (for English and for Drama). There’s no need for a supporting statement from supervisors – but we may ask you for information or similar to help with the nominations.
English Reader Dr Nadia Valman’s article on her project celebrating the diverse history of the London Hospital, The Last of The London has been published today on Spitalfields Life.
Welcome to our January newsletter. We wish you all the best for 2019 and look forward to seeing our students and staff from next week when semester 2 begins.
Photo from Winter graduation 2018 in December
JAN 15
11 days left to apply to study with us Study English, Creative Writing, Drama all with a year abroad. Courses start this September 2019.
Show and Tell is back for 2019 every Wednesday in February with a diverse line up of inspiring speakers from the arts, humanities and creative industries.
The Inaugural Lecture of Professor Barbara Taylor – Philosophical Solitude ArtsTwo Lecture Theatre, Queen Mary University of london Tuesday 26 February 2019, 6.30pm The philosopher mediating alone in his study is a cliché of western culture. But behind the hackneyed image lies a long history of controversy. Was solitude the ‘school of genius’, as Edward Gibbon claimed, or did it breed irrationalism, dogmatism and melancholy, as Dr Johnson and others insisted? In the 1730s David Hume suffered a breakdown which he attributed to his solitary philosophising; three decades later, in a much-publicised quarrel with Jean-Jacques Rousseau,Hume attacked Rousseau’s reclusiveness as ‘savage’, ‘bestial’, the mark of an ‘arrant madman’. A life of lone thought was pathological: a judgement that still finds echoes in present-day concerns about social isolation and loneliness.
Barbara Taylor is Professor of Humanities at Queen Mary, based in the Schools of History and English and Drama. She is currently leading a 4-year project, ‘Pathologies of Solitude,18th – 21st C’, funded by the Wellcome Trust. Read more
This paper will discuss the relationship between word and image in early modern England, focusing in particular on the ways in which books were conceptualized within religious discourse as variously text, object and image, suggesting that the dialogue about and between these different forms offers important insights into the evolution of religious culture in an era of reform. Download poster
Travelling Queer People’s History Show – Scratch PerformanceQueen Mary University of London Saturday 19 January 2019, 6pm The Travelling Queer People’s History Show takes the audience on a startling journey underneath the foundations of some of Britain’s biggest galleries to uncover a hidden history of queer prisoners, prisons and penal colonies.
English Postgraduate Research Seminar 2019ArtsOne lecture Theatre Queen Mary University of London Thursday 17 + 31 January, 14 + 28 February, 14 + 28 March and 23 May 2019, 6pm Our groundbreaking postgraduate research seminar continues with a wide range of speakers in 2019.
News
Harriet Baker (English PhD) has won The Tony Lothian Prize for Rural Hours: Interwar Female Writers project. Read more here
Nadia Valman (English) spoke at the Museum of Liverpool about using digital technology to unlock layers of heritage.
Tiffany Watt-Smith (Drama) from Queen Mary’s School of English and Drama has been awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize to begin work on a new project exploring the cultural history of sleep. Read more
Opportunities & Competition
OPEN CALL: EcoFutures: Queer, Feminist and Decolonial Responses to Ecological and Environmental Changes” (4-19 April 2019) Read more
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE WORK EXPERIENCE: Work experience applications open on 8 January. Information here
18c FELLOWSHIP: The Queen Mary Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies, in conjunction wit the British Society for Eighteenth-Century StudiesShort-Term Early-Career Visiting Fellowship 2018-19. Deadline: 17 January 2019
To enter simply email us your photo sed-web@qmul.ac.uk or use the hashtag #SED2019 and tag us on Instagram or Twitter. The photo theme could be themed around: winter wonderland style scene a highlight from your festive break books you’re looking forward to reading in 2019 performances you’re looking forward to in 2019 Photo above ‘Bushey Park’ by Matthew Mauger (photographer and Senior Lecturer in English and e-Strategy Manager at QMUL)
To enter simply email us your photo sed-web@qmul.ac.uk or use the hashtag #SED2019 and tag us on Instagram or Twitter. The photo theme could be themed around:
winter wonderland style scene
a highlight from your festive break
books you’re looking forward to reading in 2019
performances you’re looking forward to in 2019
Competition is open until 31 January 2019 at 17:00 GMT.
Photo above ‘Bushey Park’ by Matthew Mauger (photographer and Senior Lecturer in English and e-Strategy Manager at QMUL)
The evening promises to be entertaining and relaxed. Speakers will each deliver a TED-style talk, and these will be followed by a chance for guests to ask questions, before the evening ends with socialising and networking over refreshments.
Show and Tell runs on the evenings of the 6, 13, 20 and 27 February 2019, taking place between 18:00 and 20:00 at the ArtsOne Building on the Mile End Road of Queen Mary’s Mile End campus.
Everyone is welcome from sixth-form students, new QMUL freshers, alumni, school teachers, researchers and anyone who has a general interest in the arts and humanities.
If you have any questions or would like to register a group please email: showandtell@qmul.ac.uk
Sadly you missed…
Wednesday 6 February 2019
Kayla MacQuarrie: Stand-up comedian who recently performed her award-winning show Traumatised at Soho Theatre.
Matti Ryan: Matti Ryan is a performance artist, impresario and the manager of Overlock, a new mixed-arts venue in Hackney.
Giulia Casalini from Arts Feminism Queer (also known as CUNTemporary) is a non-profit, volunteer-run arts organisation that aims to strengthen collaboration and solidarity between queer, feminist and decolonial communities across the fields of academia, culture, activism, grassroots organisations and social policy makers.
Charlotte Dinkin: Stand-up comedian, director, and creative communications consultant. She recently directed Olga Koch’s Edinburgh show Fight, for which Olga was nominated for best newcomer. She’s also just completed an MA in Psychoanalysis.
Wednesday 13 February 2019
Sufiya Ahmed: Sufiya has worked in advertising and in the House of Commons, but is now a full-time author. In 2010 Sufiya set up the BIBI Foundation, a non-profit organisation, to arrange visits to the Houses of Parliament for diverse and underprivileged school children.
Alana Buckley: Alana has worked in the events industry for over 10 years, beginning her career in heritage venues including the Imperial War Museum and St Paul’s Cathedral before transitioning onto catering. She has been heading up the events team at London-based street food company KERB since 2015.
Charlotta Salmi: Lecturer in Postcolonial and Global Literature at Queen Mary with research involving: Postcolonial Literature and Theory; Graphic Narratives; Literary Form; Conflict and protest literature; Borders and the state.
Magda Oldziejewska: Activist, independent researcher and blogger, as well as fundraising coordinator and management collective member at the Feminist Library.
Maria Oshodi / Kumiko Mendl: Maria Oshodi is a freelance writer and Artistic Director and CEO of Extant, Britains leading professional performing arts company of visually impaired artists. Kumiko Mendl is Artistic Director of the UK’s award winning British East Asian Theatre Company, Yellow Earth.
Wednesday 20 February 2019
Kit Redstone: Award winning writer (Testosterone). Artistic director of Vacuum Theatre and hot tempered, belligerent short-arse trans man who wears a lot of jewellery.
Ben Walters: Writer, producer, programmer, critic and activist living in London. Ben is a PhD student at Queen Mary interested in queer fun, cabaret and homemade mutant hope machines — or how participatory performance practices can materialise better worlds for marginalised people.
Kemah Bob (BBC3, The Guilty Feminist) a stand-up comedian, writer, improviser, and drag king from Texas now based in London.
Jorge Lopes Ramos: London-based artist, curator and producer working in the intersection between art, technology and games. Co-founder and director of East London venue G.A.S. Station (Games and Arts Stratford) and theatre/digital arts company ZU-UK (Brazil/UK), Jorge also works as Senior Lecturer at University of East London since 2009.
Dr Martin Welton: Reader (Academic Teaching at QMUL) in Drama at Queen Mary researching Movement and the senses in relation to the theory and practice of contemporary performance.
Wednesday 27 February 2019
Professor Jerry Brotton: Professor of Renaissance Studies and author of ‘This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World’
Nurull Islam (QMUL fellow): (QMUL fellow): Nurull Islam is one of the Co Founders of Mile End Community Project ( MCP ). A multi-award winning film and media organization with a commitment to helping young people recognise their potential. MCP engages young people through creative learning opportunities, such as peer-led film making, art, and media projects.
Moa Johansson: Moa Johansson (UK/SWE) is a performance artist whose work occupies the space between performance installation, live art, and dance. Her practice investigates theories concerning the body, space, subjectivity and communication in the context of an intersectional, ecofeminist and queer reading. www.mojocompany.org
Dr Nisha Ramayya: Nisha Ramayya is a poet and lecturer in Creative Writing at Queen Mary, University of London.
Katherine Igoe-Ewer: is the award-winning The Yard Theatre‘s producer for local projects.
Please note all speakers appearances are subject to change
Students and staff can feel low at any time of year including the festive period where everyone else can seem to be happy.
If you’re not feeling yourself there’s no shame in asking for help and talking about how you feel.
Help at Queen Mary
Big White Wall
Big White Wall offers unlimited, 24/7 accessible online support – you can connect with peers, chat online to clinicians, use self-help resources, join groups or take self-assessments. Lots of students at lots of universities find it an incredibly helpful resource. It is also completely confidential and staff at the university cannot see what you are writing or sharing.
Queen Mary has a dedicated network of Mental Health First Aiders who are trained in listening non-judgmentally and helping you find the support you may need.
In the School of English and Drama:
Rupert Dannreuther
Bridget Escolme
Suzi Lewis
If none of these people are available please consult the building based list here. You can talk to any of the Mental Health First Aiders in confidence.
QMUL Advice and Counselling Service
Specialist and confidential advice and support for welfare, financial, emotional and psychological issues.
Samaritans: Samaritans offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal.
NHS 111: Get access to trained medical professionals on the phone. They can also arrange emergency appointments out of hours for example.
Tower Hamlets Mental Health Line: 24 hour mental health crisis line has been launched by the Trust to support people living and working in Tower Hamlets.
The Haven (Sexual Assault Centre): The Havens are specialist centres in London for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted.
“You may well know this already, but this is just to let you know that there will be a Year One End of Term Party, Thursday 13th December 4-6pm, ArtsOne foyer. There will be nice nibbles, and good cheer, and it’ll be a chance to celebrate the conclusion of your first semester at Queen Mary.
Wishing you a happy week 12, and hope to see you on Thursday.” Rachael Gilmour, Head of English.
PGRS PhD Panel and Literary Quiz |Thursday 13 December | 5.15pm | ArtsOne Lecture Theatre and SCR Bar
In a change to the usual format, we will be welcoming two current PhD students and members of last year’s PGRS committee to give papers on their research. We will then be heading over to the Senior Common Room Bar for a special Christmas quiz.
Our speakers are:
Di Beddow: The Cambridge of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath
Danny Rhodes: Yeats’s Missing Ghosts: Hauntings and Materialisations in the Radium Age.
Harriet Baker, Will Burgess, Hannah Donovan, Charlotte McCallum, Charlie Pullen, Julie Tanner, Frith Taylor, Vincenzo Torromacco, Alice Wickenden
Watch this space for details or follow us on Twitter @QMEnglishPGRS
‘Our monthly variety night where you can perform anything you want!
We welcome anyone and everyone to join us for a night of singing, dancing, poetry, spoken word, comedy, and any other talents! If you would like to watch, all that is required is small donation (50p upwards) which will be given to charity.
Hari Marini (Drama and Admin Team) is presenting her video work Spirals 7th International Video Poetry Festival which takes place in Athens on 14-15 December.
Spirals is a poetic journey that crosses geographical borders and unites European female voices in an exchange of languages, cultures, personal narratives and modes of expression. Through the symbol of the spiral, the project explores thresholds, migration, path, nature, home and sense of belonging; the spiral acts as a sign of becoming, transforming and awareness. Poems written by contemporary female poets, recorded material, music and movement are part of a series of performances, photography and video-work. Women create and walk on spirals in a variety of places, such as London, Broadstairs, Coventry, Barcelona, Athens and Belgrade. Hari Marini – PartSuspended (UK) (www.partsuspended.com/)
Andy has just graduated from Kings with a BA in English and lands a job with Miranda Priestly, the most wickedest dragon lady in all of East London fashion! She quickly finds herself struggling with the job, no thanks to her so called “friends” Avocado & Toast, her boyfriend Nate, and Emily “Blunt Cunt” Charlton. Luckily for her, Fairy Nigel is just around the corner, to give her a transformation that could just about change her life.
Expect bad jokes and panto chaos in QMTC’s adaptation of one of the greatest films ever made.
8th and 9th December 7pm in the Pinter Studio, ArtsOne
Get your pen and paper ready for an evening of playwriting!
This workshop is designed for writers of all abilities – those who have written hundreds of plays, those who need advice, and those who have never written before. We will do a few exercises to generate ideas, create characters, and will have the chance to get some scenes up on their feet. Just in time for the New Writers Festival pitch night…
4th December 7pm in ArtsOne Lecture Theatre
NEW WRITERS FESTIVAL PITCH NIGHT
Calling all playwrights!
Have you written a play or plan to write one over the Winter break? Then come and pitch it for our next festival! Our New Writers’ Festival is a chance to put on any work you’ve written of any kind in a professional and friendly environment. Come along and pitch it to QMTC members and be proud of your creation, or listen to all of our pitches and vote for your favourite!
12th December 6.30pm in the Pinter Studio, ArtsOne
Celebrate the holidays QMTC-style with our Christmas Quiz 🎅 Round up a group of six friends, relatives or unwitting strangers, brush up on your trivia, and get ready to have some fun!
Our monthly variety night where you can perform anything you want!
We welcome anyone and everyone to join us for a night of singing, dancing, poetry, spoken word, comedy, and any other talents! If you would to perform, please send a message to the Slappin Da Bass Facebook page linked below. If you would like to watch, all that is required is small donation (50p upwards) which will be given to charity.
We now guarantee accommodation to all first-year undergraduate students and foundation students that meet our eligibility criteria, regardless of whether they live in London or not.
Students who meet our eligibility criteria will be guaranteed a place in a Queen Mary hall of residence, or with one of our partner providers.
This is fantastic news for students who live in London but still would like to gain a more complete university experience by living away from home.
Eligibility Criteria:
To qualify for our accommodation guarantee students must meet the following criteria:
Be a new, full-time registered student at Queen Mary, who has not lived in a Queen Mary residence before
Firmly accept their offer to study in London and apply for accommodation by 31st May 2019
Be prepared to sign an agreement for a full academic year, at least for the period of September to June
Talia Jacob (2nd year English student) is the Social Media and Marketing Executive of the QMUL Fashion Society.
We caught up with her to talk about her collection for LUMFS (London Universities’ Modest Fashion Show), which was then featured in the UJS (Union of Jewish Students’) Incubator Exhibition, and the QMUL Visual Arts Collective at the Hundred Years Gallery in Hoxton.
Pic credits: The photographer Gabe Moore and the model in the picture below is Aselya Nurlan.
Tell us about your work in fashion. What do you make and how did you start in the industry?
I did an Art Foundation Diploma in Fashion Design a few years ago. It didn’t involve much construction work though. It pretty much just reminded me that you can achieve any creative goal that you set your mind to. I mostly just knit now, although I do know how to use a sewing machine. A couple of years ago, I asked my mum to teach me the basics of knitting. Many YouTube videos later, I was making wearable gifts for all of my cousins. One of which was featured in the QMUL Visual Arts Collective and LUMFS (London Universities’ Modest Fashion Show). I also recently bought a knitting machine to help speed up the process. Once I’ve learnt how to use it, I’ll be able to make knitted garments much more quickly.
Who or what inspires you to work in fashion?
Although they’re two totally separate industries, costuming in film massively inspired me to get into Fashion. Watching films is a really accessible way to get a close look at some beautifully designed clothes in a short period of time. There are a lot of offbeat films that I’m consistently inspired by to this day (no matter how many times I watch them!). A couple of examples would be “Dangerous Beauty” (1998) and The Thing Called Love (1993).
I’m the Social Media & Marketing Manager for QMUL Fashion Society. So I’m the person in charge of all of our social media accounts, and our online marketing strategy. I’m also responsible for all of our physical (non-electronic) promotion. Those posters that you’ve been seeing around around campus, for the fashion show “Fashioned by Nature”, were designed by me.
Our committee is mostly collaborative though, and I’ve had the opportunity to do a bit of everything. I ran a knitting workshop, and brought in a speaker for next week (Hannah Rafter, Founder and Editor of The Intern 24/7). She’s going to be amazing!
Our Queen Mary student company Stage 3 won “Best Educational Event” at the Srebrenica Awards last night for their tour of interactive performances and discussions about the UK’s treatment of immigrants and refugees.
Listen, chat and network with recent QM SED graduates and discover what they are doing with their degrees. Our guests are doing different things often beyond what you might expect… what will you do with your degree? Drinks & Snacks will be served.
Come along for an entertaining evening and discover opportunities in a range of possible careers… a few years ago, our guests were just like you! This is a fantastic opportunity to get some insider tips on starting out in a career.
Our guests will all talk about what they do and answer your questions:
Anna Matheson – Senior Features Writer, ‘Closer’ & ‘Bella’, Bauer Media Group
Kate Turner – Media & Public Affairs Manager, FIA Foundation
Claudia Catelin – EU & Trade Analyst, Institute of Directors
Danniella Hart – English Teacher, Harris City Academy
Natalie Jaaskelainen – Publishing Project Manager, Dennis Publishing
Nilufa Yasmin – Development Manager, QMUL
4 out of the 7 guests have also gained a Masters since graduating from QM, we will also explore what they did & why… perfect if you are considering a Masters before making any career decisions.
Panel and Literary Quiz | Thursday 13 December | 5.15pm | ArtsOne Lecture Theatre and SCR Bar
