The Demon Crew - into reality

There were at least eight of them in the room. They sat nervously biting their lips, watching us take off our coats and settle into our seats.

These are some of the final-year Creative Writing undergraduates. We’re here to see their poems, their stories and anecdotes. They’re here to show us their hard work, as they prepare to take their work as writers out into the real world.

Each piece of work was a delight to listen to. It was great to see each author and how happy they were with each piece of work. The event had an excitable charge to it, with the audience and speakers all eager to hear what would come next.

My favourite poem of the event was called ‘An Average Life’. It was witty, clever and totally unexpected.

I will definitely be going back next year.


Annabel Easton

"A house full of snakes and scorpions"

As an ex-history student, I still have a passion for history, especially episodes that are often ignored in history lessons.   Matt Carr's talk, which drew on research for his recent book, enlightened his audience about the attempt to purge Muslims and their descendants from Spain in the early 17th century.  

 

This illustrated talk most surely delivered. Matt began by giving general information about the beginning of the purge, before going into detail as to why it happened, and the aftermath of the events.  One of the most shocking quotes from the talk was the contemporary Spanish description of the purge as "the agreeable holocaust."  There was nothing agreeable about the sudden uprooting of families who had lived in Spain for generations - and many didn't reach the beaches of  North Africa where the survivors of the purge were dumped.

 

Hearing the story of the arrival of the Spanish inquisition in modern-day Leicester was an enlightening yet disturbing experience, and it lived up and exceeded all my expectations.

Corey Bedford

"because I could"

Manda Scott faced the question every author is asked, "Why did you start writing?".  But the writer of three book series (Kellen Stewart, Boudica, and Rome) gave an answer that surprised us all.  She simply said "Because I could."
 

I expected a talk on how to write novels but the range of Manda's conversation with lecturer Gary Day surprised me.  She was funny but also discussed the spiritual side of her work (she's a shamanist) as well as the unconscious misogyny of male readers, who tend to choose books with male or gender-neutral authors' names.  For her latest series, Manda has become M.C. Scott.  

 

It was a lovely talk.  Manda answered every question openly and directly.  She also stayed behind to sign books and allowed me to take her picture.

 

Corey Bedford

Not sure about the dark, but Jasper will certainly enlighten you about comedy

Yes, that's right. Illustrious comedian Jasper Carrott is coming to Cultural Exchanges, and he's talking about British stand-up and his career.  The interviewer is the one and only Geoff Rowe, director of Dave's Comedy festival.

Surprisingly, there are a few tickets left, for a steal of £5 (£3 if you're a DMU Student!).

 

But an hour doesn't seem long enough. With a career in comedy beginning in 1975, Jasper has amassed a large number of tours, television shows, and television appearances throughout the years, not to mention the 288 episodes of Golden Balls he presented.

 

Jasper's appearance, at 7pm on Tuesday 26th February, should be in the timetable of anyone who appreciates classic British stand-up.

 

Caution: Be prepared to laugh.

 

Corey Bedford