When history touches us now

It’s not every day you go into a talk learning about a part of history that you have never heard of before or never learnt about in school. Not knowing what to expect, I sat and listened with open ears. 

 Matthew Carr’s book, Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain covers a particular time and place in Spanish history, looking at the expulsion of Muslims in Spain near the beginning of the 1600s and how Spaniards of Muslim descent - even though most were at least nominally Christian - were given three days to leave Spanish Territory with the threat of death.Carr also touched on the way Muslims were seen at that time, what happened to them, what their communities were like, King Philip III of Spain and his choices, the wars that were surrounding Spain as well as a closer look on Islam and Christianity. 

The whole talk was very detailed and there was a lot of information to absorb. Ideas were relevant to the way we see religion now, which I feel is especially important. 

When understanding other people’s culture in the past and their way of living, we realise how lucky we are to live in a city with a variety of different cultures and identities where we can work and play together, in a place where we do not have to fight to be free. 


Dayle Corbin

Expectations met

Even before the event, I had high expectations of the work that was going to be presented to us. I expected creative pieces that illustrated the individual’s distinct style of writing and a great expression of ideas.

I am happy to say that those expectations were met. Pieces of work became performances as James G. Laws combined word with movement in one of his poems, making the work both effective and memorable. 

Laurie Cusack read the opening of a short story, giving a sense of identity to his characters through his strong accent, the words spoken and changes in dynamics, allowing us to glimpse of their personalities. 

I thought the joint performance of Richard Byrt and Graham Norman rather smart. It played on the idea of a reliable and an unreliable narrator - and also demonstrated that poetry doesn’t have to be a writing process for just one, but can be a collaborative effort for two. 

Other pieces were just as good. I mustn't forget Hannah Stevens' reading of her short story, 'A Man Under', about the immediate after-effects of a suicide. 

All in all, it was delightful to see such a variety of pieces and range of voices.  I hope the authors enjoyed the occasion as much as the audience did.

Dayle Corbin

When technology tells a story

What interests me about video games is how the technology helps us as storytellers.

The International Games Festival at Cultural Exchanges inlcudes a day devoted to Creative Technologies and Immersive Experiences on 28th February, Thursday.  I hope it will answer some of my questions. Will gaming technology open up new ways or possibilities to tell stories? Will it make the experience much more immersive than it already is? How can writers like me approach this?

 

Much as I love games, if I don't care about the story, I'm likely to be disappointed.

The PlayStation 4, a new games console, was announced last night and regardless of how amazed I was at the graphics, I felt that even if you have these elements, you need a story that will back it up and do it well.

Saying that, I'm very interested in stories that are illustrated in different genres, in different cultures, that could improve my own writing and help me find ideas that I might like to use for myself.

Ideas and concepts used in poetry, the dialogue of scriptwriting, and story-telling in art and music all interest me. And these are things you can use not only in video games, but elsewhere.

Dayle Corbin