"Social media is a mirage"

Yesterday evening I attended an hour-long discussion with LGBTQ+ representative Munroe Bergdorf.

As a transgender homosexual woman, Bergdorf has much to tell us about her daily experience of navigating today's society. She talked of self-care and surviving whilst baing apart from the white, cisgendered, heterosexual 'elite'. I found her talk thought-provoking and incredibly powerful.

Many of us deal with our own struggles and Bergdorf made sure to make everyone feel included. The audience at her talk was "one of the most diverse I have ever spoken to," she said.

She covered a large variety of topics. The one that resonated most with me was her statement that "Social media is a mirage." This came during her discussion of her mental health and her teenage experience of body dysmorphia before she transitioned. It's so easy to be sucked into the lie that is 'Social Media', especially on apps where everyone's goal is to make their lives look flawless unlike their day-to-day reality. This has led many people unstable mental health. Some who I know have had to take deliberate breaks from social media to allow themselves to heal.

This topic seemed to really hit home with the majority of the audience, as the atmosphere in the lecture theatre was thick with personal reflection - as well as awe for Munroe Bergdorf.
 

Jordan Warwick

Postgrad pleasures

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting some PhD and MA students of creative writing and listening to some of their work.

What never ceases to amaze me is the many paths that creative writing can take you down. Despite studying together, each writer had a different style and purpose in writing.

Dave, for example, chose to write a humorous, graphic piece called 'Head Case', which while amusing to listen to, also gave depth to its core character.

Another student, Sabrina Smith, read some of her pieces from an external project which involves helping dementia patients by having them translate their memories into poems. One that I particularly enjoyed was one called 'Living Like Gypsies'. Very emotional and pleasant to listen to.

One of my lecturers, Zeandrick Oliver, read some of his work on his own memories of his migration to the UK. My favourite piece by him, and out of the all the readings was 'Street View'. It portrayed the memory beautifully.

Alicja Walendziak, also an MA student, read some pieces about some of her personal experiences as a Polish migrant and a few pieces about mental health. Out of all of them, my favourite was 'OCD's hand', because of how brave she was to write about something so personal and do it so well.

I enjoyed all the readings. The event has inspired me to try writing in different genres and styles.

So what's it like to be a writer?

The Cultural Exchanges Festival 2019 at De Montfort University has really given me a chance to explore my field as a writer. Today, I got an amazing opportunity to attend a talk with Nikesh Shukla, best known for being the editor of the best selling essay collection The Good Immigrant.

Not only was I honoured to be there and hear the discussion which he had with Mahsuda Snaith, (prize winning author of The Things We Thought We Knew) but I was also inspired by the
journey which he took us on.

I began to realise that being a writer is not only all about focusing on writing books. I already knew that being a writer can be really tiring. But Nikesh's speech about all the things that pull him away from being a writer was quite incredible. I realised how often we disregard the little things in life which we take for granted. It's only when we need a break, that we realize how valuable those little things are.

This wasn't just a good experience for me. It also encouraged me to proceed further in my writing career. The Cultural Exchanges Festival has proved a great source of inspiration for me and for others.

E J Manso Henriques

Inpsired to write - and to read all night

Chilling, creepy and utterly captivating.

Helen Marshall, a writer and poet originally from Canada, entranced the room with details about her life and her writing. In a talk that ranged from her journey to the UK to the relationship between herself and her sister, she told us how those events have inspired her work.

Within the short hour we attendees had with her, Marshall explored her life with writing, including how she first began writing poetry at the age of five in her back garden. She also read excerpts from two of her books; The Migration and Gifts For The One Who Comes After. 

The Migration, her newest novel, took inspiration from the bond that Marshall has with her sister and the journey they have been on together, much like the characters in the novel. 

Gifts For The One Who Comes After, a collection of short stories, features 'twisted surrealities' that delve into mythology and childhood imagination. The story which Marshall read to us was 'The Hanging Game', which explored how games we played as children could provide some very real terror.

Helen Marshall's talk at the Cultural Exchanges Festival this year was an nspiring evening that left me itching to get back to my own writing. 

Yes I bought her book of short stories, and yes I spent all night reading it.
 

Megan Greene

Stepping into 'Weird Fiction'

Yesterday, during Helen Marshall's reading, I stepped into the world of 'weird fiction' and was instantly captivated.

Being a fan of darker literature myself, I was curious to see how Helen approached the writing process and see if I could pick up new writing techniques. She went on to speak about the relationship between memories and her writing.

"Memories are something that we've lived through, something that we've buried in the back of our mind. Mine have often found their way into both my poetry and stories."

While writing using memory is something I've done before, the way memories and pieces of mythology were woven

into her work was mind-blowing to listen to during her reading of 'The Hanging Game' and an extract from The Migration.

She also spoke about her fascination with weird fiction.

"Weird fiction exists in the gaps of science-fiction, horror, and fantasy and is often experimental. Reading it, to me, feels like you've just got into an elevator, then it drops and your stomach lurches. It's this darker side of fiction that I find interesting."

Hearing the feeling she gets out of writing and reading weird fiction has been inspiring to me and I cannot wait to take what I have learned from her and apply it to my own work now and in the future. 


Leah Watts

Joining the Demon Crew

It doesn't feel quite right to review one's own work.

I'd originally booked to attend the Demon Crew event so that I could hear other other undergraduate students reading from their work. Then, last week, one of my tutors suggested I migth take part. 

I settled on a performance piece I've worked with before. It's based on a typical writing day and deals with my habit of procrastination. This ended up being the opening piece, and reading to an audience without looking for feedback is pretty daunting. It doesn't get any easier, regardless of audience size or whether or not I'm dressed as a cowboy (that's another story - a long one).

Other pieces included excerpts from science fiction stories, poems on numerous topics (whether abusive relationships or reading), and even a scene from a screenplay. It was great to see the variety of readings, and I commend my peers for also having the courage to share their work that way.


Andrew Roberts

Inspired by the Demon Crew

Run by undergraduate students and tutors at the heart of the Creative Writing department, the Demon Crew event felt both homemade and wholesome.

This was my first Cultural Exchanges event, so I went into it with an open mind, unsure of what to expect. The diverse group of writers sharing their work did not disappoint!

There was an eclectic mix of poetry, short fiction and script from a range of students studying different courses (creative writing, film, drama etc.), each with their own very distinct voices and charms.

Surely anyone surrounded by so many vibrant and passionate people would have to feel inspired. I left the event wanting to write my own pieces that so that I too can perform one day.

A. Culbert