Local Children Learn the Benefits of Speaking a Different Language

Words by Amillah Javed

Sharples School Science Specialist College pupils.
L-R Katy Partington, teacher Miss Collins, Valisha Patel, Sara Yucuf, Rachael Essaid, Bethany Kally, Nadia Valli, Jake Smith, Jordan Ellis and language teacher Erika Frame

ON Monday 17^th, Tuesday 18^th and Wednesday 19^th December 2012 Manchester Metropolitan University introduced the Modern Foreign Language as an Option (MFLO) days which ware part of MMU’s Schools Outreach programme.

Enthusiastic and passionate year 8 and 9 students from local schools were given the opportunity to study and understand the benefits of a modern foreign language. The day revolved around four popular languages: French, Italian, Spanish and German and were presented using interactive resources.

Ivan Hay, the Widening Participation Assistant at MMU said “The overall day has been reflective of the attitude of students and schools that have come in over the three days. We had around ninety four students on the first day, seventy eight on the second day and eighty three students today from all over Greater Manchester. So a wide range of students were engaged from widening participation cohorts."

Pupils Jake Smith, Jordan Ellis and Bryce Gormler brush up on their language skills

The schools that attended on Wednesday 19^th December were Sharples School Science Specialist College from Bolton, Stockport Academy, Whalley Range High School and Manchester Academy. They had the opportunity to improve their language skills which they already study, taste a new language and engage in quizzes, competitions and games with a chance to win prizes at the end. They also received information regarding the benefits of studying a language at GCSE level and beyond from confident, university language ambassadors.

Lucy O’Grady, a Spanish Ambassador at MMU said “Apart from the free food I really enjoyed teaching enthusiastic and polite students who were engaged and ready to get involved in the sessions. I will definitely do it again if I got the opportunity. Although languages are not for everyone, the students still made an effort and took part.”

The MFLO days are targeted and designed for pupils in year 8 and 9 just before they decide their GCSE options so that they can experience and expand their knowledge of languages.

Jake Smith from Sharples Secondary School said “It was really, really fun today and I enjoyed the Italian speaking most of all because I have never done it before. I study German and Spanish at school and I will definitely attend another Taster day at MMU.” Valisha Patel from Sharples Secondary School added “I study Spanish at school but I really enjoyed the Italian speaking today.”

L-R, Sara Yucuf, Rachael Essaid, Valisha Patel and Katy Partington

Ivan Hay further said “The three days have gone smoothly and in 6 months’ time we will be looking forward to doing this again. Other events taking place later in the year include the creative writing events which will take place in the Z-arts Centre and Business Enterprise Day which is also very interactive. It’s been a good three days and we hope that we have inspired young students to consider languages at MMU in the future. Our language ambassadors have also done well and the reputation of the event that Peter Riley of MMU has put together has definitely improved.”

These days are funded as part of MMU's commitment to Widening Participation and so are targeted at schools in Greater Manchester where pupils do not traditionally progress to univeristy

University Professor changes our perception of Fictional Africa

Naturalism, Humanitarianism and the Fiction of War

Words by Graham Murray

Professor Eleni Coundouriotis of the University of Connecticut

ELENI COUNDOURIOTIS provided a fascinating talk centred on war novels in post-colonial Africa. The talk took place on the Monday evening 10^thDecember and was the third event in the humanities strand of this year’s research series for the Humanities. The professor of English from the University of Connecticut, addressed her talk around themes of naturalism, the discourse of humanitarianism and western perspectives on war in Africa. Her talk encompassed many of the humanities, incorporating elements of English literature & language, as well as politics and history.

Coundouriotis began the talk discussing humanitarian law. In this, she deliberated the issue surrounding the definition of war, given the fact it has no legal definition. She described war as not defined by actions of war, but by the actors of war. Beyond this, she spoke of humanitarianism in general – how it naturally takes the side of victims, and how “the discourse of humanitarianism is fundamentally a discourse of surrogacy”.

She turned her attention following this to the African war novel, identifying the fact that war had always been a present theme in African novels. She was also quick to point out how African war novels often challenge stereotypes of Africa being conflict ridden and dysfunctional. The talk focussed much on humanitarian narratives in these novels, and the so-called “politics of pity”. This means to say how the reader sympathises with the plight of the novel’s protagonists – yet it also distances them.

Coundouriotis identified four main motifs that heighten the impression an African war novel forms a distinct literary tradition – the ‘Song of my Country’, the male warrior as war personified, the ordeal in the forest and the perennial landscape.

               

Berthold Schoene, MMU professor of English and director of the Institute for Humanities and Social Science Research remarked that:

“The work of Professor Coundouriotis highlights the significant interplay within the Humanities between sociological research (human rights and their abuse around the world) and art (the literature of war in Africa).  Her analysis of war novels, and the role they play in “witnessing”, brings to life how Humanities research has the capacity to deepen our understanding of global suffering and conflict.”

All in all, Coundouriotis presented an interesting notion of how the African war novel is able to display another side to Africa as a whole, and was an excellent specimen of how the humanities can be so interlinked as subjects.

To find out about more upcoming Humanities Research events, please click here and to register your attendance to any of these events please click here

It was All Write on Saturday Night!

Words by Claudia Conerney and Amillah Javed

On Saturday 8th December hundreds of children and their families descended on Manchester, many travelling from far afield as Aberdeen and Worcester. However, it wasn't just the lure of the X-Factor final that drew them to the city, but the annual All Writecelebration event, that took place at the Z-arts centre in Hulme.

All Write is a creative writing competition that provides budding writers, aged between 9 and 12, with the opportunity to produce original and imaginative stories, the best of which are selected for publication in an anthology.  All Write has been publishing poems and stories by more than 600 young writers since 2005. 

Kay Tew, the competition’s organiser and director of the Manchester Children’s Book Festival, is really excited by this year’s collection, “there is a huge amount of young talent out there and the standard of competition entries just seems to get better and better each year.”

There was standing room only in the Z-arts’ studio as everyone squeezed in to hear Iris Feindt, Noel Fagan, Emily Birch and Helen Sea (graduates from the Manchester Writing School and authors of the very successful Animal Stew) announced this year’s winners. Judging by the many smiles that beamed around the room, it was clear that the children were delighted to have published authors celebrate their achievements.

Lydia Edwards

One winner was Lydia Edwards from the Royal Grammar School in Worcester, who received tremendous praise for her story The Journey. As she collected her award and her copy of the anthology, Lydia told us: “my story was inspired by a visit to my grandmother, who lives in Devon. It was a very long car journey because we got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam, but I decided to occupy the time by observing what was happening outside the window. I’m really grateful to that traffic jam because here I am, a year later, a published writer and a first prize-winner.” 

Safia Adia with big brother Yussuf

Yussuf Adia, from Ladybridge High School in Bolton won for his story, My Community, about a strange dystopian society where dogs play chess and babies have abnormal intelligence. Yussuf  “my favourite part has been winning. I wrote about things that I enjoy such as chess and dinosaurs.” Yusuf’s 7-year-old sister, Safia, looked on proudly as her big brother collected his award from the Manchester Writing School’s Iris Feindt. Not to be outshone, she informed us that she too will be entering in the future and plans to write about nature. 

Aoife Ronan from All Hallow’s Catholic High School in Macclesfield won with her poem, Dia Duitch, a celebration of the Gaelic language and culture. Aoife read her poem aloud to the audience, who responded with a thunderous applause.  

Klaudia Kawa

Another winner was Klaudia Kawa from St Peter’s High School in Gorton whose impressive poems, Nightfall and Leaves, evoke the work of Ezra Pound. She told us that it was “an honour to have my work published in the anthology, let alone to actually win. The competition has given me a lot of confidence and has inspired me to keep writing”. Klaudia’s English Teacher, Suzy Boardman, was very proud of her pupil; “I would like to congratulate all the winners but especially the twelve entrants from St. Peter's RC High School and our winner Klaudia. Well done!”  

Annabel Malkin

The 2012 All Write anthology features 40 of the best poems and stories from this year’s entrants. Among them is Annabel Malkin’s highly imaginative poem, Ten Things that a Mum would Never Say, which was inspired by a literacy lesson in school. Her poem provides an amusing and alternative take on parental discipline that will no doubt appeal to any child who wishes to get away with just about anything! Annabel from Queensgate Primary School in Bramhall was brimming with excitement, “I’ve really enjoyed today, it’s been absolutely great and I am so glad that I entered.” 

Mortan Fawns Williams

Mortan Fawns Williams, from Longdendale Community Language College in Hyde, who wrote a quirky and surreal story about rubber ducks taking over Manchester, was also delighted to have his story published and to discover that it was among first prize-winner, Lydia Edwards’, favourites.  “I really enjoyed writing my story because it allowed me to be imaginative,” he  said excitedly.

As the ceremony drew to a close, many children were already signing copies of their anthologies for friends and family, while others discussed their entries for next year. The 2012 All Write anthology is on sale now, priced at £5. You can purchase a copy from Amazon here.

Each of the winners receive an author visit to their school as well as the family tickets to Pinnochio, the Z-arts Christmas show. 

It certainly was a fabulous afternoon at the Z-arts, despite the rain and the cold, but it isn't over yet. We’re all off now to explore the Z-arts Mysteryland exhibition, a creative attempt to construct an adventure playground of the imagination for children and families. The exhibition is free and open to the public until Saturday 22^ndDecember and visitors are also encouraged to bring along children’s books for the Christmas book exchange. 

For further details please visit http://www.z-arts.org/events/mystery-land/

For further details about the 2013 All WriteCompetition for 9-12 year olds, please visit the website http://www.mcbf.org.uk

Bringing Festive Cheer to Local Competition Winners

Words by Kate Butler

FOR the last few weeks, budding wordsmiths from across Greater Manchester have been plucking inspiration from historical characters and events, for the local-themed competition, Postcards from Christmases Past.

In a spin-off from the on-going competition, Postcards from the Past, a panel of judges from MMU sifted through sacks of entries covering a variety of festive themes, eventually agreeing on six lucky winners, who were announced on Friday.

Winners

John Herbert, 54 from Rochdale, Patricia Brock, 73 from Salford, Joseph Noble, 10 from St. John Fisher R.C Primary School, Christine Penney, 45 from Stockport, Noreen Dermody, 56 from Stretford and William West aged 62 from Chorlton, impressed the judges with their well-written, imaginative and touching messages, which are soon to be featured in their local newspapers.

From school history projects to keen postcard collectors, each individual had their own reasons for entering the competition. Each postcard uniquely encapsulated the Christmas festivities, be it through a moving story passed down through family generations, a celebration of the thriving hat industry in Denton in 1872, or whilst seeking shelter during a terrifying Christmas Eve bombing raid in 1940.

Postcards from the Past

The winners will be automatically entered in the Postcards from the Past competition, a collaboration from the Manchester Children's Book Festival and the Manchester Literature Festival. It is free to enter and open to anyone from age 8 upwards. The competition invites participants to write a postcard from a real or fictional character, which can be from any chosen time in history.  Winners will get to have their postcards designed professionally and will receive 100 copies. The the deadline is 20^thJuly 2013, so start writing!

For more information, please visit: www.mcln.org.uk/postcards_competition.php

Once a country girl, now a city dweller - Kate Butler is an avid adventurer, aspiring food and travel writer, equestrian enthusiast, coffee lover and pudding fiend. Kate currently studies a Masters in Multimedia Journalism at MMU.

Queen Victoria Reigns Once Again

MMU Balloon Debate, Tuesday 4th December, 5pm, Geoffrey Manton Building.

Words by Graham Murray, photograph by Jason Cooke

QUEEN Victoria emerged victorious in the inaugural Humanities Languages and Social Science Balloon Debate, which was hailed as a great success. She overcame strong challenges from the likes of William Beveridge, Jane Addams, Martin Luther King and Hugo Chavez amongst others on the evening of Tuesday 4th December 2012.

In a ‘standing room only’ event in a buzzing Geoffrey Manton Atrium seven debaters stepped up to deliver their five minute statements: Daniel Kennelly from History, Rodrigue Mauambu from Politics, Hermione St. John Spiggott from Criminology, Max Igbon representing Sociology, Luci O’Grady from Languages, Jonathan Orrill from Public Services and Sara Collinson from English. 

After an audience vote, three finalists were selected for the final round: Max Igbon’s Jane Addams, Jonathan Orrill’s William Beveridge and Daniel Kennelly’s Queen Victoria, to enter into a question and answer session with the audience. 

Suffrage, sickness and sewage 

Max, a local student from Chorlton, had put forward a strong argument for 1931 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams, keen to stress her fight for women’s suffrage and changes in child labour laws. Jonathan’s increasingly confident performance remarked on the achievements of the 1942 Beveridge Report, most notably the NHS, and the five evils that Beveridge set out to destroy. Daniel was relaxed, confident and witty on stage, pointing to Victoria giving the vote to more than a million working class men, creation of London Sewage system and the achievements between her and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. 

Tricky questions

The Q&A session provided some difficult questions for the finalists, including questions on Victoria’s role in the British Empire, what Sir Beveridge would think of today’s NHS, and why Addams was not a household name, despite her historical importance. All finalists navigated the question and answer stage with tact and good humour, clearly showing their enthusiasm and respect for their chosen figure. 

The three finalists all ended with a closing statement, with Max arguing that Addam’s 'impact had left a footprint today'. Daniel pointed to the fact Victoria is known around the world and oversaw the establishment of many civic systems and structures we still use today. Jonathan contended that Beveridge’s legacy was the most lasting, pointing to Victoria’s British Empire: "God Save the Queen? Yeah thanks for that," he said. 

'Embodiment of Britishness'

Daniel finished first, with Max coming a close second, and Jonathan third. Following the debate, all three said that despite the fact this was all their first time in debate, they would all love to do it again. The winner, Daniel Kennelly, remarked that he had chosen Queen Victoria as he saw her as the, “embodiment of Britishness”. 

Wonderful 

In an interview with Dr Janet Mather, who helped organise the event, she says: 

"It was wonderful to see so many people - staff and students - coming together for the     first ever Faculty event. I was immensely impressed by the quality of the champions' presentations, and also by the level of audience participation. In particular, it made me realise how proud we should be of our discipline. The champions had selected a wide range of people that had made extremely valuable contributions to the good of humanity - and all of them represented at least one aspect of humanities and social science. Without the kind of teaching carried out in the Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, these contributions would be undervalued and the world would be the poorer for it. May I express my admiration of the Dean, Dr Sharon Handley, too, as the first Dean to recognise the importance of engaging the staff and students throughout the Faculty in joint initiatives and being prepared to give so much support to this first one."

A Fantastic Evening with Carol Ann Duffy

Words by Sophie Bannister

Image by stagedoor flickr

MMU Creative Writing students did The Manchester Writing School proud when they performed their poetry alongside Carol Ann Duffy at the Royal Exchange theatre on Tuesday 4th December 2012.

Carly Hind, Charmain Leung, Kim Moore and David Tait, all current or former MA Creative Writing students at MMU, read their own poetry for a 100-strong audience at the Carol Ann Duffy and Friends event, guest starring Jackie Kay. The event, they said, was, ‘wonderful for us as students because we get the opportunity to read with the great and good, and we get the opportunity to share our work.’

The night consisted of two halves; the first was all about the students showcasing their extremely varied talents--Carly's work was dark and a little cheeky with themes such as Shakespeare’s dark lady, immortal jellyfish and blindness, capturing the audience’s attention well. Next was Charmain, whose work is beautifully descriptive. She focuses much more on people, emotions and experience, with excellent and appealing results. Kim, who read last, won the Eric Gregory award in 2011. Her poetry took on a more comical approach and the group sitting next to me were positively doubled over with laughter at her wit and bluntness.

David Tait, also an MMU graduate, is the Royal Exchange’s house poet and read a couple of his own poems at the beginning of the night’s second half, which were received with both laughter and quiet contemplation. Next up were the stars of the night. Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay were powerfully engaging, soaking up the atmosphere and performing to the mood of the audience. We heard all about Carol Ann’s conflict with the GCSE exam board, her grumbles about the post office and her love of Liverpool. Jackie Kay spoke about her family and her friends, who are obviously exceedingly important to her. She shared fond memories and put certain things to rest, all whilst letting her personality shine through.

The MMU Writing School is represented in all its glory by both Carol Ann and these students, and we can see how well the school caters for upcoming writers. David Tait said that fellow students on his MA course, ‘improved their distinctive personal voice rather than adapting it to a certain style, and that it’s a testament to the tutors that teach [on the course],’ This was most definitely proved on the night.

The evening was thoroughly entertaining, and everybody left with a smile on their face. Monday 7^th January 2013 will be eagerly awaited as the next date for a night of poetry and music at the Royal Exchange Theatre. To book, click here

Local Author’s Novel Is More Than Just Fantasy

Words by Neil Harrison.

Author A.J. Dalton with his latest book at Manchester Metropolitan University

One of Britain’s leading fantasy authors has paid a visit to Manchester Metropolitan University to discuss his latest novel and his on-going book tour.

 A. J. Dalton has lived in Sale since 2003 and has taught creative writing at both MMU and The University of Manchester. He is currently holding book signings across the region to promote his latest novel “Empire of the Saviours.”

The author describes the book as “an epic fantasy,” in which “a young boy unleashes pagan magic, before going on the run pursued by heroes, saints and saviours in an oppressive religious regime. It’s autobiographical, obviously” he adds, only half-jokingly.

He admits drawing upon his own youthful experiences in writing the book, which is set to be the first of a trilogy, saying “it has a ‘rites of passage’ element to it, which is a universal story.”

Despite coining the term ‘metaphysical fantasy’ to describe his own sub-genre, the author contests “at the end of the day, fantasy is fantasy. If it has a good human story it doesn’t matter what you call it.”

Released earlier this year, Empire of the Saviours has seen the writer at book signings “pretty much every week.” He believes it is part of his job as an author “to be able to talk to the customers about the genre and to be enthusiastic about fantasy.”  

A.J. Dalton will be signing copies of his book at Waterstones Warrington on Saturday 8^th December. Empire of the Saviours is available for Kindle on Amazon. For more information visit ajdalton.eu

Historical figures set to face-off in debate

Tuesday, 4th December, Geoffrey Manton Building; Martin Luther King versus Hugo  Chavez in humanities event

Words by Graham Murray

EVER wondered what would happen if Martin Luther King went head-to-head with Hugo Chavez or Queen Victoria sparred with her contemporary Elizabeth Fry? The Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences Balloon debate could be your opportunity to find out. The debate is set to take place at 5pm on Tuesday, 4 December, in the atrium of the Geoffrey Manton building.

The debate is a celebration of the humanities as an academic field, demonstrating the diversity and ingenuity of historical figures of the humanities. Staff, students and alumni are needed to support their subject. The debate winner will receive an iPad and there will be refreshments, spot prizes and a raffle for audience members. 

Students from criminology, history, languages, philosophy, politics, public services and sociology will battle it out, representing an historical figure that best represents their field.

Audience vote

During the debate itself, each representative will be given five minutes to put forward their case as to why they should stay in the balloon. The audience, equipped with “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” style handsets, will then elect three figures to enter into the second round.

The second round will comprise of a question and answer session, with the audience given the opportunity to put forward questions to the speakers.  In the final round, speakers will make their final statements before handing over to the audience, who will decide the winner.

One of the organisers, Dr Janet Mather, Programme Leader BA (Hons) Politics, said: “I hope that it will show that the Faculty’s students have a keen awareness of the values of a Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, and the interconnectedness of the disciplines that make up that faculty”.

She added: “I am hoping that they will show that they can go beyond the concepts of their own particular discipline into the wider world of humanities and social science and that they can display the essential skills of communication, argument and presentation – again necessary in the world of increasing competitiveness in employment.”