Exhibition: Lancaster Past and Present

An exhibition of images and film from Lancaster district, spanning the last 100+ years. Mitchell & Kenon were Lancashire-based fim-makers at the turn of the 20th Century, making their mark by filming ordinary poeple at work and play in the towns and countryside of Lancashire. Some of their films were made right here, in Lancaster and Morecambe!

 

Date and Time:
Monday 14th April - Sunday 11th May 2014

Where:
The Dukes Gallery, Lancaster

Price:
FREE

Information:
email: jwilson@dukes-lancaster.org

Review of The Taming of The Shrew

Review of the recent performance of The Taming of The Shrew at Lancaster Castle in the LEP.

April Poets

Presenting the best of regional poetry, audiences are treated to a great atmosphere and stunningly good poets to listen to. The evening offers a few floor spots – first come first served on the night.


www.aprilpoets.org.uk

Location:The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH

Date: 10/04/2014

Time: 7.30PM Onwards

Cost: Tickets on the Door: £4/£2

Event Contact: 01524 62166

Oxfam Bookshop: Lancaster

Oxfam bookshop is not one that many would think to look first for a book they are searching for, or for when they are looking for a book for pleasure. This fantastic little shop is charity run with donations going directly to Oxfam. Not only is this a good cause but the selection of books the Oxfam shop has to offer is fantastic. The range of genre includes literature, cooking, classic, poetry and much more.

The Oxfam bookshop is perfect for students as the books sell at a much less price than what they may have retailed originally. It may not always have what you are looking for but regularly checking in to see what has come in new, you certainly can get some great finds! Another hidden gem in this bookshop is the collection of records that are also available for sale for the avid old school music lovers.

You can locate the Oxfam bookshops across the UK from the online website where you can also make a small donation to the Oxfam charity if you wish:
www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops

Address: 54 Penny Street, Lancaster, LA1 1XF
Phone: 01524 380478


"Oxfam is proud to be an authority on international development and humanitarian response. This website offers free access to over 3,300 publications - training manuals, research reports and policy briefs - based on our 70 years in the field, as well as programmer overviews, staff profiles and our practitioner blog,"  Oxfam, official website -  For full information on what Oxfam does: www.oxfam.org.uk

Waterstones: Lancaster's Main Bookshop

As students studying at the University of Cumbria and for most of you living in Lancaster, you will be aware that Waterstones is the main available bookshop in Lancaster. We are very fortunate that we have two Waterstones, one located on King Street, and one in the Marketgate shopping centre.

"Waterstones' mission is to be the leading bookseller on the high street and online providing customers the widest choice, great value and expert advice from a team of passionate about bookselling. Waterstones aims to interest and excite its customers and continually inspire people to read and engage in books," Waterstones, official website, www.waterstones.com

First established, and opening in 1982, Waterstones is one of the largest bookshops across the UK. You are sure to find whatever book you need whether it is for a selected module or if you simply wish to purchase something for your enjoyment. If you are unsure of what genre you are looking for or where to look within the shop, the staff are extremely helpful and will locate a specific book for you. If you cannot get the book you wish from the bookshops, there is always the online shop that ships throughout the UK, and that will include Lancaster! There is also an option available that allows you to have the book you want delivered to your local Waterstones if you do not want, or cannot have the book delivered to your home. 

Locally, the Waterstones do stock most of the books that are on your set reading lists for each module which will make the books more accessible for each of you!

Address Details and Contact:

8 King Street

Lancaster

0843 290 8435

01524 61477

4-6 Cornmarket, 

Marketgate

Lancaster

0843 290 8433

Student Services: Quest and JSTOR

When it comes to writing assignments, secondary resources are essential to write at university level and also to obtain the grade that you want. The library has a fantastic selection of books that are selected specifically to each individual module that you are taught, but as there are many students in each of the years, it can be competitive to get the selected books you need from the Library. Also, you should expand your secondary resources further than books in the library. Journals, eBooks and data that is provided online through systems like Quest and JSTOR.

Quest

Quest is a service that is brought to the students by the University of Cumbria Library. It is a fast search service that can quickly allow you to search and access all the journals, library catalogue and journals that the university has to offer.

The search process is easy. You simply search any key words or phrases you consider useful to a secondary resource you may need and you will be provided with results. From these you can save your results so it will allow you to refer back to them so no data is lost. This is service provides a wide range of secondary resources and will require you to check and read thoroughly through the information you access to ensure it is relevant to what you are writing your assignment on. 

Quest can be accessed here: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/search/basic?sid=39fb1745-2b7b-4dd0-ac39-9a861ede3899%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=101

JSTOR

JSTOR is an external system that is similar to Quest but it has access to a much wider range of information and resources. It was designed in 1995 especially for colleges and universities to ensure the widest possible access to resources for students. It works very similarly to Quest just as before, be sure to thoroughly research through any resources you select as they may not be relevant to what you are studying. 

JSTOR can be accessed here: http://www.jstor.org/action/showBasicSearch

Both services will require you to use your University of Cumbria login details to allow you to gain access to the information they provide. If you are unsure of your password and login detail you can contact the IT services that the University of Cumbria provide by emailing:  itservicedesk@cumbria.ac.uk

Prize Giving Event for the Andrea Pendlebury poetry prize and the Helen Clark prose prize

The event will be held on Wednesday 4th December, in the View, between 6-9pm.

The poetry winners: Alex McCauley, Helen Pye and the prose winner Hannah Tosh will be presented with their prizes and will read from their work. 

After this there will be an open mic session where people are invited to step up and read their own work. There will be some nibbles and a glass of wine or soft drink provided.

All English and Creative Writing students and staff are welcome, and would be lovely if we could all go and support our fellow students.

Twelfth Night - The Dukes

Filter Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company present 'Twelfth Night' at the Dukes, Lancaster.

'Filter Theatre return to The Dukes with their explosive take on Shakespeare’s lyrical Twelfth Night. This show played to sell out audiences last time it came to Lancaster, so book early to avoid missing out. Olivia’s melancholic, puritanical household clashes head on with Sir Toby’s insatiable appetite for drunken debauchery. Orsino’s relentless pursuit of Olivia and Malvolio’s extraordinary transformation typify the madness of love in Illyria: land of make-believe and illusion. This story of romance, satire and mistaken identity is crafted into one of the most exciting and accessible Shakespeare productions of recent years. Experience the madness of love in this heady world where riotous gig meets Shakespeare.'

The performances are schedules to start on Tuesday the 11th February 2014 to Saturday the 15th February 2014. The performance times are as follows:

Tuesday 11th Feb - 19:30

Wednesday 12th Feb - 14:00

Wednesday 12th Feb - 19:30

Thursday 13th Feb - 19:30

Friday 14th Feb - 19:30

Saturday 15th Feb - 14:00

Saturday 15th Feb - 19:30

Ticket prices range from £12.50 - £18.50 (concessions a further £2 off)

All tickets for the Matinees are £8.

If you book before the 10th January, you will recieve a £2 discount on each ticket.


Go to http://www.dukes-lancaster.org/book-tickets to book your tickets!

University of Cumbria Drama Production - Romeo & Juliet

The final year degree students studying Drama, will produce and perform 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster.

'Jealousy, betrayal, two families at war… Can true love conquer all?

Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare’s earliest and most performed plays, is the archetypal tale of two star-crossed lovers, whose young-love and tragic deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families.

Join us as we recreate the greatest love story of them all.'


Performance dates start on the 22nd January, and end on the 25th January. The performances start at 7.30pm.

Ticket prices for Friday and Saturday are £10 (£8 conc), and for Wednesday and Thursday are £8 (£6 conc).

University Services: Careers and Employability Service

One of the scariest things about being a third year is thinking about the future. It can sometimes be hard to see yourself in a career after so much time spent in education, and you might even need some direction as to what you would like to do as a career.

The Careers and Employability Service at the University of Cumbria are there to help! Whether it’s throughout your course to assist you with a long term plan or to help you find part-time work whilst you study – the careers service even offer help to students for up to three years after they graduate.

They are available online, by email, by phone and in person – and it really is very easy to get in touch. They use a number of social networks and online media sites to communicate and engage with students, staff and general public. You can find the links to these on the website, http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Support/Careers/Home.aspx.

The website also offers a job search facility, for both long term careers and part-time jobs. You can also find links on careers, courses and finding jobs at www.diigo.com/user/uoccareers

The Careers Service (like LiSS) offer 30 minutes appointments with an adviser. The adviser will discuss your requirements and may suggest that a follow-up appointment might be useful. You can make these appointments via the library front desk, or by emailing careers@cumbria.ac.uk (allow up to 5 working days for a response). You can find the opening times for the library via this link; http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Learning/Resources/Libraries/LancasterCampus.aspx.

It is also easy for students to get help finding part-time work – something which can make a big difference to a student. Having a part-time job not only increases your income, but it increases your skills and experience in the work place, allows you to meet new people and could even open some doors for your career after you graduate.

You can search for part time jobs in the local area at various places, including the Lancaster Guardian at www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/jobs.

All full and part time job vacancies and placements that the careers service think students would be interested in are advertised on the University’s Virtual Job Shop: http://cumbria.prospects.ac.uk/. If you register to this website you will receive regular emails about all types of work and placement opportunities including part time and summer holiday work as well as graduate opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.

If you would like to get involved on campus, Student Ambassadors help the university with marketing activities and outreach work – i.e. open days, Higher Education fairs etc – you can contact Louise Gray for more information on Louise.gray@cumbria.ac.uk.

You can email jobsandplacements@cumbria.ac.uk to receive their weekly Opportunities Knock Bulletin.

If you are looking to volunteer rather than gain employment, you can also get advice and links on the Careers website. To find out more about voluntary positions, and the roles available contact Emma at the University of Cumbria Students Union, emma.egglestone@cumbria.ac.uk or you can phone 01524 590 810. There are also helpful websites like www.ucsu.me and www.do-it.org.uk.

There is so much available on the Careers Service website, and it is a very helpful tool for all students, from first years to three years following graduation. The website is so easy to navigate, and everything you need is available, even if you cannot find what you are looking for there are contact details available, which make it even easier for you to find what you need. 

Just go to http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Support/Careers/Home.aspx to find out more.

University of Cumbria's English Society Presents: Open Mic Night

After a very successful first open mic night run by the English Society, they are holding another on the 27th November 2013.

The venue for the event is upstairs in Starbucks, on Market Street in Lancaster, and will be on 6-8pm, admission is free!

Hope to see you all there!!


For more information about the English Society, you can get in touch with them through their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Society-University-Of-Cumbria/253660334781253?fref=ts

Lancaster Litfest: Charlotte Kovac, an experience.

This year Lancaster’s very own ‘Litfest’ reached its 35^th year of bringing together a plethora of poets, performers, writers and readers and celebrating literature. The entirety of Litfest is run by a small, yet enthusiastic team made up of Andy Darby (artistic director), Dawn Diaz (finance officer), Maria Major (marketing manager) and Claire Dean (interim deputy director). Alongside these was an army of volunteers, of which this year, I happened to be one.

My volunteer duties were basic, helping with the box office and tickets sales, showing people to their seats and generally being on hand and helpful when needed. Although these tasks seem small, without volunteers performing them, the event wouldn’t run as smoothly or successfully. It’s also a great and easy way of gaining experience if you want to be involved in literature events in the future.

The biggest perk of volunteering at Litfest is being able to attend the event after. I helped out at the ‘Short Stories: Wide Horizons’ event where Alison Moore and Aamer Hussein coincidentally both read out short stories relating to swans. Moore’s short story ‘The Egg’ had a cold and eery tone that captivated the audience with nervous anticipation. The story revolved around a man’s special collection of bird’s eggs, and one egg that has allured him, but has yet to collect. Moore’s descriptions of various birds’ eggs were beautifully detailed and accurate; her writing is meticulous in every sense. The ending was dark, haunting and poignant, something the audience will remember for a long time.

Hussein’s short story entitled ‘The Swan’ showed just how varied two stories relating to the same thing can be. ‘The Swan’ is a love story, based around Hussein’s own real-life experiences. The swan, lovingly named ‘Satin’ is the catalyst of the entire story, the man and woman often go for walks in the park where Satin resides and develop an unspoken relationship. The story tells us of how the two people flit in and out of each other’s lives, and has an interesting and unique ending.

Litfest is a great way of interacting with writers, whether it’s enjoying old favourites or being introduced to something new, as I was with Moore and Hussein. Litfest has been running for a long time, and should keep running and be a part of Lancaster’s culture scene as it is now. I do however feel that Litfest could be improved if it had more involvement from students, such as holding an event for students to recite their own works, or have alumni from both universities come and read at the festival. Overall Litfest is a great experience to be a part of and I would urge everyone to attend next year’s event, whether it’s in the role of a volunteer or as a member of the audience.

April Poets: The Storey, Thursday 21st November, 7.30pm

April Poets:

poetry with a touch of class and a dash of music

Thursday 21st November, 7.30 pm

The Storey Auditorium

Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH

Jim Turner

prize-winning poet of remote and beautiful places

Jean Harrison

whose poems are episodes of acute attention to fragments of experience

Kim Moore

bridging the gap between feeling and utterance with a genuine lyric gift

Mike Barlow

a sinewy strength to image and line... from a strongly articulated voice

Music by the inimitable

Hymas&Lewis

a mix of spoken and sung voice, acoustic and electronic sound bringing you 'the expanse of ocean and confines of an onboard cabin'

(limited floor spots - first come first served)

Entrance: £4 or £2 unwaged

 http://www.aprilpoets.org.uk 

Student Services: LiSS

The Library can seem like a daunting place when you first step inside. There are different zones, and special codes for books, and it can sometimes seem like it’s going to be hard to find the resource you were looking for. However, the Library and Student Services (LiSS) at the University of Cumbria are there to make this experience very easy for you.

LiSS is responsible for libraries, information advice and guidance, employability and information and academic skills, student health and wellbeing and development. The learning advisers will always be eager to help you, and will always point you in the right direction - you can find them in the main lobby of the library.

What can LiSS do for you?

Although LiSS are there to assist students, it is very simple for students to access self-help resources, which are available online (at the University website) and on Blackboard. You can access these services anywhere, 24/7 and this has proven to be incredibly helpful.

- online learning materials – FAQs, tutorials, podcasts and guides – these are available on the website at: www.cumbria.ac.uk/skills

- dedicated subject resource web pages are available at:www.cumbria.ac.uk/subjectresources

- Quest, the easy to use online discovery tool will help students search the University's journal collections, bibliographic databases and library catalogue from one search box at: www.cumbria.ac.uk/quest

- online resources are also available on the skills@cumbria tab of the University’s Blackboard site including access to the online version of Cite Them Right and the Turnitin test area.

These are incredibly useful to students, especially when the library is closed – perfect for those late nights essay writing! The opening times for the library, should you need to speak to somebody in person are available at http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Learning/Resources/Libraries/LancasterCampus.aspx.

Students can also take part in group workshops – in liaison with course tutors – where the Learning Enhancement Advisers deliver skills development workshops, tailored to the subject discipline and level. You can request these workshops by emailing skills@cumbria.ac.uk.

You can also get individual advice and guidance (this is generally prioritised for students with specific identified needs, e.g. referral by tutor, borderline pass grades or reassessment). If you have accessed the online resources, and still don’t feel 100% about how to improve your grades, or want to discuss a specific issue you can arrange an appointment by either arranging an appointment at the LiSS desk in the library, or by emailing skills@cumbria.ac.uk. The initial appointment lasts 30 minutes, to determine priorities, next steps etc. This individual advice is available through face to face, telephone, email or virtual (e.g. Skype) appointments.

The Learning Advisers in LiSS have also created subject specific resources to assist students with learning. Follow this link, www.cumbria.ac.uk/subjectresources, and click on the relevant subject area. This will direct you to useful websites, news feeds, journals, books and e-resources.

To find out more about LiSS and the services they offer, please go to: http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/AboutUs/Services/LiSS/Home.aspx.

Alternatively, if you want to contact LiSS here are the contact details:
Tel: 01524 590871 (internal 5871)
Email: liss@cumbria.ac.uk

'A Christmas Carol' at The Dukes Theatre

The Dukes present their unique take on this seasonal classic. 

It's Christmas Eve in Lancaster and the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is looking forward to yet another night with perfect company: Himself. But little does he know of the fun and fantasy that fate has in store for him tonight...

When three spirits come knocking in turn, Scrooge must come face to face with the consequences of a lifetime of bitterness and discover the true meaning of Christmas in the process.

Charles Dickens' memorable story is given a proper Northern twist in an all new adaptation by Debbie Oates that is packed with songs, humour and plenty of Bah Humbug.

Price ranges from £5.00 - £16.50 for a ticket, and groups of five or more qualify for a new Friends & Family offer.

(The preview is on 29th November and all tickets are £5.00)

The play will be run from Fri 29 Nov 2013 to Sat 4 Jan 2014. 

For more information and booking go to http://www.dukes-lancaster.org/christmas.

Jane Lumley's Iphigenia, November 2013 at Lancaster Castle

 

A performance of 'The Tragedie of Euripedes called Iphigeneia' will be on at Lancaster Castle from the 19th-21st November 2013 at 7:30pm. This is the first production from The Rose Company, an all-female classical theatre company established in 2013.

'The Tragedie of Euripedes called Iphigeneia' dramatises how Iphigeneia is brought to Aulis to be sacrificed so that the Greek ships can sail to Troy. The play was first translated into English in 1555 by Lady Jane Lumley, and is the first known dramatic text by a woman in English.

 

For tickets and enquiries contact:

http://therosecompany.posthaven.com

rosecompanytheatre@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/RoseCompanyTheatre

'Ruskin Among the Giants' - The Mikimoto Memorial Ruskin Lecture 2013

For those of you who are either studying John Ruskin at the moment, or those of you who are just simply interested in him, there is a lecture being held on Thursday 14th November at 6pm.

This has been highly recommended by some third year students who attended the lecture last year whilst doing their Ruskin assignment, and have said that it proved to be incredibly useful.

If you would like to go along the details are as follows:

'Ruskin Among the Giants'

Professor John Batchelor

(Emeritus Professor, University of Newcastle)

at the Cavendish Lecture Theatre, Lancaster University

followed by refreshments

Thursday 14th November at 6pm

The link for the Mikimoto Memorial Ruskin Lecture 2013 is http://ruskinlibrary.wordpress.com/mikimoto-memorial-lecture/

Production of Anthony Neilson’s black comedy 'The Night Before Christmas'

Next week students stage a production of Anthony Neilson’s black comedy The Night Before Christmas which runs from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th November at the Black Box Studio Theatre on the Lancaster Campus.

It is late on Christmas Eve. Gary has dragged his best friend Simon out of bed to see a little something he has found in his warehouse... Two ‘businessmen’, a prostitute, a kleptomaniac elf, an empty warehouse: What could possibly go wrong?

Venue: The Black Box Studio Theatre, Lancaster Campus.

Time: 7.30 p.m. (Doors open 7.00 p.m.)

Tickets: On The Door / Pay What You Can

Running Time:  Approximately 1hr 10 mins.

This production contains strong language. Recommended for ages 16 and over.

Welcome to the University of Cumbria English Blog!

This will be the first of many blog posts, which will be used to inform you of all sorts of different things happening in and around the university. The blog will also be used to give students throughout the English and Creative Writing department the chance to create their own articles, reviews and also to provide pieces of their own writing.

We aim to provide useful information about different events or opportunities that will be of interest in the Lancaster area, like theatre productions, book signings, English society events and much more. There will also be an ongoing feature in the blog that will provide students with information about the services on offer from the University, which should be helpful to everybody from potential students thinking of applying to UOC, to the students preparing to write their dissertations!

Every Friday we'll be posting a student piece, which will alternate between short stories and poems, and articles, reviews, student experiences etc. We are looking to have as many entries as possible, so if you would like to have your work posted, or have an idea you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact us via our University email addresses.

We are hoping that the blog acts as a light-hearted, informative service for everybody, so we are open to suggestions!

Watch this space for more!

Thanks,

Abbie Lamb & Shauna Loughery