Monthly Archives: Mar 2022

‘Writing and Space’ by Fleur Bruneau

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When I am sitting down to write in creative ways, I find the space I am in to be as important as the subject in which I am writing. 

For example, writing in libraries has never really worked for me, as I feel some Godly judgement cast upon me by others in the library, despite the fact that they aren’t even aware of my existence, let alone care.

However, this external pressure means I can focus on nothing else but focussing, and thus end up not writing anything at all. 

I have tried writing in The Hideaway within uni thinking maybe this would be a helpful place to be. It is not silent, which means that I don’t think I’m going to be thwarted for existence, and has a good amount of coffee that is nearby – which seems to be a crucial point when I work. 

The major downside to The Hideaway, it seems, is the sheer amount of things going on. The bright house lights, the bright colourful lights, the screen that displays the music video of the music being played that is slightly too loud, the consequential shouting as a result of the too loud music.

I often find myself gazing into the blue lights that hang in columns from the ceiling like one would gaze at fish in a tank. Not a single thought passing through my head

For me, I must be in a place that has movement and noise, but not so much that it becomes distracting. There must be some form of overpriced coffee (which I use to bribe my monkey brain into work) and some form of light music being played in the background. I have to be sat next to a window or the lights must be ambient. This particularity means that it consequently means I do very little work. 

I jest.

Starbucks, I have found, seems to be the place that fulfils all these factors. The baristas leave you alone, no one will speak to you, there are outlets that allow you to charge your phone when you inevitably forget to charge your laptop the night before. The wifi is reliable, but not so good that you can procrastinate by watching a YouTube video. 

I have since discovered that doing work in Starbucks allows for me to build the facade that my life is in fact together. This air of assumed confidence means that I can convince myself that I am Okay at writing, that the last 2,000 words I wrote aren’t utter utter shite and that this is my world that others happen to be living in.

For someone with anxiety, this facade of arrogance means I complete work outside the four walls of my flat without having a panic attack beforehand. The coffee, the music and the overall vibes are perfectly conducive for my work.

Space, it appears, is as important as your writing.

‘Facebook arguments, re-connection and the apparent death of the Irish language’ by Bartholomew Brockbank

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In my spare time I frequent some of the linguistic and language learning pages on the ever-frothing fountain of knowledge that is Facebook, and this is precisely what I was doing the other day when a certain comment stopped me in my tracks. It was a comment made by a person I happen to know from some of my language groups, who was bemoaning the amount of Gaeltachtaí in Dublin, where he lives, as a way of explaining the uselessness of learning the language.

For those who don’t know a Gaeltacht is a place where Irish is spoken, normally as a first language. There has been some success with artificial Gaeltachtaí (mostly in Leinster, as this is the region without a natural Gaeltacht as opposed to Munster, Ulster and Connaught which still have Gaeltachtaí). This is also where the Popup Gaeltacht gets its name.

The comment irked me, and naturally, being the agent of internet justice that procrastination occasionally deludes me into thinking I am, I responded. Despite the years of Irish grammar hardship burning in my mind, I gave a detailed and clear analysis of how I gained the level of Irish I have done – for the curious among us, my comment went something like this;

‘I started with Rosetta Stone complemented with Duolingo – once I had a better level of the basics and the grammatical functions, I moved onto evening classes so I could practise speaking, listening and all those things that you need to have modelled by a native or high level speaker in order to achieve a good level of proficiency’

This, however, was not what my fellow internet inhabitant wanted – instead of reacting negatively I had, against my deepest desires, given a clear and informative answer. His reply was quick, brutal and effective (at irritating me further).

‘What’s the point though? It’s not like you need Irish to get by here. I would pay for evening classes in French but I think ones in Irish should be free. It’s almost a dead language anyway.’

Such comments intrinsically misunderstand the reasons we learn languages and, while clearly designed with hyperbolic intents, deserve some picking apart. Why should it be that function overrides all other reasoning? This statement makes the assumption that the end goal of learning any language should be so that we can communicate with someone we otherwise couldn’t have – but does this not also apply to Irish?

Living in London, it isn’t often I get the opportunity to speak Irish anymore but it was only last week that in a small pub near my flat I heard a Dublin bhlás and turned around to their party ‘conas atá sibh a leaideanna?’ Instantly I was hit with roars of excitement. ‘Tá Gaeilge aige! Maith an fear!’ I stood at the bar with someone chatting happily I nGaeilge for a good while; ‘Feir plé ort ansin le do Gaeilge a fhoglaim! Sin dochcréidte!’ It was a moment of joy and connection – a pleasure for me to speak Irish again and a happy surprise for the party to meet someone speaking to them in their language in a foreign land.

And isn’t that what language is about? Connecting with people, whether through poetry or stories, whether via an everyday chat or an academic paper, whether living or dead – because that is the miraculous power of language, to traverse even the boundaries of life and death. Within language we see the fossilised thoughts of those who came before us, and through them, we can connect with those at rest as readily as if they were still here.

Language is a blessing – because we are all different, but with language we can begin to understand in what ways we are different, and how those differences shape our realities. Without learning Irish I never would have thought of ‘wearing’ your emotions upon you – which, if you think about it, makes a lot more sense – because we are not our hunger, our anger, our sadness, these emotions are just jackets that we wear for a period of time before moving on, they are transient. Níl mé feargach, ach tá fearg orm – I am not angry, the anger is upon me

Without learning Irish I wouldn’t have enjoyed a quiet moment of peculiar pleasure at the thought of a Ladybird or Ladybug being a Bóín Dé – God’s little cow.

So forget your boulangerie orders, your coiffure is fine – because yes, Irish people can already speak English and you could already speak to them – but could you really connect with them?

And why not study a language that you love instead of one you find useful? We all start as amateurs, but as the Italian origin of that word shows (from amare – to love); there is beauty in doing something for love over practicality.

Because Irish is not dead, she’s not even asleep, she’s just resting her eyes – and it’s about time we started giving her a reason to get back on her feet. 

This article has been adapted from a piece originally written for Letslearnirish.com

Gemma Seltzer’s visit to Westminster by Darcy Morgan

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Today I had the pleasure of attending an online Zoom meeting where Gemma Seltzer spoke about the different ways of writing. By the end of the session I came out inspired by her words, encouraged to work harder, and more inclined to get writing.

The session started off with Seltzer telling us all about the original inspiration of her writing, and the events leading up to her writing journey. Seltzer grew up playing with her Grandfather’s ventriloquist dolls, ‘Some were large, some were small. Some were just her their heads!’ We were told about how as a child, these dolls were nothing but fascinating to Seltzer, and this is what she wanted to write about later on in life. Gemma Seltzer was informative, showing us multiple photographs of her Grandfather with the dolls to let us imagine her childhood for ourselves. This initial story that started off the talk was very charming, and I’m sure the fact that Seltzer wanted to include part of her family history within her work inspired others to perhaps look at doing something similar.

Seltzer had so much to tell us all, so many stories regarding her writing and the opportunities it has given her. I felt as though the speaker used her time efficiently, letting her audience know that there are many ways to express a story. Seltzer mentioned different writing projects that she’s completed, ranging from the short 100-word stories that stemmed from real life anecdotes that members of the public would tell her, and expanding to her full-length novel ‘Ways of living.’ According to the synopsis on Seltzer’s official website, the novel explores ‘what it means to be a modern woman inhabiting the urban landscape.’ It was made clear that most of the speaker’s work is set in London because of the familiarity of the setting, and the broad picture that London can provide.

Seltzer showed us that there is no need to limit ourselves to one form of writing, and that change is okay when editing your work. It was even explained that, for example, if a novel isn’t quite working as the characters have too much to say, then maybe the work is better suited for a screenplay or play. This particular piece of advice I’m sure stuck with many listeners, there’s no need to limit ourselves to one form of writing. There’s no correct way to tell our stories, but perhaps exploring the different forms before settling for one in particular could be a more useful way of writing.

Towards the end of the speaker’s event, Seltzer promoted her online presence, including her social media profiles and her website with a direct link to her latest novel. Although I found this useful as her words were interesting and I personally wished to find out more, I was also reminded that writing itself is just a small part of the publishing process, and promoting and knowing the right people can get you that step further.

I really enjoyed Gemma Seltzer’s speaker event, and felt like a lot of information was covered in a short amount of time. Seltzer was to the point, and wasted no time in letting us know that it’s okay to explore other options in writing, there is no perfect writing form.

Why we should all be watching ‘The Last Kingdom’ – review by Alison Ajayi

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There has been woe in our household this week as we binge watched series 5 of ‘The Last Kingdom’, announced as the last series ever, although there is a film planned.

I am a big fan of Bernard Cornwell’s books and had read this series when they originally came out, just as I read all the Sharpe books and his Arthurian series. Like Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, Bernard Cornwell is an author I can return to time and again, particularly when I’m under stress. Just as it is hard now to think of Sharpe without seeing Sean Bean, I can’t think of Uhtred of Bebbanburg without seeing Alexander Dreymon.  

The story starts with the arrival of the ‘Great Heathen Army’ of Vikings with plans to conquer and settle in 866 along the Eastern seaboard of England during the reign of Alfred the Great.  Uhtred is the second son of the Lord of Bebbanberg who becomes the heir when his older brother dies. He is captured by the Danes after a battle in which his father is killed and taken with them as a slave but is raised by his captor, Earl Ragnar as his son.  He was born a Saxon but raised a Dane and this, plus the fact that his Uncle usurps the throne and will not recognise Uhtred’s right to rule Bebbanburg, is the story that unfolds over five series against the backdrop of the battle between the Danes and the Anglo Saxons of Mercia and Wessex over England.  

Most of the filming was done in Hungary, at Korda Studios, where on an eight acre set, entire early mediaeval towns and villages could be recreated and where the countryside more closely resembled that of England in the period.  Like all Bernard Cornwell’s historical fiction, the books were well researched and plausible, following the history of the period closely and there are very few anachronistic ‘nasties’ in the television series either.  Or at least, none so glaring that they irritate.  Alexander Dreymon is incredibly easy on the eye as well as being an entirely credible Viking and the series is studded with British and Scandinavian character actors playing major roles to a very high standard.  This makes it highly immersive in character, more like time travelling than watching a tv series.  

But don’t take my word for it, ‘The Last Kingdom’ has been reviewed by critics from ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ to ‘Private Eye’ and most of the major newspaper reviewers.  Only ‘Private Eye’ gave it a bad review, saying that it “demonstrates how Game of Thrones “haunts the BBC””, in my opinion, this demonstrates that the reviewer had confused American fantasy with English history and had not realised that the two shows were simultaneously airing  from 2015 to 2019. 

Rotten Tomatoes gave ‘The Last Kingdom” series 3  a whopping 100% approval rating and said of it “The Last Kingdom fuses beautiful cinematography and magnificent action sequences to create highly gratifying historical drama”. Even The Daily Telegraph review was positive saying ‘The Last Kingdom’ had “satisfyingly high production values, a bloodthirsty appetite for violence and a proper cliffhanger.” which is probably one of the few pronouncements by that newspaper I would not argue with.

Here Comes the (social media) Miracle

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In this blog I will be looking at a writer’s social media profile.  A perfect example is Anna Beecher. Anna is a former University of Westminster Creative Writing and English Literature student who Matt Morrison organised to talk with us in year one.

Anna’s website is easy to navigate, the ‘Home’ section talks about her debut novel ‘Here Comes the Miracle’ and includes what other writers and newspapers have had to say about the book. It also notes the fact she has been nominated for the ‘Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award’. She then starts a section about herself with the personable phase ‘Hello, I’m Anna’ and details what she does now, including writing, making theatre and teaching. She tells us about where her theatre work has been performed, what she teaches and where she has studied.

In the ‘Writing’ section of her blog, she tells what her debut novel ‘Here comes the Miracle’ is about and where you can find her other writing work and also an option to subscribe to ‘Peachy’ which she describes as her ‘irregular email letter’ in which she states you will find ‘thoughts from me, reading recommendations and creative prompts.’ It is informative and I like the almost ‘scatty’ way she describes her ‘irregular email letter’.

In the ‘Performance’ section she describes the company ‘Akin’ she has co-founded with Rachel Lincoln in 2015 which creates ‘theatrical, sensory experiences for families’. We really get a feel for the show as she provides details of the shows and recommendations and reviews it has received from newspapers and Theatre guides. She goes on to detail other plays she has written, with reviews and details of her ‘Solo Performance and Storytelling’. It is an interesting mix of images and text which really ‘grabs’ the readers interest.

The next section is titled ‘Teaching’. What I really like about this section is includes where Anna has taught, awards she has achieved and what her students have to say about her including one comment in which a student says “This class was phenomenal. Anna is one of the most caring, insightful, and engaging professors I’ve had in my three years at UVA”. Although I have not met Anna in person and only via an online setting, I am inclined to agree. I found her very engaging, captivating and someone that could really get the best out of her students and the people she works with.

Anna’s section on Voice & Presence Coaching is a similar mix of what she offers, a review from a student but also what you would experience in a session with her. I found the last section very informative as it gives you an insight as to what it would be like to work with Anna.

Anna’s Instagram is a mix of personal and professional content, incorporating photographs of her partner, random beautiful flamingos, an image of Anna and a snowman, recommendations of other writer’s work and also details of her book and content about subscribing to ‘Peachy’. I enjoy viewing Anna’s content as you get to view her personal life, it is not just relentless content about her work. You get a sense as of her as a person. From what I can gather Anna is a ‘foodie’ as there are many images of home baking including, biscuits, pastries and pizza. The latter being a nod to the Italian translation of her novel with Edizione di AtlantideE

by Sarah Tooke