The Postgrads Showcase, hosted by Professor Simon Perril, was a brilliant opportunity to hear about the research and fresh writing of five fantastically diverse and talented authors. All the authors presented well thought-out written works, and each read with real energy and pizazz as they bought their works to life before us.
A few of the highlights were Rosie Georgiou with the fascinating implications of the often underrated, sometimes side-lined, yet nevertheless extremely popular genre of Chick-lit. Rosie offered scholarly insight and read a piece featuring her evolving heroine representing the “anxious millennial generation’s” answer to Bridget Jones.
Zeandrick (or Zee) Oliver’s poems will strike a chord with anyone who has lived away from their homeland. They touch nostalgic and vivid notes, describing his memories of Bloemfontein while exploring his identity with regard to his heritage and new life in the UK.
A well written and enthusiastically read piece of historical fiction by Julian Pinnick and an equally well-read piece of contemporary fiction by Sabrina Mei Li Smith were both well received.
As a fan of autobiographical writing another stand out segment for me was Caroline Butterwick’s short and honest piece about disability and coming to terms with being a teenage user a of white cane – a story that, of course, reveals the extra battles that disability brings to almost every portion of life.
All in all, a wonderful afternoon getting to know the work of these five authors.
