As a first year DMU student, it is always nice to get the chance to see and interact with people from other modules and other groups. Seeing so many familiar faces coming together in support of our wonderful readers was really quite something. For such an intimate setting, it was great to see a full crowd. After a brief introduction from the Universities own Simon Perril, not to mention the Cultural Exchanges team that helps make this all possible, we were led on a journey through both prose and poetry from the universities’ brightest future prospects.

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We began with what I felt was a dark and brooding commentary on the silencing of male voices by Jordan Rollinson, delivered to us virtually which only further drew my attention to their gravitas. Moving then through psychological thrillers and onto a wonderfully told and touching poetry collection by Noé Dos Reiss Martins Da Ponte in which we were guided through his very personal exploration of connection. So many wonderful readings followed – too many to do them all justice in the small space I have here. One however that stood out to me, was Lena Tosenberger, who read from her new independently published non-fiction verse collection ‘Buy My Silence’ – a moving commentary on beauty and self-love that I connected with so much as to purchase a copy before leaving. This is the beauty of this event; bringing together a community in support of the future talent of our field.