2021

Religion, Spiritualism and Occultism in Irish Literature: Nineteenth Century to the Present

Friday 7 January 2022

This conference will explore how the Victorian proliferation of interest in spiritualism and the occult shape Irish literature during the nineteenth century and in its aftermath.

Yeats and English

Friday 10 December 2021

Join us for this two-day symposium.

The Quiet Place Book Club: 'Approval' by John D. Rutter

Thursday 25 November 2021

Join us for the November meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we will discuss 'Approval' (Saraband, 2021) by John D. Rutter.

Things, Greenly: Poetry with Vahni (Anthony) Capildeo and J. R. Carpenter

Thursday 25 November 2021

Writers at York is thrilled to welcome you to JR Carpenter and Writer in Residence Vahni (Anthony Ezekiel) Capildeo's conversation across poetry.

Political Forms Reading Group

Wednesday 24 November 2021

Join us for the November meeting of the Political Forms reading group, where we will discuss excerpts from Sara Ahmed’s 'The Promise of Happiness' (2010) and Paul Gilroy’s 'After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture?' (2004).

Dante and the Idea of Italy

Tuesday 23 November 2021

The Medieval Literatures Autumn Term Research Seminar with Dr Tristan Kay, University of Bristol

Reviewing 'White Fragility': Psychoanalysis With Racism

Wednesday 17 November 2021

The first in a series of three lectures this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

An Outline of Psychoanalysis

Wednesday 17 November 2021

The first in a series of three seminars this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

The Lives of Great Languages: Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean

Wednesday 10 November 2021

A Centre for Medieval Studies lecture, with speaker Professor Karla Mallette (University of Michigan).

'Indigenismo' and the Limits of Cultural Appropriation: Frida Kahlo and Marina Núñez del Prado

Wednesday 10 November 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Dr Camilla Sutherland (University of Groningen).

Improvising Imperialism: The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Ireland and South Africa

Wednesday 3 November 2021

Modern School Research School with speaker Dr Eleanor Lybeck (University of Liverpool).

Sarah Hall in Conversation

Friday 29 October 2021

In this, the first Writers at York event of the year, we’re delighted to be celebrating the publication of Burntcoat, the extraordinary new novel by multi-award-winning author Sarah Hall.

The Quiet Place Book Club: 'The Song of Youth' by Montserrat Roig

Thursday 28 October 2021

Join us for the October meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we will discuss The Song of Youth (Fum d'Estampa, 2021) by Montserrat Roig.

Gaelic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom: A Focus on York

Wednesday 27 October 2021

A Centre for Medieval Studies even with speaker Dr Fiona Edmonds (University of Lancaster).

Laughter before the Law: Censorship, Caricature and Hunger Strike in Modern Irish Literature and Art

Wednesday 27 October 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Dr Barry Shiels (University of Durham).

Black History Month - Literary Salon

Wednesday 27 October 2021

We invite student and staff participants from any department at York to take part in a literary salon to celebrate the work of Black writers.

From Blodeuwedd to The Wife’s Lament: Medieval Remains in Brenda Chamberlain’s Tide-race (1962)

Tuesday 26 October 2021

Medieval Literatures and Languages Seminar with Dr Francesca Brooks (Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of York)

Political Forms Reading Group

Monday 25 October 2021

If you are interested in critical theory and political philosophy, the political dimensions of art and literature, or interdisciplinary reflections on politics, please do join our Political Forms Reading Group.

The Politics of Plagiarism: Queer Appropriation and Collaborative Creation in Ena Lucía Portela and María Moreno

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Dr Natasha Tanna (University of York).

Poetry Prize Reading & Poetry Library Launch

Monday 18 October 2021

A celebration of this year's Ruth Selina prize winner and shortlist.

What Does a Walk Look Like? Modernity and Pedestrian Mobility in the Visual Arts

Wednesday 13 October 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Professor William Chapman Sharpe (Columbia University).

The Quiet Place Book Club: 'The Song of Youth' LAUNCH

Wednesday 22 September 2021

Quiet Place Book Club has partnered with Fum d'Estampa publishers to launch their latest book, wonderful 'The Song of Youth' by Montserrat Roig. Join us in conversation with translator Tiago Miller and literary critic Kathleen McNerney to discuss Roig's fascinating stories.

Eco, Bio, Zoo: A Medieval and Early Modern Workshop

Friday 10 September 2021

Call for Participants – PhD and Early Career Researchers. This workshop brings medievalists and early modernists together in order to generate new thinking on ecocriticism, animal studies, biopolitics and their applications for work on premodern literature and history.

Forms of Care

Thursday 9 September 2021

Inspired by current scholarly and political debates that lament the systematic dismantling of caring infrastructures under neoliberalism and at the same time call for a more expansive sense of caring activities and ‘imaginaries’, this two-day workshop seeks to spotlight form as that which might productively organise but also capture the protean nature of care.

The Quiet Place Book Club: Stranger Faces by Namwali Serpell

Thursday 26 August 2021

Join us for the August meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we will discuss Stranger Faces (Transit books, 2020) by Namwali Serpell.

Lines of Inquiry: New Approaches to Poetry

Friday 30 July 2021

A one-day symposium showcasing new scholarly approaches to twentieth- and twenty-first-century poetry.

The Quiet Place Book Club: 'Diamond Hill' by Kit Fan

Thursday 29 July 2021

Join us for the July meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we will discuss 'Diamond Hill' (Dialogue Books 2021) by Kit Fan.

The Quiet Place Book Club: The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

Thursday 24 June 2021

Join us for the June meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we will discuss 'The Dangers of Smoking in Bed' (Granta Books, 2021) by Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell).

Essayisms Roundtable: Retracing Our Steps

Monday 21 June 2021

Please join us for the final instalment of Essayisms this year as part of the CMods research strand 'The Contemporary Essay’. During this roundtable, our panellists will present 5-minute position papers on any aspect of ‘Essayisms’ before we collectively reflect on our discussions this year and consider what essayistic terrain we have yet to cover.

Medieval Romances, Trash Fiction and Rebel Women

Friday 18 June 2021

Join Lydia Zeldenrust of the University of York and discover why 'romance' originally had nothing to do with anything ‘romantic’, and how the genre took medieval Europe by storm.

Defining a transnational colonial picturesque?- Ireland, Jamaica and Saint Domingue (Haiti)

Thursday 17 June 2021

This year's Stephen Copley lecture will be given by Finola O'Kane Crimmins (University College Dublin).

Sharlene Teo in conversation with Alexandra Kingston-Reese

Thursday 17 June 2021

Join Sharlene as she reads from her new work and discusses her fiction with Alexandra Kingston-Reese of the University of York’s Department of English and Related Literature.

Provisional Architectures: Thinking Towards Essaymatography

Thursday 17 June 2021

Please join us for a conversation between essayist and author of Tunnel Vision, Kevin Breathnach, and scholar Patricia Malone on what it means to be an essayist today.

The Tacit Knowledge of Medieval Paper

Wednesday 16 June 2021

This year's Riddy Lecture will be given by Dr Orietta Da Rold (University of Cambridge).

Atoms Then and Now

Tuesday 15 June 2021

How old are atoms? What different shapes have they taken throughout history? And how can we put them to use - both practically and imaginatively? Join Stuart Kenny of the University of York’s Department of Electronic Engineering and Helen Smith of York’s Department of English and Related Literature to discover the past, present and future of atomic thought.

Horizons of Print

Friday 11 June 2021

Discover how the invention of printing changed the horizons of what was possible, bringing new knowledge to a much wider range of audiences.

David Attwell: Writing South

Friday 11 June 2021

Celebrating David Attwell's contribution to the study of a region and its literatures.

My Mess is a Bit of a Life

Thursday 10 June 2021

Using humorous insights from her past and present, multi-award-winning comedy and drama writer Georgia Pritchett reflects on a life lived anxiously.

2021 Berthoud Lecture: Minor Languages and the Question of Translation, or, How I Learned to Love Afrikaans

Thursday 10 June 2021

This year's Berthoud Lecture will be given by Professor Derek Attridge (Emeritus, University of York).

Courttia Newland in conversation with Dr Clive Nwonka

Wednesday 9 June 2021

Writers at York is delighted to welcome author, screenwriter, playwright, creative writing tutor and literary activist, Courttia Newland, to discuss his work across literature and screen.

Kashmir, Conflict, Crossings, and Curfews: A SCoPe Event

Tuesday 8 June 2021

Join us for an evening in conversation with Kashmiri poet, Asiya Zahoor, and Kashmiri travel writer, Iqbal Ahmed.

She-Energy: Women as Creators

Monday 7 June 2021

York Festival of Ideas launch event brings together a dazzling array of international musicians, writers and poets to celebrate the energy and empathy of women's creativity.

Essayisms Reading Group: The Essay's Political Styles

Monday 7 June 2021

Details and readings to follow. This research seminar is part of the CModS research strand 'The Contemporary Essay'.

European Romances Across Languages: Book Celebration and Research Perspectives

Monday 7 June 2021

To celebrate the publication of books by Sofia Lodén and Lydia Zeldenrust, we invite you to join us for this online event, sponsored by the Centre for Medieval Literature (Odense/York) and Boydell and Brewer.

'Et stellam matutinam vus dunra to go te bedde': Women and Multilingualism in Late Medieval England

Friday 4 June 2021

Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literatures Annual Lecture with Professor Jocelyn Wogan-Browne (Fordham University).

On Giving Up

Wednesday 2 June 2021

The last in a series of three lectures this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

Remembering, Repeating and Working Through

Wednesday 2 June 2021

The last in a series of three seminars this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

The Quiet Place Book Club: Tokio Ueno Station by Yu Miri

Thursday 27 May 2021

Join us for the May meeting of The Quiet Place Club, where we will discuss 'Tokyo Ueno Station' (Tilted Axis Press, 2019) by Yu Miri (trans. Morgan Giles).

Essayisms Reading Group: Coercive Style

Monday 24 May 2021

Join the Essayisms Reading Group this week to discuss 'What constitutes a style?'.

Kit Fan and Ellen Wiles in conversation with Alice Nah

Thursday 20 May 2021

Writers at York is delighted to welcome acclaimed authors Kit Fan and Ellen Wiles in conversation with Alice Nah about their debut novels.

Fact/Fiction: A Workshop on the Essay Film

Thursday 13 May 2021

In this roundtable we'll discuss the formal, structural and (inter)national dynamics of the essay film.

Oblique Intimacy: Moonlight (2016) - LGBT, Queer, or Quare?

Wednesday 12 May 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Dr Maria Flood (Keele University).

Essayisms Reading Group: Queer Kinship and Collective Essay Writing

Monday 10 May 2021

Please join us at the next instalment of Essayisms to discuss queer kinship and collective essay writing.

Archives and Archival Sensibilities in Medieval Arabic Historiography

Tuesday 4 May 2021

Event co-sponsored by CMS and the Centre for Medieval Literature (University of Southern Denmark and University of York).

The Quiet Place Book Club: 'Bessie Smith' by Jackie Kay

Thursday 29 April 2021

Join us for the April meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we'll be discussing 'Bessie Smith' (2021) by Jackie Kay

Happiness Masterclass

Wednesday 28 April 2021

Please join us for a masterclass on happiness with Dr Kirsty Martin (Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter).

Essayisms Reading Group: Essays on Film

Monday 26 April 2021

Please join us to discuss the essay film at the Essayisms Reading Group’s first meeting of the Summer Term.

Netflix: Coming Soon to a Screen Near You

Friday 23 April 2021

A Modern School/CMods research workshop.

Presentation of Michele Campopiano's 'Writing the Holy Land'

Friday 26 March 2021

You are invited to join this online presentation at the at the Centro Interuniversitario di Studi Francescani and the University of Campania.

The Quiet Place Book Club: Castles from Cobwebs by J. A. Mensah

Thursday 25 March 2021

To celebrate the launch of 'Castles from Cobwebs' by York’s very own Juliana Mensah, publishing as J.A. Mensah, we are delighted that Juliana will be joining us for the March instalment of the Quiet Place Book Club.

Poetry in Action: An Evening with Will Harris

Thursday 18 March 2021

Writers at York is thrilled to welcome Will Harris, an accomplished writer and performer of long and short form poems and a renowned workshop leader.

Book launch: Material Literacy in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Wednesday 17 March 2021

CECS Research Seminar with Chloe Wigston Smith (University of York) and Serena Dyer (De Montfort University, Leicester)

Ravenna, crucible of Europe

Tuesday 16 March 2021

The Centre for Medieval Studies York Medieval Lecture with Professor Judith Herrin (emerita King's College London)

Just Us: A Conversation with Claudia Rankine

Thursday 11 March 2021

In this exclusive event at the University of York, Claudia Rankine will give a short reading from Just Us, followed by a dialogue with Dr Lola Boorman (Department of English and Related Literature), and a Q&A with the audience.

Before Margery: The Book of Margery Kempe and its antecedents

Tuesday 9 March 2021

Medieval Literatures Seminar with speaker Professor Diane Watt (University of Surrey).

Essayisms Reading Group: The Personal Essay

Monday 8 March 2021

This session of The Essayisms Reading Group will consider why the personal essay and its attendant mode of confessionalism has become synonymous with “women’s writing”.

On Being Left Out

Wednesday 3 March 2021

The second in a series of three lectures this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

Psychoanalysis and Not Wanting to Know

Wednesday 3 March 2021

The second in a series of three seminars this year by Visiting Professor Adam Phillips, Writer and Psychoanalyst.

The Quiet Place Book Club: A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Thursday 25 February 2021

Join us as we discuss Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s prose debut 'A Ghost in the Throat', which centres on the author’s discovery of and subsequent obsession with Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill’s eighteenth-century verse “Caodineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire” (“The Keen for Art Ó Laoghaire”).

Queering the Curriculum

Wednesday 24 February 2021

Join students and staff from the Department of English and Related Literature as we discuss, debate, and celebrate ways of queering the curriculum.

Essayisms Reading Group: The Art Essay

Monday 22 February 2021

Join us for this week's meeting, when we will be reading a selection of essays written by contemporary novelists on art.

Reckoning: Historical Practice in the Medieval Irish Classroom

Thursday 18 February 2021

Medieval Literatures Seminar with Dr Elizabeth Boyle (Maynooth University)

Dickens in the Digital Age

Thursday 18 February 2021

Join us for an afternoon exploring the V&A’s Dickens collections and discussing new ways in which we might read, edit and share historical materials in the digital age, both in Dickens's case and beyond.

Book Launch: Castles from Cobwebs – J.A. Mensah in conversation with Sara Hunt

Wednesday 17 February 2021

The Department of English and Related Literature is delighted to host the launch of Castles from Cobwebs, the debut novel by York’s Juliana Mensah, publishing as J.A. Mensah.

Writing Queer Biography

Wednesday 10 February 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Dr Diarmuid Hester (University of Cambridge).

Essayisms Reading Group: Modern Poets’ Essays

Monday 8 February 2021

Please join us to discuss essays by three modern poets: Tonya Foster, Susan Howe and William Carlos Williams.

What is an Essay?: A Roundtable

Thursday 4 February 2021

Join us for this roundtable which brings together academics who are writing and editing exciting new research on the essay.

Book launch: Material Literacy in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Tuesday 2 February 2021

CECS Research Seminar with Chloe Wigston Smith (University of York) and Serena Dyer (De Montfort University, Leicester)

The Quiet Place Book Club: A Portable Paradise by Roger Robinson

Thursday 28 January 2021

Join us for the January meeting of The Quiet Place Book Club, where we’ll be discussing A Portable Paradise (2019) by Roger Robinson, a graceful collection of poetry that spans quotidian encounters, familial joys and pains, and the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Book Launch: George Orwell joins the Oxford World’s Classics Series

Thursday 28 January 2021

A celebration of George Orwell joining Oxford World's Classics. Join David Dwan in conversation with John Bowen, Rosinka Chadhuri, and Lisa Mullen.

Quoting Dickens

Wednesday 27 January 2021

Modern School Research Seminar with speaker Professor John Bowen (University of York).

Essayisms Reading Group: Ists and Isms

Monday 25 January 2021

Please join us for the first Spring term meeting of the Essaysisms reading group where we will be discussing the group's unwitting namesake, Brian Dillon's Essayism (2017).

Affects in History: A Workshop

Friday 15 January 2021

Join us for a day-long workshop on Affects in History, hosted by the Department of English and Related Literature, the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, and the Centre for Modern Studies.