Events – Page 2 – Vital North Partnership

Geography, gender and generation at Seven Stories

This academic year, a new teaching and learning collaboration between Newcastle University’s School of Geography, Politics and Sociology and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books brought university students and local primary school children together to explore ideas around gender through an intergenerational practice workshop. In this blog post, I explain how the project came about, what happened, and what we’re doing next…

Seven Stories believes that the books children read help them to better understand themselves and the world around them, and they are passionate about championing inclusive children’s literature.

Dr Michael Richardson, leader of the Geography BA’s third year module Geographies of Gender and Generation, approached Seven Stories last summer about a new teaching collaboration focussing on challenging gender stereotypes. As part of this module, students are asked to develop a campaign or activity which promotes gender equality, and then reflect on this through a written assignment. In the 2017 / 18 academic year, Dr Richardson wanted to provide a focus for his students that would allow them to “explore intergenerational practice as an intervention method for the promotion of gender equality”. Having previously worked with Seven Stories on their 2015 Big Ideas project, Dr Richardson saw Seven Stories as a potential collaborator.

Students exploring children's books in the Seven Stories workshops. Image: Newcastle University — Students exploring children’s books in the Seven Stories workshops. Image: Newcastle University

After receiving support through the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology’s Learning, Teaching and Student Experience fund to kickstart the project, we developed resources and a programme of student workshops, leading to a final event with children and young people at Seven Stories.

In the first workshop, Jayne Humphreys (Learning and Participation Co-ordinator at Seven Stories) and I introduced the students to issues around gender representation in children’s literature. We also introduced the five books that the students would be focussing on in the final schools event:

Dogs Don’t Do Ballet, by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie (Simon and Schuster, 2010)
Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too), by Keith Negley (Flying Eye Books, 2015)
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, by Kate Pankhurst (Bloomsbury, 2016)
Izzy Gizmo, by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie (Simon and Schuster, 2017)
Introducing Teddy, by Jessica Walton (Bloomsbury, 2016)

Next, the students were asked to pitch which book theywould like to work with. The students said:

“[Izzy Gizmo] promotes the idea of science and technology as a viable career choice for young girls rather than the typical caring roles that are often shown in children’s books. I also like… that the main character is of an ethnic minority”

“I think [Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)] is… about allowing people of all genders to be more well-rounded human beings. Encouraging emotional literacy in boys in particular is a really simple and effective way to tackle a number of serious issues… This benefits everyone, including women”

Chi Onwurah MP spoke to the students about gender in the workplace. Image: Newcastle University

Having chosen their books, the second student workshop focussed on storytelling and engagement techniques. Jayne led the students through Seven Stories’ approach to story times and how to use stories as a starting point for other conversations and activities. MP for Newcastle Central Chi Onwurah also attended this session, speaking to the students about the gendered workplace.

In November 2017, the students welcomed a class of Year 5 children from nearby Hotspur Primary School to Seven Stories. Working in groups, the students presented a 30-minute session with a small group of children, where they read their story together, discussed the questions about gender that the books raised, and took part in activities such as games, dressing up and drawing.

Students reading stories to the children from Hotspur Primary School. Image: Newcastle University

The students said:

“I thought it was a really creative way to put something we’ve learnt in lectures into a real-life situation.”

“I think the event at Seven Stories was really beneficial for us, as well as the children. Storytelling is definitely a good way of getting some big ideas out to them… I’m going to use this event as experience towards my future teaching career too.”

Teaching staff at Hotspur Primary School said, “We all had such a wonderful time at Seven Stories – what a great workshop!”

For Dr Michael Richardson, “This collaboration with Seven Stories has enabled me to enhance my teaching practice and improve the student experience. My module promotes intergenerational practice, or in other words, methods of bringing groups of people of different ages together. Of particular note was the impact of the local primary school children on my final year undergraduate students. This highlighted just how much children have to teach us as older people and reinforced just how much intergenerational work is a two-way learning process.”

The students leading their session with children from Hotspur Primary School at Seven Stories. Image: Newcastle University

And Jayne Humphreys said: “For Seven Stories, this has been a wonderful opportunity to engage the children of Hotspur Primary and to work collaboratively with the University students. Using children’s literature to challenge, inspire and empower children and young people is at the heart of the work we do at Seven Stories and it was a pleasure to be part of a project which brought intergenerational groups together and engage children in our local community to think about these big issues.”

What’s next? The students have submitted their assignments reflecting on the workshop, and these are being assessed; I’ll also be interested to hear their reflections on this in their module evaluation questionnaires. Following that, we’ll be evaluating the project and thinking about plans for next year. So, watch this space!

Thanks to the GEO3135 students, Dr Michael Richardson, Jayne Humphreys and Hotspur Primary School for their contributions to this blog post.

Engagement through collaboration: NCCPE Engage Conference 2017

On 6th and 7th December 2017, I attended and presented at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s Engage Conference in Bristol, which this year focused on ‘exploring collaboration’. In this blog post, I’ll be reflecting on what I’m taking away from the conference and sharing the poster I presented on the Vital North Partnership between Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books.

Thinking about collaborating with a university, what animal is a university like? Is it an octopus? A soaring eagle? A bee? Or a huge, slow-moving whale? That was the opening question posed to delegates at the NCCPE Engage Conference 2017, and set the tone for two days of creative debate about the nature of university collaborations.

Paul Manners from NCCPE asks, 'What animal is a University like?'. Image: NCCPE — Paul Manners from NCCPE asks, ‘What animal is a University like?’. Image: NCCPE

In the first plenary, Ahmed Bawa of Universities South Africa focused on the ‘intensely local, and intensely global’ challenges which we face in society today. In a context of growing inequality, he encouraged universities to think hard about what they can do to further the social justice agenda. Newcastle’s Institute for Social Renewal, and Seven Stories’ work with children and young in some of the poorest areas of the North East, means this is a focus for the Vital North Partnership’s work.

Nancy Cantor’s plenary, on Rutgers University’s work as an anchor institution within Newark, New Jersey, considered social justice in the context of the “birth lottery”. Universities do brilliant work on widening participation, but generally focus on Year 6 and above. In my work with Seven Stories, I see first-hand the impact that engaging with the arts has from birth onwards; and I often wonder whether universities need to engage with children and young people at an earlier stage.

The Engage Conference 2017. Image: NCCPE

I heard more about the Museum and University Partnerships Initiative in the conference workshops, which I’ve recently been involved with alongside colleagues from Seven Stories, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and Northumbria University. It was really interesting to hear about some of the other MUPI projects from around the country and hear about successful engagement initiatives like TORCH’s Fright Friday event at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the National Museum of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh’s Science Saturday initiative (definitely a pattern emerging there). I also explored how the University of Bristol was engaging with the Fun Palaces campaign, which brings art and science to the heart of the community.

In the mini-plenary on Strategic Approaches to Collaboration, I heard about current approaches to co-ordinating partnerships. Cardiff University presented their amazing work in the Grangetown area of the city, Community Gateway, which went on to win the Professor Sir David Watson Award for Community University Partnerships at the close of the conference. The Campus Engage project, a collaboration between the Irish universities, also presented on their charter for civic and community engagement. Campus Engage aimed to survey community / university partnerships to provide guidance on best practice and recommendations for the Irish Higher Education sector, and their Engaged Research report makes for interesting reading.

Campus Engage's Engaged Research framework. Image: Campus Engage — Campus Engage’s Engaged Research framework. Image: Campus Engage

In a complementary mini-plenary, I heard Sophie Duncan and Paul Manners from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement talk about their attempt to create a typology of public engagement activity, and the motivations behind it. This seemed quite a successful and helpful framework when considering a single project, but I struggled to see how the Vital North Partnership’s work as a whole would map onto this.

Steven Hill, Head of Research Policy at Higher Education Funding Council for England talked about the Research Excellence Framework. I was particularly interested in his idea of collaboration as a skill set in itself, and the concept of distances of collaboration (both physical and figurative). Some of these comments about how research metrics are changing were echoed in the closing plenary, where Trevor McMillan, Vice Chancellor at Keele University, talked about the progress being made on the Knowledge Exchange Framework and the increasing governmental focus on the Industrial Strategy.

And of course, I also presented at the conference. I participated in the Co-production in Practice workshop, where I discussed building momentum within existing partnerships and came up with some top tips with the other delegates attending. I also took part in the poster party – here’s my poster, which captures just some of the highlights of the Vital North Partnership’s work in 2017:

The Vital North Partnership poster, which was presented at the NCCPE Engage 2017 poster party. Image: Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books — The Vital North Partnership poster, which was presented at the NCCPE Engage 2017 poster party. Image: Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books

So what is collaborating with a university like? Well, I would say a hybrid between an octopus and a whale. Newcastle University is a huge organisation, but through the Vital North Partnership, Seven Stories is collaborating with lots of different Schools and departments. A whoctopus, if you will. What do you think?

Cover photo: NCCPE.

Diverse Voices? Curating a National History of Children’s Books

On Friday 24^th November, Newcastle University’s Children’s Literature Unit and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books co-hosted Diverse Voices? Curating a National History of Children’s Books. This one-day symposium explored how Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic voices are represented in our national story of children’s literature. In this blog post, which originally appeared on The Race to Read blog, symposium co-convenor Professor Karen Sands O’Connor of SUNY Buffalo State reflects on the events. The amazing cover graphic for this post, drawn live at the event, was produced by Pen Mendonca.

In the foreword to the recently-published anthology of fiction and poetry for young adults, A Change is Gonna Come (Stripes, 2017), philosopher Darren Chetty writes, “We can think of change as the space between who we are and who we want to be—between being and becoming—as individuals and as communities” (7-8).

The brilliant and optimistic collection from Stripes includes writing from Diverse Voices? participants Darren Chetty, Patrice Lawrence and Catherine Johnson.

This sentiment entirely encapsulates the motivation behind the Diverse Voices? symposium I helped to organize with Seven Stories, the UK’s National Centre for Children’s Books, and Newcastle University, a symposium where Chetty was a participant. During my year as Leverhulme Visiting Professor (2015-16), I formed a relationship with the people at Seven Stories Collections – archivists, curators, and librarians – that was both personal and professional. They were supportive of (and occasionally amused by my revolutionary passion for) my project to make Black British literature a more “normalized” part of British children’s literature. As I put it in the book that resulted from that year at Seven Stories, “The face of Britain might have changed after World War II, but not necessarily the hearts and minds of white British people. This is partly because the Blackness of Black Britons was made manifestly obvious and continually depicted as Other; but the whiteness of white British society has remained largely invisible” (Children’s Publishing and Black Britain 5).

The Diverse Voices? symposium, held at Seven Stories, allowed some of the brightest thinkers in writing, publishing, librarianship and academia to come together and think about ways to ensure that real change would finally come to the UK’s children’s literature. This blog highlights some of the thoughts (both from the event, and from their more public commentary) of the main speakers of the day.

Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence and Darren Chetty in conversation. Image: Newcastle University

Catherine Johnson encapsulates the idea of Britishness/whiteness in her short story from A Change is Gonna Come, “Astounding Talent! Unequalled Performances!” In this story, the young protagonist is told to, “Fight the world . . . You are a black man in a white world. A foreigner” (69). When the main character protests that he was born in Norwich, the man responds, “I doubt if anyone else sees it that way” (70).

Although I was familiar with this attitude, that if you are Black, Britishness is out of reach, I knew that Seven Stories did not want to mirror this sentiment in their museum or archives. Collections and Exhibitions Director Sarah Lawrance pointed out on Friday that, “We have a longstanding commitment to collecting diverse authors and materials” at Seven Stories, but it has not always been an easy task for them.

Part of my remit during my Leverhulme year was to provide some recommendations for expanding the collection, but I was very conscious of the fact that I – like most of the Seven Stories staff – was white and middle-class, and an American to boot: the very picture of privilege. What is the point of a person who has always been privileged enough to raise her voice (in revolution or otherwise) speaking on behalf of those whose voices have been historically side-lined? I did not want to replicate old histories. I suggested we bring some intellectuals – writers, editors, librarians, publishers, academics, book people – from historically-marginalized groups to Seven Stories to hear from them directly. Sarah agreed – as did so many of the great names that we invited.

Seven Stories' Collections Officer Paula Wride discusses items from the Collection with Diverse Voices? participants. — Seven Stories’ Collections Officer Paula Wride discusses items from the Collection with Diverse Voices? participants. Image: Newcastle University

We called the symposium “Diverse Voices?” because it reflected Seven Stories’ previous Diverse Voices initiatives and left open the question of whose voices were heard and where those voices were welcome. It became part of Newcastle’s Freedom City 2017 project, a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Newcastle University’s granting an honorary doctorate to Martin Luther King, Jr. The themes of Freedom City 2017 were those that King mentioned in his speech at the ceremony: the effects of war, poverty and racism on society. King had come to Newcastle from my current hometown of Buffalo, where he argued that these problems affected young people the most because “the best in these minds cannot come out” when they have to worry about their education, their housing, their ability to make their voices count.

I was lucky enough to discuss these ideas with author Alex Wheatle MBE in our Into Crongton with Alex Wheatle event on Thursday 23^rd November 2017, who said that the characters in his Crongton series were affected by all of these issues – from World War II, which brought so many of their parents and grandparents to Britain, to the day-to-day poverty that prevents them from reaching their goals, to the institutional racism that keeps them “in their place”. All of Wheatle’s young adult characters in his Crongton series have creative and artistic dreams, but there remains a question over whether they will be able to achieve them. As he said at the symposium when talking about how whiteness influences prize-giving, “Otherness wasn’t quite adjudicated for.”

Alex Wheatle MBE in conversation with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor at the Into Crongton with Alex Wheatle event. — Alex Wheatle MBE in conversation with Professor Karen Sands O’Connor at the Into Crongton with Alex Wheatle event. Image: Newcastle University

Otherness, or rather being othered, was something that had affected many of the speakers at the symposium. Filipino writer Candy Gourlay mentioned that her work had been translated to television with her main characters depicted as white because there was always “the assumption that if I had a hero, my hero would be white”. SF Said wondered if by only listing his initials on his books, he had created the same assumption: “The minute I took away the obvious ‘difference’ of my name, doors opened for me.”

Some of the participants mentioned historical moments when those doors were opened because of cultural change; author Beverley Naidoo talked about how “There were really close connections between anti-apartheid movements and what was going on in the UK” in the 1970s and 1980s. And librarian Jake Hope reminded the audience of the “radical roots” that led librarians (Black and white) to demand changes in publishing during that same time period. This sense of history was underscored by author Patrice Lawrence, who highlighted the importance of the historical record: “The joy of looking at archives,” she said, is that “you come to understand how we got to where we are.” And archivist and author S. I. Martin pointed out that archives could teach more than just adults: “Archives are a world that kids can write themselves into.”

Jake Hope speaking about children's literature prizes, chaired by Dr Lucy Pearson. — Jake Hope speaking about children’s literature prizes, chaired by Dr Lucy Pearson. Image: Newcastle University

There was at times a rumbling undercurrent of concern that the symposium was a good start whose promise might never be fulfilled. Author Ifeoma Onyefulu spoke those concerns out loud when she said, “It’s good to talk, but where’s the action?”

Many of the symposium participants found the pace of historical change too slow, and did not wait for a space to be made for them. Verna Wilkins, the founder of Tamarind and then of Firetree Books, talked about how her life’s work was “an attempt to redress the balance” in the world of publishing. The illustrator Yu Rong spoke about seeing a hole in the publishing world: “There is very little about China and Chinese people in UK children’s books” and so Rong has done her best to fill up that hole, at least a little bit.

Verna Wilkins talks about setting up Tamarind Books at Diverse Voices? Image: Newcastle University.

But for almost everyone at the symposium, action by one group of people was not enough to bring real change for everyone. Instead, it will take hard work and difficult discussions to change children’s literature in the UK if we are going to make every child feel a sense of belonging in the world of books. We must read differently – think differently – speak differently. We must cross the barriers that keep us apart by any means necessary.

In Sita Brahmachari’s recent book for the publisher Barrington Stoke, Worry Angels (2017), she writes about the difficulty and necessity of communication:

“If someone doesn’t speak the same language as you . . . when you want them to understand not just the words that you say, but what you feel, then you try to speak in any way that you can . . . with your hands, with your eyes, with pictures in the sand . . . You act things out . . . you let the feeling show in your whole body . . . whatever way you can to show them you want to be your friend” (71).

It is this kind of communication we need to keep up between us all, even when it is hard. When it goes wrong – as it will – we must keep on trying. This is the only way to ensure that the change we want will come in British children’s books – for all kids.

– Professor Karen Sands O’Connor

Part of Freedom City 2017, the Diverse Voices? symposium and associated events were supported by Newcastle University’s Institute for Social Renewal, the Catherine Cookson Foundation, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England.

Exploring Marine Sciences at Seven Stories

In September, visitors to Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books went ‘under the sea’ with Newcastle University’s Marine Sciences. We had a whale of a time!

Way back in April, I went on a trip to the coast to meet Annie Russell at Newcastle University’s Dove Marine Laboratory in Cullercoats. I’d heard that Marine Sciences, which is based in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, had some really interesting outreach and engagement initiatives, and I wanted to find out more…

While I was visiting, Annie showed me the creatures that live at Dove Marine, and told me about her work on engaging children and young people through taking marine science activities out to other venues. It struck me that it could be really fascinating to explore this with Seven Stories’ visitors, too.

So, on Saturday 23^rd and Sunday 24^th September 2017, Seven Stories and Marine Sciences collaborated to offer a special ‘Under the Sea’ themed weekend!

Faculty Outreach Officer Charlotte Foster introduces families visiting Seven Stories to different crab species. Image: Newcastle University

Faculty Outreach Officer Charlotte Foster led a team of students and together they took over Seven Stories’ Studio space. And they brought some amazing marine creatures with them!

Seven Stories’ visitors had the opportunity to see and handle starfish, sea anenomes, crabs and lobsters in designated handling sessions. It was amazing to see these creatures up close and learn about their behaviours and habitats. They fascinated both adults and children – even if some of them found Larry the lobster a bit scary…

Visitors taking part in the animal handling sessions. Image: Newcastle University

Students from the Street Science team supported the handling sessions, origami and colouring in crafts, and an activity station all about marine conservation.

And Seven Stories’ staff got involved as well! They delivered under the sea-themed storytimes, colourful displays and decorations in the bookshop and café, and I even spotted some crustacean croissants…

Seaside shortbread and crustacean croissants! Image: Newcastle University

Cathy Brumby, Seven Stories’ Senior Visitor Services Co-ordinator, said: “Charlotte and her team were fab! So friendly and approachable. The craft was great and well received, as well as the actual creatures, of course. It was lovely to be able to extend the activity throughout the building.”

Hooray for fish! A display of sea-themed stories in the Seven Stories Bookshop. Image: Newcastle University

Charlotte said: “Staff and students from Newcastle University’s Dove Marine Laboratory had a wonderful time introducing sea creatures at the Seven Stories ‘Under the sea’ event. It was a fantastic setting and Seven Stories were incredibly supportive (some even joined in holding a starfish or two!)

The weekend was a great opportunity for the next generation to learn about our amazing oceans. The team at the Dove hopes to continue working alongside Seven Stories to help inspire and enthuse families about the world around them.”

Find out more about Marine Science Outreach at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/nes/outreach/marine/

Looking forward to Freedom City 2017

2017 marks 50 years since Newcastle University awarded Dr Martin Luther King Jr. an honorary doctorate, the only British university to do so during his lifetime. Newcastle is commemorating this throughout the autumn in a city-wide festival, Freedom City 2017. This posts looks forward to the joint events that Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books are presenting as part of the festival.

On 13th November 1967, Dr King came to Newcastle to accept his award, and in a moving address spoke of “three urgent, and indeed, great, problems that we face not only in the United States of America, but all over the world, today. That is the problem of racism, the problem of poverty, and the problem of war.”

Half a century on, the Freedom City 2017 festival aims to focus on these three problems, bringing Dr King’s legacy to life for a new generation and stimulating debate.

Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books are both getting involved in the commemorations, and the two organisations are collaborating to present a number of joint events.

Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE. Image: Ayo Banton.

Fickling Lecture on Developments in Children’s Literature

Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE on ‘Facing Adversity with a Smile’

Tuesday 3rd October 2017, 5.30 – 6.45pm, Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

I can’t think of a better way to start our joint Freedom City 2017 programme, and this year’s INSIGHTS public lectures, than with the annual Fickling Lecture on Developments in Children’s Literature. Tomorrow evening, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE will be talking about her childhood journey from Trinidad to Britain, the subject of her bestselling children’s book, Coming to England (1995).

Floella is also an actress, presenter (I have very early memories of seeing Floella on the BBC’s Play School and its successors), writer, independent producer, businesswoman and working peer. She has campaigned for 25 years on behalf of children and young people, and for diversity to be reflected in every aspect of our society.

This event is presented by Newcastle University’s School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics and Seven Stories, and is supported by David Fickling Books.

Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/events/noticeboard/item/facingadversitywithasmile.html

Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle. Image: Atom.

Into Crongton with Alex Wheatle

Thursday 23rd November 2017, 6pm – 7pm, followed by a book signing, Percy Building, Newcastle University

Alex Wheatle MBE, winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2016 and author of young adult novels Liccle Bit (2015), Crongton Knights (2016) and Straight Outta Crongton (2017), will be in conversation with Professor Karen Sands O’Connor (SUNY Buffalo State) in this free author event.

How do the Freedom City 2017 themes of war, poverty and racism play out in Crongton, where gangs rule the streets? We’ll find out…

This event is jointly hosted by Newcastle University’s School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics and Seven Stories.

Free admission, book online in advance. https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/whats-on/events/123368/into-crongton-with-alex-wheatle

Local schoolchildren visit Seven Stories. Image: Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy. — Local schoolchildren visit Seven Stories. Image: Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy.

Diverse Voices? Curating a National History of Children’s Books

Friday 24th November 2017, 9.30am – 6pm, Seven Stories

Seven Stories is the National Centre for Children’s Books – how are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic voices represented in our national story of children’s literature?

In this one-day symposium, we’ll be exploring this question with speakers including Sita Brahmachari, Candy Gourlay, Jake Hope, Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence, SI Martin, Beverley Naidoo, SF Said, Professor Karen Sands O’Connor, Alex Wheatle OBE and Verna Wilkins.

This event is jointly hosted by Newcastle University’s Institute for Social Renewal and Seven Stories.

Free admission and places are strictly limited so booking is essential. Please email me if you are interested in attending this event. http://research.ncl.ac.uk/diversevoices/

Catherine Johnson (left) and Patrice Lawrence (right).

In Conversation with Catherine Johnson and Patrice Lawrence

Friday 24^th November 2017, 4.30 – 6pm, Seven Stories

We’re opening up the last session of the Diverse Voices symposium to a broader audience. Join us to hear authors Catherine Johnson and Patrice Lawrence talk about their work and reflect on issues around children’s literature and race.

I’ve just enjoyed reading Catherine’s The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo (2015), and Patrice’s first book Orangeboy (2016) was a fantastic (and deservedly award-winning) debut. They’ll be chaired by teacher Darren Chetty, who contributed to the 2016 anthology The Good Immigrant.

This event is jointly hosted by Newcastle University’s Institute for Social Renewal and Seven Stories.

Admission: £2.50. Book online in advance. https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/whats-on/events/123370/in-conversation-with-catherine-johnson-and-patrice-lawrence

What an amazing line up! I hope to see you at some of our Freedom City events this autumn.

Freedom City 2017 is a partnership between Newcastle University, Northern Roots and NewcastleGateshead Initiative. Find out more at http://freedomcity2017.com/

Northern Bridge and Ecologies of Knowledge

Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books is a strategic partner to the Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. In May, I joined staff from Newcastle University, Durham University and Queen’s University Belfast, as well as colleagues from Northern Bridge’s strategic partners, for Ecologies of Knowledge, a seminar held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast.

The seminar was suggested by Sage Gateshead’s Dave Camlin. It gave us the chance to reflect on our time working together on Northern Bridge so far, and “to explore some of the tensions and opportunities inherent in collaborative approaches to the generation of new knowledge.”

Newcastle University's Professor Mike Rossington addresses the Northern Bridge Ecologies of Knowledge seminar. Image courtesy of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. — Newcastle University’s Professor Mike Rossington addresses the Northern Bridge Ecologies of Knowledge seminar. Image courtesy of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Of course, there are tensions; when you bring together any group of academic institutions, or cultural organisations, there is competition – for students, for audiences, for funding. And although learning is at the heart of what both universities and cultural venues do, the processes through which we generate knowledge are quite different. We speak different languages. We have different drivers. Working in collaboration requires negotiating all of these factors.

Another tension which formed a focus of conversation during the day was the inequality of engagement with the arts. The Warwick Commission’s Enriching Britain, Culture, Creative and Growth Report states that “the wealthiest, better educated and least ethnically diverse 8% of the population forms the most culturally active segment of all”. How to reach those beyond that 8% is certainly a challenge.

But democratising culture and knowledge is becoming increasingly important in both the higher education and cultural sectors. The Research Excellence Framework emphasises the impact of research ‘beyond academia’; Arts Council England encourages the organisations they fund to reach more demographically diverse audiences.

Dave Camlin (Sage Gateshead) opens the seminar. Image courtesy of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

From my experience of working on the Vital North Partnership between Newcastle University and Seven Stories, collaboration holds exciting opportunities. Partnership helps to make our activities more interesting and diverse. At the intersections between universities, cultural organisations and communities, we can draw on our collective expertise to create new kinds of shared knowledge. And with increasing pressure on arts budgets, we can pool our resources and become more efficient.

I explored the Vital North Partnership’s unique ecology at the seminar, giving a Pecha Kucha presentation:

It was also interesting to reflect on what role Northern Bridge, as a Doctoral Training Partnership, has as part of our shared ecology. I think the ways in which universities and arts organisations collaborate is changing. We are asking different questions, and having new conversations. I work at this boundary – and I’m interested to see where we’re headed next.

For more information about the Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Consortium, visit: http://www.northernbridge.ac.uk/

Newcastle University awards Michael Morpurgo honorary degree

Today, Newcastle University has made Michael Morpurgo an Honorary Doctor of Letters for his outstanding achievements as a children’s author and supporter of children’s rights, and recognising his strong connections to the North East.

Michael Morpurgo received the honour as part of the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics’ Congregation ceremonies, where our undergraduates and postgraduates also celebrated their degree success.

Michael is a true champion of children’s books. In an award-winning writing career that has spanned 40 years, he has published over 150 books for children, including War Horse, Private Peaceful and Kensuke’s Kingdom. He was the third Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005, a scheme he helped to establish. In 2006, his services to children’s literature were recognised when he was awarded an OBE. Michael and his wife, Clare Morpurgo, are also the founders of Farms for City Children, a charity which has now offered over 100,000 children the opportunity to experience a working farm in the countryside.

Michael Morpurgo with Seven Stories' A Lifetime in Stories exhibition. Image: Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy — Michael Morpurgo with Seven Stories’ A Lifetime in Stories exhibition. Image: Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy

Alongside his writing and charity work, the honorary degree also celebrates Michael’s links to Newcastle. He is a Patron of Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books, and donated his entire archive to Seven Stories in 2015. This collection formed the basis for a major exhibition, Michael Morpurgo: A Lifetime in Stories, as well as a learning and engagement programme, and was supported by an InnovateUK Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Newcastle University, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The exhibition was on display between July 2016 to July 2017 at Seven Stories and is now preparing for a national tour, beginning with the V&A Museum of Childhood, where it will run from 22^nd July 2017 – 25^th February 2018.

Michael Morpurgo, with items from his archive, at Seven Stories. Image: Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy — Michael Morpurgo, with items from his archive, at Seven Stories. Image: Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, photography by Richard Kenworthy

In her citation, acting University Librarian, Jill Taylor-Roe, said: “Michael Morpurgo, who we are honouring today, is one of the finest storytellers of our generation.”

Michael Morpurgo accepted the award by saying: “I am delighted to receive this degree from Newcastle University’s School of English. What a huge honour and from a city that is home to the wonderful Seven Stories, who look after my archive and for which my wife Clare and I are joint Patrons. It feels a bit like coming home.”

You can watch the whole degree ceremony online. Jill Taylor-Roe’s citation begins at 31:10 with Michael’s response running from 40:48 to 52:14.

Congratulations, Dr Morpurgo! And well done to all Newcastle University students graduating this summer.

Brian Alderson donates rare children’s book collection

Dr Brian Alderson, a long-standing supporter of Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books, is donating his amazing children’s book collection jointly to both organisations. In this blog post, I reflect on meeting Brian, and my experience of his work and his collection.

Brian describes himself as ‘a student of children’s books’. But when I first met Brian, as he gave a Looking at Children’s Books talk on the ‘fairy tales’ of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, illustrated with books from his personal collection, it was clear to me that he is an authority on their work. Such a detailed understanding of the tales’ origins, their translation, their illustrators and publishers could only be acquired through a lifetime of researching them.

Dr. Brian Alderson gives a Looking at Children's Books talk at the Philip Robinson Library. Image: Newcastle University — Dr. Brian Alderson gives a Looking at Children’s Books talk at the Philip Robinson Library. Image: Newcastle University

In fact, I would go as far as calling Brian a true expert on children’s books. He seems to have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of children’s literature, from its origins to the present day. Brian is an informed and thorough critic, an author and translator, a previous children’s books editor for The Times, and has done much to further the study of children’s books bibliography and history.

Yet Brian is always modest about his expertise. In 2016, when Newcastle University the importance of Brian’s work by awarding him an honorary doctorate, Brian accepted by saying, ‘I do not quite perceive, despite the kind words of the orator, why I ought to be here… I’m not sure that I’m deserving anything of this honour that is laid upon me.’ I guess that more than anyone, Brian is aware of how much there is still to know in the field of children’s literature studies…

Newcastle University awarded Dr Brian Alderson an honorary degree in 2016. Image: Newcastle University

Last year I was also lucky enough to visit Brian and explore his extraordinary children’s book collection, which goes far beyond editions of Grimm and Andersen (although it does include plenty of those)! From unique examples of early children’s books, to editions of classic children’s books that I’ve never come across, to original illustrations, it’s a real treasure.

So it is hugely exciting for Seven Stories and Newcastle University that Brian is donating his collection to our two institutions, and a milestone for the Vital North Partnership. We share the aim that Newcastle becomes a centre for excellence in children’s literature – and for our collections, research, teaching and public engagement, Brian’s generous donation is truly excellent news.

The History of Goody Two Shoes; with the adventures of her brother Tommy. Embellish'd with elegant engravings. Glasgow: Published by J.Lumsden & Son, & sold by Stoddart & Craggs, Hull. Price Sixpence, no date [circa.1814]. — This 1841 edition of The History of Goody Two Shoes from Dr Brian Alderson’s collection will feature in the Robinson Library’s summer exhibition, A Lilliputian Miscellany.

To mark the start of the transfer of the Alderson collection to Newcastle, the Philip Robinson Library will be hosting an exhibition curated by Brian himself, A Lilliputian Miscellany, which will be on display from June to August 2017. Copies of Brian’s exhibition catalogue, A Lilliputian Miscellany: Bio-bibliographical Notes on a Collection are available to buy via the Newcastle University Webstore. Brian will also be giving a Looking at Children’s Books talk, Every book has its own history: Reflections of a collector of children’s books on Wednesday 14th June, 5.30pm in Room 152, Philip Robinson Library. Both the exhibition and talk are free entry, and all are welcome.

Thank you, Brian!

Find out more about Brian and his work on the Brian Alderson website, or view the items from Brian’s collection that have already been catalogued on Newcastle University’s Library Search.

Seven Stories showcases new student artwork for The Late Shows 2017

In May, cultural venues across Newcastle Gateshead participate in The Late Shows, part of the Museums at Night initiative. For this year’s Late Shows, Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books presented new artworks by students from Newcastle University’s MA in Creative Arts Practice, a postgraduate programme which focusses on creativity, interdisciplinary projects and digital technologies.

The MA in Creative Arts Practice programme director, Dr Tom Schofield, suggested the collaboration as part of an existing module around Enterprise and Research Methods. Dr Schofield said: “In our programme, we think about professional practice in terms of the way that our work makes sense in public. What does it mean to work with others? What do you need to make your work work in this environment?” This fitted with Seven Stories’ commitment to supporting emerging arts professionals, and presenting art and engaging audiences are core activities for the organisation.

Following a successful application for Teaching Development Funding from the University, module leaders Dr Schofield, Tim Shaw and Professor John Bowers, the Seven Stories team and I discussed a programme of activities that would lead to the MA in Creative Arts Practice students presenting a new artwork for The Late Shows 2017, when Seven Stories offers free entry late into the evening and attracts a large and diverse audience. The starting point was collaborating to come up with a suitable commission brief for the students to respond to.

MA in Creative Arts Practice students at Seven Stories for a site visit. Image: Newcastle University

In March, the MA in Creative Arts Practice students came on a site visit to Seven Stories, where Seven Stories’ staff explained the commission brief, talked about our experience of The Late Shows, and the students had the opportunity to explore the different spaces at Seven Stories. They even took part in a story time!

The students had around a month to respond to the brief with a costed artistic proposal. All the proposals submitted showed creativity, and the students had clearly thought about Seven Stories as an organisation, and what might be suitable for our spaces and audiences.

Will Finn and Rosie Calvert perform at Seven Stories.

Seven Stories chose to commission two of the students, Lewis Brown and Mike Hirst, to deliver new works. We worked closely with the students as they planned their Late Shows activity over the weeks leading up to Friday 19th May, so that all of the partners were fully prepared.

Lewis curated a series of pop-up musical and poetry performances around Seven Stories, which responded to the building’s spaces and themes. Lewis said: “With Seven Stories’ support, I was able to facilitate a diverse programme of local performers popping up throughout the venue for guests to discover. Working with Seven Stories has been a pleasure and a great opportunity to apply my creative practice on a larger scale than I ever had previously!”

Dr Schofield observed that “audiences formed naturally around the events and they gelled nicely with the spaces… the performers referenced parts of the exhibition around them, using props and standing in different places, which contributed significantly to the integrated feel of the performances.” From Seven Stories’ perspective, Lewis’ programme really brought the bookshop, café and galleries to life. Operations Manager Jayne Nicholson said: “It was all very well planned – the whole building was buzzing!”

Mike presented an interactive artwork in Seven Stories’ Studio space, inspired by early children’s books. Over the course of the evening, he pulled together social media posts about Seven Stories and The Late Shows to create new chapbooks, which he printed and constructed with visitors. For Mike, taking part in The Late Shows “allowed me to fuse contemporary experience with archive content to create new and exciting possibilities.”

Mike’s artwork was complemented by a display of historic chapbooks from Seven Stories’ Collection, led by Collections Officer, Paula Wride. Paula said: “Having the old and new chapbooks together really worked well – and it was the first time we’ve really explored chapbooks at Seven Stories.” Dr Schofield echoes that sentiment: “Mike’s work felt like a very natural complement to the Studio activities. The work took on a recursive aspect as people started to tweet pictures and descriptions of the chapbooks themselves which were then reincluded!”

Mike engages with Seven Stories' Late Shows visitors. — Mike with Professor John Bowers and Seven Stories Chief Executive Kate Edwards.

From the perspective of the MA in Creative Arts Practice, this filled the programme’s objectives by encouraging the students to respond to the challenges of a space and event format. Dr Schofield said: “I thought they stage managed the evening extremely competently and really added to the event at Seven Stories. It was a great success.”

Over 800 people visited over the course of the evening and Seven Stories were very happy with how the event went. Chief Executive Kate Edwards said: “What a fab time we had at The Late Shows! Loads of happy visitors, a great atmosphere and something going on everywhere you looked. The MA in Creative Arts Practice students were great!”

Lewis Brown performs in the Michael Morpurgo gallery at Seven Stories for The Late Shows 2017. — Lewis performs in the Michael Morpurgo gallery at Seven Stories for The Late Shows 2017.

Music students deliver enterprising event at Seven Stories

In March 2017, a group of third year students on Newcastle University’s third year Music Enterprise module delivered a Musical Creepy Crawlies event at Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books. Here’s the full story…

With rhythm and rhyme being a key feature of picturebooks, there’s an interesting synergy between children’s books and music. So it seemed only natural to me to explore collaborations between Seven Stories and Music at Newcastle University. Meeting with Jane Nolan, Teaching Fellow in Enterprise in the School of Arts and Cultures, her Music Enterprise third year module sounded like a perfect way to start working with Music. Jane says: ‘In music and the creative industries, students need to prepare for self-managed, freelance and portfolio careers as well as for employment, and the Music Enterprise module helps students do this through the challenging and authentic experience of creating, organising and delivering a musical event, working in small teams.’

All ready for the percussion workshop. Image: Newcastle University

After discussing the opportunity with Seven Stories’ Programming team, I delivered a short presentation to the Music Enterprise cohort back in October to tell them a bit more about Seven Stories, the sort of event we would be interested in, and the spaces available. And I was really pleased when a group approached me a couple of weeks later!

Amy, Lucy, Aimee-Beth and Gina were interested in hosting their event at Seven Stories because ‘we knew that they would be really supportive of our event’ (Lucy), ‘it allowed for our event to be different from typical gig nights’ (Amy) and ‘the rooms were perfect for the workshops and the final performance’ (Gina) that the group were planning.

The group came to Seven Stories to pitch their event to us before Christmas. They proposed running vocal and percussion workshops on the theme of bugs and insects. Aimee-Beth says: ‘Creepy crawlies tied in with Seven Stories’ insect theme for spring.’ Lucy adds: ‘It also meant we had a really good choice of children’s books to work with.’ It sounded really interesting, so Seven Stories gave them approval to go ahead…

The students used picturebooks as the inspiration for their workshops. Image: Newcastle University

Following that meeting, the group developed their workshops, planned logistics for the event and organised communications to promote Musical Creepy Crawlies. Jane says of this process: ‘Students’ reflections and feedback confirm that the experience of organising and presenting a musical event during the module enhances skills and confidence, personal resilience and professional development, and can also add to their CVs.’

On Sunday 5th March 2017, Amy, Lucy, Aimee-Beth and Gina delivered their event. Amy says: ‘I felt like overall the event ran well, even though I was a bit nervous on the day. But we had great support from Seven Stories which was a massive help.’

Preparing for the Musical Creepy Crawlies vocal workshop. Image: Newcastle University

What did participants think? ‘From the parents’ feedback, it seemed like everyone who attended really enjoyed it,’ says Aimee-Beth. And the parents themselves told us that ‘it was very good for all young children – ours is 6 is and it was good for her age range – but little ones were enjoying it too!’ Another parent commented: ‘thank you – my son loves creepy crawlies so good topic!’

And what did the students learn from the experience? Gina and Aimee-Beth reflected on having to ‘make on the spot decisions’ as the event progressed; ‘no amount of organisation / preparation can leave you totally equipped for things.’ And Lucy and Amy both commented on ‘the importance of communication – I think this is one of of the most vital components of running a successful event and working in a team.’

The children deliver their final Musical Creepy Crawlies performance. Image: Newcastle University

Lorna Duncanson, Seven Stories’ Programming Co-ordinator, said: ‘It was lovely to have such fun and accessible musical workshops at Seven Stories!’ And from Jane’s perspective, ‘the Musical Creepy Crawlies team put a huge amount of thought, imagination and hard work into their workshop, which was clearly very much enjoyed by the children and well received by the parents. Congratulations to the team on a great event!’