
- Writing and Reading the Pandemic: Poems About Covid-19 was part of the Writing and Reading the Pandemic Project
- Over 50 poets, academics, students and members of the public attended the event at Aston Business School in Birmingham
- The project highlights the vital role of the arts in documenting and understanding societal challenges.
Aston University has hosted a unique initiative exploring the creative and emotional landscapes of the pandemic through poetry.
Writing and Reading the Pandemic: Poems About Covid-19 was part of the Writing and Reading the Pandemic Project, and drew over 50 attendees, including poets, academics, students and members of the public, for an afternoon of readings, discussions and reflections on the impact of the pandemic. The event was held on Saturday 11 January at Aston Business School in Birmingham.
The project highlights the vital role of the arts in documenting and understanding societal challenges and emphasised the University’s commitment to fostering creativity and dialogue around contemporary issues. It explores how poets writing in English represented the experience of living through the pandemic, whether Covid poetry can play a role in helping readers better understand their own experiences and feelings during that time and whether reading Covid poetry can help readers understand the pandemic experiences of others.
Aston University’s Dr Marcello Giovanelli and Dr Polina Gavin opened the event, before three acclaimed poets, Jamie Hale, George Sandifer-Smith and Lisa Simpson, whose work has been central to capturing the lived experiences of the pandemic, read selections of their poetry and afterwards shared insights into their creative processes with a Q&A.
Dr Marcello Giovanelli, head of the Department of Communication and Culture at Aston University, said:
“This was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together to think about the ways in which poetry can help us process the collective experience of the pandemic.
“I’d like to thank our speakers, whose readings resonated deeply, offering poignant and sometimes cathartic perspectives on themes such as isolation, resilience, loss and hope.
“Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the opportunity to engage with powerful, thought-provoking work in a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment.”
- Notes to Editors
More about the speakers
Jamie Hale, artistic and executive director of CRIPtic Arts, leads one of the UK’s foremost disabled-led arts organisations, championing disabled creatives and transforming industry access. Both Jamie and CRIPtic are named among the top 100 most influential disabled individuals and organisations in the UK. A celebrated theatre-maker, playwright and poet, Jamie’s work explores the creative possibilities of the disabled body. They are an experienced freelance access consultant and trainer, and conduct sector-wide research into arts, co-production, and disability. Jamie's collection Shield (Verve Poetry Press) was published in 2021.
George Sandifer-Smith is a Welsh poet. He has published two collections, Nights Travel at the Right Speed (Infinity Books), and Empty Trains (Broken Sleep Books). He has previously worked as reviews editor at Poetry Wales Magazine and teaches at the Open University.
Lisa Simpson is a poet living in Altrincham, Manchester. Having had some success in her teenage years, she picked up writing poetry again during the pandemic and has since had work published in various anthologies and online. Her debut pamphlet Birdsong was published by the Black Cat Poetry Press in 2023.
More about the event
This event and specific part of the project are funded by a British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grant.
About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7446 910063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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