We are delighted to announce that Booker-nominated author Stephen Kemlan will be visiting Channing this March. During his visit, Kemlan will lead a creative writing workshop and deliver a talk on the value of reading and creative expression. In preparation, we will be discussing his novel Pigeon English at Lit Soc on Tuesday, 3rd March. Please see the information below to learn more about the book. Dr Hayward looks forward to exploring this powerful novel with you in March!

Eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku, the second best runner in Year 7, races through his new life in England with his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen - blissfully unaware of the very real threat around him. Newly-arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister Lydia, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of city life, from the bewildering array of Haribo sweets, to the frightening, fascinating gang of older boys from his school. But his life is changed forever when one of his friends is murdered. As the victim's nearly new football boots hang in tribute on railings behind fluorescent tape and a police appeal draws only silence, Harri decides to act, unwittingly endangering the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to keep them safe.

This week in Literary Society, Keitu B delivered a lively presentation on satire and the male author. Read below for a brief commentary on her presentation. 

‘My presentation focused on the idea of male authors’ ‘satirical’ commentary of women through literature. I examined multiple literary works featuring a male satirical perspective, including The National Telepathy by Larraquy and The Enchanter by Nabokov. I found that a common recurring theme in these satirical narratives is the desire for the white man’s guilt to be rewarded and forgiven without having to acknowledge his own privilege by writing the part of a native woman as his gentle and forgiving prize. For more mainstream examples - this can be seen in the Avatar films, Disney’s Pocahontas and many more.'