Spaces of Alterity

Conceptualising Counter-Hegemonic Sites, Practices and Narratives

University of Nottingham, UK
28th-29th April 2011

Confirmed Plenary Speakers:
China Mieville and Dr. Alberto Toscano

This two day international conference for postgraduate and early career researchers explores interdisciplinary conceptions and representations of radical, counter-hegemonic space.

As concerns grow over such issues as spatial privatisation, commodification and homogenisation, surveillance, extra-legal spaces, social and political ‘non-spaces’, and the loss of common or public spaces, so too a plethora of interventions-across genre and
disciplinary boundaries-have been launched in opposition to these trends. Examples are diverse, and can be found, for example, in literary studies of estranging narratives in contemporary fiction; spatial representations in film, TV and new media; the creation of
critical spaces of alterity in political activism (such as semi-autonomous zones); psychogeographical spatial strategies, and philosophical and theoretical conceptions of counter-hegemonic space.

We invite proposals for papers of 20 minutes from candidates across the arts and humanities, welcoming individual papers as well as group panels that respond to these and other conceptions of counter-hegemonic “Spaces of Alterity”. Possible research questions include, but are not limited to:

What estranging utopian, dystopian, post-apocalyptic and science fiction spaces of alterity are being utilised in contemporary aesthetic and cultural productions, e.g. film, literature, TV, art, computer games?

How do these narratives travel across media and what changes occur when they are adapted, reworked and transformed? What research questions are raised by such collaborations, transmissions and intermedial dialogues?

How can we approach traditionally-understood print and audio-visual texts in relation to virtual spaces of alterity, such as fan-based communities, social networking sites and other sites developed through user-generated content (UGC)?

What are the relationships between textual spaces of alterity and non-textual forums, communities and dialogues?

What physical spaces of alterity are being constructed in contemporary urban environments?

How are such spaces critical, oppositional or subversive and how do they draw on the contributions of local communities and organisations?

How do spaces of alterity which are informed by traditionally-understood “texts” function on the Internet and how can they inform our understanding of filmic, visual and literary textual methodologies and approaches?

What forms can counter-hegemonic, avant-garde, or ‘subtractive’ spaces-which can be spatial, but also temporal or conceptual-take?

What political, artistic, or scientific practices can such spaces foster? How does distance from institutions help form alternative political, literary and artistic practices?

Abstracts of 250-300 words should be sent by email as a Word attachment to spacesofalterity@gmail.com by Wednesday 3rd November 2010 and should include name, affiliation, e-mail address, title of paper and 4 keywords.

Conference website:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cultural-studies/research/conferences.aspx

Speakers:

China Mieville is a distinguished “Weird Fiction” novelist, activist, and lecturer in creative writing at the University of Warwick. His publications include King Rat (1998), Perido Street Staion (2000), and Iron Council (2004). In 2010 he won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for an
unprecedented second time with his latest novel, The City and the City (2009).

Alberto Toscano is senior lecturer in Philosophy at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has published extensively on social and political subjectivity, biopolitics, and the philosophy of Alain Badiou.

Murder by the Book

Saturday 12 June: 10am-4.00pm
Murder by the Book: a readers’ day for lovers of crime fiction
Speakers include Stephen Booth, best selling author of Derbyshire crime fiction series; Rod Madocks on true crime and crime fiction, author of No Way to Say Goodbye; Martin Edwards, with Victorian murder mystery.
Tickets: £5/£4 or £3/£2 for half day tickets
Info: jane.brierley@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Southwell Library Poetry festival

This year’s Southwell Library Poetry festival takes place from 13-18 July 2010 and boasts what could be our most exciting programme yet.

For a full programme please visit: http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/leisure/libraries/poetryfestival.htm

Headline names include:

Sir Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate 1999 – 2009
Michael Rosen, one of the UK’s most-loved children’s poets
Jo Shapcott and Don Paterson, two of Britain’s leading contemporary poets.

How to book
Bookings for any of the events can be made at Southwell Library.

By phone: 01636 812 148

By e-mail: southwell.library@nottscc.gov.uk

By post or in person:

Southwell Library
The Bramley Centre
King Street
Southwell
Nottinghamshire
NG25 0EH

Please make cheques payable to Nottinghamshire County Council.

Please note that the library cannot accept credit card bookings.

Credit card bookings
Credit card bookings for Andrew Motion, Michael Rosen, Siobhan Logan, Jo Shapcott and Don Paterson can be made at

The Bookcase, Lowdham: tel: 0115 966 414

For more information please contact Ask Libraries: tel: 0845 0267972 e-mail: asklibraries@nottscc.gov.uk.

Lowdham Book Festival

Lowdham Book Festival – theoretically slimmed down after its big tenth year, and the absence of significant public funding – has ended up with a longer festival, and a line up of around 75 writers, two thirds from the region, plus a couple of music events. The Festival begins on 15 June and runs until 1 July. The full programme is available from info@fiveleaves.co.uk and, from the end of this week, on www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk. Visiting speakers range from the actor Robert Lindsay to the children’s writer David Almond, and from the novelist Barbara Trapido to the naturalist Mark Cocker. Advance notice is also given of a Lowdham Book Festival literary trip to Paris, following the previous Nordic and Nile book cruises!

http://www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk

Alt.Fiction 2010

Derby’s Festival of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-fi
Saturday 12th June
http://altfiction.co.uk

Derby’s festival for alternative fiction is a one-day event focusing on the genres of science-fiction, fantasy and horror, featuring some of the top authors in the field such as Paul Cornell, Ramsey Campbell, Robert Shearman, Steven Erikson, Mike Carey and many others.

The day is made up of a number of different types of sessions, including author talks, Q&A sessions, discussion panels and workshops. There will also be a number of publishers in attendance, including Angry Robot Books, Gollancz, Solaris, Abaddon and BBC Books, while genre agents John Berlyne and John Jarrold will also be sharing their considerable experience.

http://altfiction.co.uk

Writing the Short Story

Writing the Short Story workshops

Have you ever wanted to become a writer? Learn how to transform the seeds of an idea into a short story in a Writing the Short Story workshop, due to be held at artSpaceWorkshops, Stoney Street, The Lace Market, on Saturday 8th May between 10am and 4pm.

This one-day practical workshop, introduces the short story form by looking at the different aspects of the genre and formulas for successful short story writing. Budding writers will have the opportunity to share ideas and techniques with each other. The workshop costs £60 for the day and includes all tools and materials.

For more information on Writing the Short Story and other workshops artSpaceWorkshops offer, please visit our website on www.artspaceworkshops.com

Lincoln Book Festival

The seventh annual Lincoln Book Festival returns to Lincoln from 12th-16th May and features an exciting and varied programme of events celebrating books and all that they inspire. The programme will once again see writers from across the globe descend upon Lincoln City.

The festival attracts local, national and international writers and artists and celebrates both historical and contemporary works of art spanning from Lincolnshire’s past with the Magna Carta and Tennyson, to new writing. This richness has ensured the public have access to a wide range of authors and experiences and helps them to engage with reading and writing in many non-traditional ways.

For the box office call (01522) 873894 or www.lincolndrillhall.com.
Programme of Events

There are events for the whole family and all age groups, including the usual mix of themed days, workshops, theatre, poetry and performance. Over the past six years Lincoln has been pleased to play host to an array of artists including Benjamin Zephaniah, Michael Morpurgo, Frank Gardner, Sir David Frost, Melvyn Bragg, Alastair Campbell, John Boyne, Michael Connelly, The Hairy Bikers, Iain Banks, Louis de Bernieres, Colin Dexter, Chris Ryan and BBC’s In the Night Garden As well as a wonderful programme of creative writing workshops and a Children’s Educational and Outreach Programme.

Taking centre stage at the festival is a World first – Mercury Prize Winner musician Speech Debelle; a north London poet and musician who shares the prestigious award with past winners Suede, M People Dizzie Rascal and Arctic Monkeys. Speech Debelle will be taking part in the festival’s new Desert Island Books programme.

Other headline acts and authors include:
• Simon Callow CBE – English actor, writer and theatre director who has starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
• Anthony Horowitz – author and screenwriter of novels and TV adaptations including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, plus his own creations for TV that include Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders.
• Lynda Bellingham – presenter from Loose Women and author of a new autobiography ‘Lost and Found’.
• Martyn Ware – founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, and currently working with La Roux.
• Dotun Adebayo – Radio 5 Live presenter in Desert Island Books.
• Preston from the band Ordinary Boys and his brother, author and ex-banker Alex Preston, who will be looking at the recession through fiction and non-fiction.
• Jake Arnott – crime writer whose book was dramatized by the BBC into the series ‘The Long Firm’.
• Jeremy Hardy – comedian and co-presenter of Sorry I haven’t a clue will be searching into his family roots.

Writing and Meditation Retreat

“The Beginner’s Mind – Even The Mundane is Beautiful”

Saturday 29th May

9am – 5pm

at The Friends’ Meeting House

16 Queens Road, Leicester LE2 1WP

£10 per head (you can pay on the day)

Organised by Catherine Digman with the help of members of The Western Buddhist Order.

Please bring writing materials, either traditional or laptop, but there are only a few plug sockets.

Contact Catherine Digman on 07905 797 216 or at cdigman@gmail.com to book a place.

Please let me know if you have a piece you would like to submit for the group critique exercise (3000 words max), this won’t be a really harsh critique, and in the past people have found them really helpful for developing their work! Prose, stories, creative non-fiction, rough drafts, poems, or excerpts from novels are all welcome.

The retreats are held monthly, and combine traditional Buddhist meditations with creative writing exercises. They are open to writers of any faith and background, beginners are also welcome.

St Georges Day Festival

**** St. George’s Day Festival 24th April****
As part of the St. George’s Day festival at Orton Square on April 24th there will be a celebration of local literature. A mini expo of Literature organisations from the city will be sharing their expertise and information and putting on a series of short readings. There’ll be a workshop on improving your performance skills & on the main stage the world premiere of 4 new spoken word commissions. So come along from 1pm if you’d like to find out about creative writing in the city.

For younger readers the Bookbus will be in attendance with storytelling & crafts and there will be lots of other eyecatching entertainments at Orton Square so don’t miss it!

Teen Read Expo

****Teen Read Expo to ignite the literary spark 14th April****
SECONDARY school-aged readers across the city are being invited to share the thrill of literature at a major reading festival.
Organised by Leicester Libraries Service in collaboration with city schools, the second Teen Read Expo (TREXPO) takes place on 14th April at De Montfort University Student Union.
A full day’s programme of events is planned with talks, performances and workshops with popular authors, poets and comic book writers, as well as displays and competitions.
Authors attending the event include Melvin Burgess, Sophie McKenzie, Mike Carey, Cliff McNish, Lorna Meehan, Dan Tunstall and Alex Wheatle MBE.
There will be a ‘twilight’ session 4 – 6 that is open to all and free so bring your keen teen readers along to meet the authors.

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