Launch event

The Centre for New Writing was formally launched on 7 May 2013.

The day was very well-attended by university staff, students and local writers. The launch consisted of a panel, lecture and wine reception and, among a number of very well-known authors, featured a keynote lecture and reading by Daljit Nagra, perhaps Britain’s most exciting contemporary poet. 

Programme

3.30pm - Panel: 'Pushing the Boundaries of Form'

An open forum panel discussion about what is new in writing in the UK, from social media to prose fiction, small press publishing to transcultural writing. With:

• Alison Moore, 2012 Booker-shortlisted author of The Lighthouse
• Graham Mort, award-winning poet, author and Professor of Transcultural Literature
• Graham Rawle, artist, designer, and author of Woman’s World and the ‘Lost Consonants’ text and image word play series that ran for many years in the Guardian
• Ruth Page, social media expert, author of Stories and Social Media: Identities and Interaction
• Harry Whitehead (chair), author and creative writing lecturer

6.30pm - Daljit Nagra: public lecture and reading

Daljit Nagra won the 2007 Forward Prize, the 2008 South Bank Show/Arts Council Decibel Award, and was shortlisted in 2013 for the TS Eliot Prize. "Nagra’s vivid tales of immigrant life and love are electrifying the world of poetry" (the Observer).