Opportunities for students at University of Roehampton in journalism, film, digital media and front of house will be released later in May.
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Festival Times
University of Roehampton Journalists at Wimbledon BookFest. Read their write ups of our Sunset 2021 Festival and previous events:
John Cooper Clarke has been Inspired by the Best
- From a Particularly Charismatic English Teacher to the Heart of Northern Soul!
John Cooper Clarke experienced life in the honest and permissive way you would expect from a punk poet. It all began at his school which he described as a “hothouse atmosphere of poetic inspiration”. Although he hated school. His life so far is enviable: meeting prominent artists of the 20th century; dancing to music never before heard and inspiring society with his frank prose and poetic truths. Read more...
Mariam Margolyes proves an irresistible, mischievous force
Clever, self-critical and always brutally honest, award-winning actor Miriam Margolyes brings laughter and joy to Wimbedon Bookfest’s Sunset Festival 2021 in her new memoir, This Much Is True, covering everything from sex in Britain to Australia’s racist culture. Read more...
Super Sophia Thakur on real-life superheroes in history
On September 16th, the publication day of her new illustrated book Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength, Sophia Thakur spoke to the audience of school students about the superheroes, that exist in all of us. Read more...
Steven Isserlis, a Friend of Bach
To Steven Isserlis, learning the Bach suites was a logical decision at the age of 11: Bach was present through his childhood household. Isserlis tells Bookfest about his musical upbringing and his recent deeper exploration of the greatest Cello notes of all time. Read more...
"It was an opportunity to share a love of the arts and literature with other people"
My name is Catherine and I just completed my MA in Children’s Literature at the University of Roehampton. Back in June, the opportunity came up to work as an intern for the festival through the English department so I applied and got selected to intern. The experience has been really fun and exciting for me; as a lover of literature, the arts and events, it has been fantastic to be able to meet authors, watch their talks and produce content for the festival’s social media. Read more...
MP Jess Phillips Tells Wimbledon Bookfest What’s Going on in Westminster and Why We Should Care
Millie Porter, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Jess Phillips addressed two Wimbledon BookFest audiences – school students and adults - predicting the downfall of Gavin Williamson and warning the younger generation to vote. To encourage political engagement from wider audiences, Phillips has written a book that tells us Everything You Really Need To Know About Politics. Read more...
Scriptwriting: The Perfect Job for an Anxious Person
Millie Porter, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
As she signed a copy of her new memoir, My Mess Is A Bit Of A Life: Adventures In Anxiety, screen writer Georgia Pritchett told me the title was actually something she’d said by mistake. But of course, part of being a multi-award winning writer – whose screen credits include smash-hits Succession, Veep, Miranda, Smack The Pony and The Thick of It – is knowing when to make those words work for you. Read more...
Free to be a Dancer, Free to Be a Human Being, the world of international dance icon Sergei Polunin
Millie Porter, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
One bad rehearsal, one urge of intuitive spontaneity, and Sergei Polunin – the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer, global style icon and headline-making enfant terrible of dance – blew up his career. In his new autobiography, Free: A Life In Images And Words, the Ukrainian dancer reflects on how a life of dedication and rash decisions have ultimately led to great success. Read more...
The Power of Storytelling: Elif Shafak
Millie Porter, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The author put on trial for insulting Turkishness explores the threat of authoritarianism and the power of fiction, as in her new novel, The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak delves deep into underlying truths and exposes the nature of our crumbling ecosystems and ‘inherited pain’. Read more...
“America’s moment of shame”, Anne Sebba on her new timely biography of Ethel Rosenberg
Aga Malik, MA Journalism graduate, University of Roehampton
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were American citizens convicted of spying on behalf of Soviet Union. Found guilty of espionage in 1951 and executed in 1953, the Rosenbergs were the first Americans to be executed for such charges during peacetime, and their trial was one of the most sensational in the history of the United States. Read more...
The classic immigrant story – Anita Rani talks about her memoir The Right Sort of Girl
Aga Malik, MA Journalism graduate, University of Roehampton
“I could have had a therapy, but I wrote a book instead” laughed Anita Rani, as she discussed her new memoir The Right Sort of Girl with Sunday Times journalist Jennifer Cox, describing the work as a product of lockdown-induced self-reflection and self-discovery. Read more...
How Ruby Wax is Offering Us Hope and Positivity in 2020
Joe Gallop, Journalism & English Language Graduate, University of Roehampton
Ruby Wax OBE certainly picked a fitting time to release her new book And Now For The Good News [Penguin Life]. The American actress, comedian and mental health campaigner joined journalist Rachel Cooke to give the final BookFest audience of the weekend a dose of positivity at a time when it is most needed.
Exploring themes of community, technology, business and education, Wax travelled to various places across the world in order to shine a light on people and organisations making a positive difference to others’ lives. Read more...
'Accidental Black Lives Matter Hero' Speaks Out about Life-changing Incident at Protest
Joe Gallop, Journalism & English Language Graduate, University of Roehampton
On an unforgettable Sunday afternoon, ‘accidental Black Lives Matter Hero’ Patrick Hutchinson sat down with BBC’s Razia Iqbal to discuss his new book, race and that photo from the London protest. Award-winning poet Sophia Thakur helped Hutchinson write Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to my Children [HarperCollins], and she rounded off the event with a moving perfomance on issues surrounding police and young black people. Read more...
Andy Hamilton Kicks Off Last Days of Summer Festival with Long-awaited Physical Event
Joe Gallop, Journalism & English Language Graduate, University of Roehampton
Andy Hamilton opened Last Days of Summer 2020 alongside journalist John Crace, where they discussed his unique handwritten book Longhand [Unbound]; a 349-page story in the form of a farewell letter.
The stage was set on a dusk lit opening evening on Wimbledon Common. Hamilton, a renowned writer and comedian, treated the audience to their first live event in months - 14 years after he took part in the inaugural BookFest. Read more...
Nadiya Hussain Speaks Out about Mental Health and Life After Bake Off
Phoebe Walker, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Nadiya Hussain talks to Hannah MacInnes at Wimbledon BookFest about fame after Bake Off, her latest book Finding My Voice and her new role as an ambassador for mental health awareness.
Nadiya Hussain may have captured the nation’s hearts back in 2015 after winning the Great British Bake Off, but since then she has proven time and time again exactly why she is the perfect role model to have on our screens. Read more...
Evening Conversations: Sudha Bhuchar’s telling of navigating being a multicultural mum to her millennial sons
Nila Sinead Sandhu, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Bhuchar boulevard presents a satirical and candid one woman monologue performed by Sudha Bhuchar.
This very raw soliloquy begins with Bhuchar applying her makeup and joking that her eyeliner shade ‘stubborn brown’ is fitting. The rawness of this introduction captivated the audience in a way that broke down the fourth wall, and the monologue went from performance to conversation. The audience was intently listening to Bhuchar’s every word. Read more...
A Real Witch’s Perspective on Stacey Halls’ The Familiars
Jasmina Matulewicz, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Stacey Halls ventured on a mission in researching the infamous Pendle witch trials and building characters from real lives.
For as long as history books reach, witches have been persecuted, treated like outcasts and the embodiments of evil. Thousands faced execution in the 17th century, burned on stake or hung in front of an audience, based on empty accusations and the people’s fear of what is foreign. Witches were hunted down for years, and while the taboo behind the practice is slowly dissolving, they continue to be misrepresented. The Pendle witch trials are amongst the most famous across the UK, Read more...
Poetry for Climate Change: The powerful exploration of ‘Solastalgia’
Phoebe Pullen, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
In partnership with It’s Freezing in LA!, a magazine focusing on climate change, Wimbledon BookFest host an evening of climate change poetry incorporated with the art of spoken word.
Solastalgia is the emotional trauma that people experience when places they love are destroyed by climate change. Poets Imogen Malpas, Lee McClellan, Rhea Nandy, Katie Silver, Phoebe Thomson and Veera Vehmas gripped the audience into climate change’s ever-growing submission, and shined light upon the reality that climate change is impacting the world around us. Furthermore, they formulated a vision of what our future would be like if the world continues as it is. Read more...
A Fashion Epidemic: The Era of So-Called ‘Disposable Clothes’ and the Negative Repercussions of ‘Wearing it for the Gram’
Phoebe Walker, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Dana Thomas and Jennifer Cox discuss ‘Is looking good doing bad?’
‘Our cheap decisions have consequences,’ fashion journalist and author Dana Thomas declares to her audience at Wimbledon BookFest. She sits poised in an armchair on the stage across from leading journalist Jennifer Cox. . Read more...
Levison Wood uncovering the Arabian peninsula
Meriem Mahdhi, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
What does a journey through Arabia look and feel like?
“Like an Iraqi man wearing a cowboy hat, smoking a cigar and driving a Jeep straight towards Isis.”
Levison Wood attended Wimbledon BookFest to discuss his book Arabia, which features his journey circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula from Iraq to Lebanon exploring 13 countries. Read more...
Women in The House of Islam
Leonela Gonzalez, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
What is it really like to be a woman in the House of Islam?
In his book The House of Islam, author Ed Husain suggests “there is an underlying attitude and a set of male assumptions, cultural impositions and interpretations of scripture that hold women back and deny them the freedom to prosper and flourish fully in the Muslim world.”
In this talk at Wimbledon BookFest, Husain explained that he’d seen this attitude first-hand when his wife was beaten with a stick for wearing a long dress that showed her ankle. Read more...
Battle for The Soul of Turkey. But which one is Turkey’s soul?
Meriem Mahdhi, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Right while Turkey dominates worldwide headlines for its controversial intervention in Syria against the Kurdish population, Hannah Lucinda Smith comes to Wimbledon BookFest to present her book Rising Erdogan: Battle for The Soul of Turkey.
In conversation with Robin Lustig she explains that to understand why Erdogan is important, we need to understand why Turkey is so important geopolitically. Turkey is not only a portal between the East and West, but it’s also confining with Syria, Iran and is very close to Russia. It’s a shock absorber, as she defines it, of the most problematic regions on our planet. Read more...
Four ways Angela Saini made me think about racial prejudices in science
Nila Sinead Sandhu, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
At this year's Wimbledon BookFest, in the beautiful William Morris tent, Angela Saini discussed eugenics, politics and injustices: in relation to her new book Superior: The Return of Race Science, in a thought-provoking conversation with Samira Ahmed.
cleverly localised the issue of race science by bringing the audience's attention to how it is used on a daily basis. She notes that individuals must identify themselves by their race on forms such as used by doctors and census'. This was merely one way in which Saini made the issue relatable and understandable, all whilst linking self-identification to the idea that race itself is a social construct. Read more...
Kamal Ahmed and The Struggle for Adaptation
Meriem Mahdhi, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
“Our lives Kamal are very similar. We are almost brothers. We are both sons of immigrants, both grew up in London, studied politics and both kick-started our careers at The Observer and ended up at the BBC.”
This is how Robin Lustig introduces BBC News Editor Kamal Ahmed at Wimbledon BookFest.
“Despite all those similarities we had to face different obstacles and situations in life, simply because the colour of our skin is different." Read more...
Michael Fuller: "Kill the Black One First"
Sana Janjua, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Michael Fuller, born to Jamaican parents 60 years ago, spent much of his early years in local authority care. He then later joined the Metropolitan Police Force in London in 1975, going on to become the first and only black Chief Police Constable ever appointed in the UK, with a high level of distinction and responsibility.
His practical initiatives still stand even to this day, and his inclination of fairness led to him becoming the Founding Chair of the Black Police Association, in order to reduce resignations within the sector. Read more...
Brexit and The Future of Politics: How should we collectively respond?
Gladys Jubane, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The charged Brexit debate kicked off by exposing the public’s deepening distrust in the government to negotiate in good faith and come up with the best deal.
Claire Fox, the author of I Still Find That Offensive, opened the debate with a universal response to Tom Clark’s question on what should or will happen in the coming week with the Brexit deal. She responded on behalf of both remain and leave voters, “I think there’s been a huge disillusion amongst voters having witnessed the shenanigans in parliament, and people do feel that their votes have not been taken seriously.” Read more...
Climate Justice: Women leading the Fight
Amy Devese-Jenkins, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
A few years ago, over a drink, Mary Robinson sat down with friends to talk about her memoir being published; the memoir she now says she didn’t really feel comfortable releasing.
Instead, a discussion transpired in which the 7th President of Ireland was jokingly told to release a book on her passion, Climate Justice. Read more...
Mental Health, Anthropology and Witchcraft: Roehampton Open Minds Sessions
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Ever wonder what fascinating topics preoccupy the brilliant minds of leading academics? Our partner, University of Roehampton, a hub of international research, gave us an insight into some of their specialist subjects. Read more...
Memoirs, Heroines and Education: Talk by Sally Bayley & Tara Westover
Gladys Jubane, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
An interesting summation of BookFest in honouring powerful women came from Memoirs: Educated and Girl with Dove by Tara Westover and Sally Bayley respectively, chaired by another inspiring woman in television, journalist and BBC World presenter Razia Iqbal. Her delivery of the talk was a student journalist’s how-to Tutorial. Imbued with techniques and a questioning style that gets the best out of two very opposing writings. An aesthetic presentation with something to take away. Read more...
A Brexistential Crisis
Natasha Cellupica-Towers, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The only things missing from the Sunday Paper Review talk were a mug and some slippers. The heating had been turned onto a warm glow and people took off their rainy boots and coats and snuggled into the Robert Graves Gallery. Hosting the event was journalist Stefan Stern, commentator and political advisor Ayesha Hazarika and former Labour General Secretary Lord Iain McNicol. The newspapers reviewed included The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Sunday Times, one of which Stern held up to the audience and crinkled in his hand... Read more...
DNA Revolution: How Genetics Shape Us
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Author and Professor of Behavioural Genetics, Robert Plomin is at the forefront of using DNA to understand how individuals can be so different. He joined BookFest Chair Toby Mundy to discuss his groundbreaking research and his fascinating book Blueprint.
Robert is well versed at the nature vs nuture debate. He has forged a career out of studying the impact genes have on human behaviour, so he has come to expect criticism. A biological approach to psychology is often treated with skepticism and associated with determinism. Robert recalls how at the beginning of his career behavioural genetics was thought of as “dangerous” and he was mocked by the scientific community for having chosen the discipline. Read more...
Learning from the best: How to create like Reggie Yates
Matt Pallett & Shenelle Kassie, Journalism Undergraduates, University of Roehampton
“Don’t be scared to figure yourself out in your work.”
That’s the key piece of advice Reggie Yates aimed at the slew of young creators listening to his every word at Wimbledon BookFest, but it’s a piece of advice that can resonate with anyone, young and old, regardless of their creative flair. Yates is an accomplished actor, presenter, DJ, producer and author so if there’s anybody fit to tell you that it’s okay to find yourself within your work, it’s him. Read more...
Reggie Yates: From Acting to Producing and Directing
Chloe Chambers Grant, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Outstanding actor and self-proclaimed director and producer Reggie Yates talks us through his venture from reading script to creating it himself. Through the launch of his first book Unseen: My Journey, he aims to show people from all walks of life the untold stories of those who are commonly overlooked.
Reggie Yates, who was “thrust into the world” of entertainment at the young age of 8, had a starring role on Desmond’s, a British sitcom. However, years later he explained how he knew this wasn’t the direction he wanted to take. Read more...
Chloe Fox tells us why you’ll never go out of style in a Little Black Dress
Nadia Catherine Zegmott, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The topic of conversation at Wimbledon BookFest with Chloe Fox and Camilla Morton was, of course, fashion and more specifically highlighted two rather compelling trends: leopard print and the little black dress (LBD). Read more...
How Leopard Print Reclaimed Lux – From Cheap to Chic
Chelsea Harper, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
As Hilary Alexander puts it in her new book, leopard print simply is ‘fashion’s most powerful print’. It provokes confidence, luxury and dominance; it gives a sense of seduction, whilst providing you with a pattern that is aesthetically and visually pleasing, making it one of the most successful and talked about fashion trends to date. Read more...
Little Black Dress or Leopard Print: The history, evolution and the most iconic fashion moments
Taylor Spalding, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
In a world where fashion is a continuous evolution, there is no denying the little black dress and leopard print will always be iconic staples in the fashion world. The debate - held at Wimbledon BookFest on Wednesday 10th October- was between Chloe Fox, author of Little Black Dress, and Camilla Morton, supporting the feisty leopard print. Read more...
“You don’t have to be a Beyoncé or a Serena”
Monica Charsley, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
You can be a Solange or Venus, or better yet, yourself.
On Wednesday 10th October, 'Slay in you Lane' made an appearance at Wimbledon BookFest on the Common.
Authors Yomi Adegoke, 27 and Elizabeth Uviebinené, 26 captivated the room as they led the talk with eye-opening stories from their childhood up until their university years which gave them inspiration for their book. Read more...
Quotes that Slayed.
Natasha Cellupica-Towers, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
What an inspirational talk by a duo of empowered black women. Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke have been juggling event after event since the huge success of their new book Slay in Your Lane. The book is a tool box, empowering and encouraging black women across the country since its release in July 2018. There was total silence in the room as they spoke, each word being swallowed up by the audience of young women. Here are 5 of the quotes from the talk which I think completely “slayed”. Read more...
The State of the British Press
Megan Dickson, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Former editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, reflects on the future of journalism amidst a world of fake news, with the release of his book ‘Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now.’
“What is your concern about the state of the news now?” Journalist Samira Ahmed opened the talk with. Read more...
Fake News
Davide Montagner, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The news industry is like a machine, always changing and adapting to the world around it. The spread of information has always been a fundamental part of our society because a state that does not guarantee a free share of information to its citizens does not conform to the definition of democracy. Newspapers and news media are the channels through which citizens keep track with what’s going on around them and could also be considered as a defense mechanism towards possible cases of fraud or wrongdoing by the government. Read more...
Why I want to hug the NHS
Charlotte Leask, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
The NHS is arguably one of our greatest accomplishments of the past century, along with military tanks, televisions and the electric kettle.
All the above have significantly contributed to our modern society but the NHS really is a cut above the rest, providing 24/7 non-stop care, countrywide since 1948. Read more...
Speeches of Note: What Makes Them Memorable?
Megan Jackson - MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Phillip Collins, former speechwriter to Tony Blair, and author, Shaun Usher, joined us to discuss what makes a speech powerful. Actor Alex Gwyther and Mara Huff recited some of the most famous speeches, and a few forgotten ones, to allow the audience to hear for themselves what extraordinary writing sounds like. Read more...
What does it mean to be Brit(ish)?
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
What is Britishness? How is it defined and who does it exclude? Afua Hirsch discusses how her own experiences of being questioned about her identity led her to look for a sense of belonging.
Afua’s book Brit(ish) explores how race and identity intersect. Her experiences of feeling ‘other’ as a teen, and her realisation that society wanted to put her in a box because of the colour of her skin, inspired her to unpick why British people of colour are excluded from the notion of Britishness. Read more...
Realpolitik: What is it and how does it work? A Talk with John Bew
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Realpolitik is a word that’s coming back in fashion says author and academic, John Bew. In conversation with Tom Clark, Editor of Prospect Magazine, John sheds some light on the origins of Realpolitik, what it looks like in practice, and how the UK could benefit from adopting it as an approach to foreign affairs. Read more...
How to Beat Writers Block
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
So you’ve got a brilliant idea for a book, but you don’t know where to begin. Anthony Cropper and Eve Makis, authors of The Accidental Memoir, share their expertise about how to get those initial words and ideas flowing. With these quick and useful prompts, you might just be able to start that book. Read more...
Future of Universities and Bloody Brilliant Women: A Source of Fascination
Gladys Jubane, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
British history resonated in a fascinating fashion at the Wimbledon BookFest 2018, from the history, present and future of universities, to the rise in equality.
As modern society grapples with the uncertainty of BREXIT, universities in the UK are relaunching their vision statements by becoming more society focused. On October 6th, the afternoon kicked off with Gemma Malley chairing discussions on the panel of four: David Willetts, Paul O'Prey, Jack de France and Alex Beard. Read more...
Laughs, Tears and Bodily Fluids: The Life of a Junior Doctor
Megan Jackson, MA Journalism, University of Roehampton
Doctor turned Comedian, Adam Kay worked in obstetrics and gyanaecology - or brats and twats as he calls it - for six years until a truly traumatic event unfolded before his eyes. He joined us at BookFest to share his highs and lows, and everything else in between.
This is Going to Hurt is Adam’s wonderfully hilarious, gut-wrenching, and brutally honest account of what it’s like to be a junior doctor. During his time of serving on the front line on the NHS Adam kept a diary about his experiences, which he turned into a bestselling book that has opened up the discussion about the reality of being a junior doctor. Read more...
Paving the way for future generations of Bloody Brilliant Women.
Natasha Cellupica-Towers, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
“I wanted to put these women in the pantheon of history where I think they belong”.
This is how Cathy Newman, Channel 4 journalist, introduced her new book Bloody Brilliant Women on Saturday at Wimbledon BookFest. A book which, along with many other books today, rides the “4th wave” of feminism. Without hesitation she jumped straight into her reasons for wanting to write the book, (an explanation which it seems she may have been tired of giving). However, she spoke with genuine care and passion, recounting with excitement, her favourite women from the book. Read more...
5 Bloody Brilliant Women you don't know about but you should.
Charlotte Leask, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton
Heavyweight journalist Cathy Newman’s new venture into book writing has birthed what should be the new modern woman’s bible. It provides a witty insight into forgotten women in history.
My article comes from the Newman’s argument that so many women of instrumental importance in history had been completely overlooked and unmentioned. Having previously been unaware of all these women, as I’m sure ashamedly most of us are, I feel it is now my duty as a woman (a hopefully brilliant one at that also) to raise awareness of these incredible, underappreciated women. Read more...
500 ways women have women have made the world better in the 100 years.
Anna Ciereszynska and Jaqueline Fernandes, Journalism Undergraduates, University of Roehampton
In a world where "feminism" has become a toxic word, we might be risking losing sight of the true reason why it exists in the first place. Cathy Newman's Bloody Brilliant Women, published on October 4th, is here to celebrate incredible women who were never given the right credit for their accomplishments.
During Newman’s talk on her book at Wimbledon BookFest, she acknowledges that many literary works concerning great women in history are becoming more common. The need of recognizing female role in shaping the world as we know it now, is louder than ever. Read more...
