Connecting Memories keynote lecture: Dr Anne Whitehead We are delighted to invite you to the Connecting Memories research initiative's first keynote lecture of 2019. Join us for a talk by Dr Anne Whitehead, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University, on ‘Past Imperfect: A Memoir That Is Ongoing.’ The talk will be followed by a Q&A and wine reception. It is generously sponsored by the Department of European Literatures and Cultures (DELC) in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC). The event is free of charge but booking is essential via Eventbrite as numbers are limited. Book now on Eventbrite Abstract by Dr Anne Whitehead: In her essay ‘Points of Departure’, which reflects on the writing of her own memoir, Jill Ker Conway concludes: ‘I think you have to be at least twenty years away from what you write about to have the necessary detachment. Many memoirs or autobiographies get very cluttered in their later chapters because people don’t know what was really involved. It takes more time to know what the shape of your life has been like’. This seems sage advice, even if it assumes that there will be at least twenty years remaining after any given experience. It also takes for granted that time will bring detachment, and that detachment is necessary. Do we already know what the shape of our lives has been, or does the act of writing itself help to shape and form the life, or alternatively to reveal that life will resist such narrative moulding and shaping? In this paper, I reflect on my own tentative, uncertain, and incomplete venture into memoir. Along the way I want to take the opportunity to think about why I am drawn to the genre in the first place, what it might mean as an academic to write in a more personal voice, and what I have experienced so far in the writing process. --- Anne Whitehead’s research has explored various aspects of modern and contemporary literature, including memory and trauma studies, theories of affect, literatures of conflict and the medical humanities. About the Connecting Memories research initiative Connecting Memories is a collaborative interdisciplinary research initiative that sets out to open up a space for presently unconnected scholars working on memory to interact, to share their perspectives and reflections on what memory means in the context of their research. Founded by Paul Armstrong Leworthy (PhD candidate in Comparative Literature) and Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (Teaching Fellow in Spanish), the Connecting Memories group is based in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLC) at the University of Edinburgh. The group's objective is to connect scholars working on memory, not only from across the School but also across the University, and from further afield too. Having launched in November 2017, the group's first keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Gustavo San Román (The University of St Andrews) on 'The Purple Land of Memory and Identity' in December 2017. Since then, Connecting Memories has hosted further keynote lectures and its first Annual Symposium. Find out more on the Connecting Memories website You may also be interested in... Mar 27 2019 16.00 - 18.00 SPLAS Seminar Series: Bárbara Fernández Melleda 'Neoliberalism and its Discontents: Three Decades of Chilean Women’s Poetry (1980-2010)'. A free seminar by our colleague Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (University of Edinburgh). Find the venue (50 George Square) Further information Mar 01 2019 18.00 - 20.00 Connecting Memories keynote lecture: Dr Anne Whitehead Anne Whitehead from Newcastle University joins us to talk about ‘Past Imperfect: A Memoir That Is Ongoing.’ Project Room (1.06) 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue (50 George Square) Book your free ticket through Eventbrite
Connecting Memories keynote lecture: Dr Anne Whitehead We are delighted to invite you to the Connecting Memories research initiative's first keynote lecture of 2019. Join us for a talk by Dr Anne Whitehead, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University, on ‘Past Imperfect: A Memoir That Is Ongoing.’ The talk will be followed by a Q&A and wine reception. It is generously sponsored by the Department of European Literatures and Cultures (DELC) in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC). The event is free of charge but booking is essential via Eventbrite as numbers are limited. Book now on Eventbrite Abstract by Dr Anne Whitehead: In her essay ‘Points of Departure’, which reflects on the writing of her own memoir, Jill Ker Conway concludes: ‘I think you have to be at least twenty years away from what you write about to have the necessary detachment. Many memoirs or autobiographies get very cluttered in their later chapters because people don’t know what was really involved. It takes more time to know what the shape of your life has been like’. This seems sage advice, even if it assumes that there will be at least twenty years remaining after any given experience. It also takes for granted that time will bring detachment, and that detachment is necessary. Do we already know what the shape of our lives has been, or does the act of writing itself help to shape and form the life, or alternatively to reveal that life will resist such narrative moulding and shaping? In this paper, I reflect on my own tentative, uncertain, and incomplete venture into memoir. Along the way I want to take the opportunity to think about why I am drawn to the genre in the first place, what it might mean as an academic to write in a more personal voice, and what I have experienced so far in the writing process. --- Anne Whitehead’s research has explored various aspects of modern and contemporary literature, including memory and trauma studies, theories of affect, literatures of conflict and the medical humanities. About the Connecting Memories research initiative Connecting Memories is a collaborative interdisciplinary research initiative that sets out to open up a space for presently unconnected scholars working on memory to interact, to share their perspectives and reflections on what memory means in the context of their research. Founded by Paul Armstrong Leworthy (PhD candidate in Comparative Literature) and Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (Teaching Fellow in Spanish), the Connecting Memories group is based in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLC) at the University of Edinburgh. The group's objective is to connect scholars working on memory, not only from across the School but also across the University, and from further afield too. Having launched in November 2017, the group's first keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Gustavo San Román (The University of St Andrews) on 'The Purple Land of Memory and Identity' in December 2017. Since then, Connecting Memories has hosted further keynote lectures and its first Annual Symposium. Find out more on the Connecting Memories website You may also be interested in... Mar 27 2019 16.00 - 18.00 SPLAS Seminar Series: Bárbara Fernández Melleda 'Neoliberalism and its Discontents: Three Decades of Chilean Women’s Poetry (1980-2010)'. A free seminar by our colleague Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (University of Edinburgh). Find the venue (50 George Square) Further information Mar 01 2019 18.00 - 20.00 Connecting Memories keynote lecture: Dr Anne Whitehead Anne Whitehead from Newcastle University joins us to talk about ‘Past Imperfect: A Memoir That Is Ongoing.’ Project Room (1.06) 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue (50 George Square) Book your free ticket through Eventbrite
Mar 27 2019 16.00 - 18.00 SPLAS Seminar Series: Bárbara Fernández Melleda 'Neoliberalism and its Discontents: Three Decades of Chilean Women’s Poetry (1980-2010)'. A free seminar by our colleague Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (University of Edinburgh). Find the venue (50 George Square) Further information
Mar 27 2019 16.00 - 18.00 SPLAS Seminar Series: Bárbara Fernández Melleda 'Neoliberalism and its Discontents: Three Decades of Chilean Women’s Poetry (1980-2010)'. A free seminar by our colleague Dr Bárbara Fernández Melleda (University of Edinburgh). Find the venue (50 George Square) Further information
Mar 01 2019 18.00 - 20.00 Connecting Memories keynote lecture: Dr Anne Whitehead Anne Whitehead from Newcastle University joins us to talk about ‘Past Imperfect: A Memoir That Is Ongoing.’
