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online literature forum

28 Sep 2011
nbowen
nbowen

As some of you may be already know, I run an online literature discussion group, called peripeteia. Members include 6th formers from both state and independent schools, undergrad and postgrad students, academics from the Universities of Oxford, Exeter and UWE and a smattering of teachers and writers. Anyone who has a genuine passion for literature can join the group, but it is mainly aimed at those considering studying English at University.

Peripeteia is in its second year and is growing fast. I am currently in the process of organising our series of online seminars. Last year we hosted some excellent seminars, involving over a hundred students in high level discussion of texts such as 'Othello' with academics.

If anyone has any requests for topics/texts we should cover please get in touch with me on this forum, or via email, and I'll see what I can do. I'm also always on the lookout for any colleagues with the expertise and enthusiasm to run one of our seminars.

There is no membership fee for peripeteia and the seminars are also free. They are open to any sixth former in the country studying English and teachers are especially welcome to participate.

With best wishes for the new term,

Neil

n.bowen@wells-cathedral-school.com

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Replies

14:14, 28th September 2011
watto-mikey
watto-mikey

I have some pupils who would love this - how do they get involved?

 

14:30, 28th September 2011
nbowen
nbowen

They can join the facebook group at  http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/126085967405599/ and/or the website at http://peripeteia.webs.com/. The seminars will be running from next month on the website. Before they join please could you emphasise to your students the importance of using the sites responsibly, for literary discussion only. Hope you and they find it interesting and useful.

Neil

 

14:39, 28th September 2011
nponsford
nponsford

I will include this in next week's EnglishEdu blog - good luck with it! 

http://www.english.edusites.co.uk/blog

 

Nicole

In reply to nponsford
14:56, 28th September 2011
nbowen
nbowen
Quote:
Originally posted by nponsford, 14:39, 28th September 2011

I will include this in next week's EnglishEdu blog - good luck with it! 

http://www.english.edusites.co.uk/blog

 

Nicole

Thanks Nicole, that would be very kind of you. Could you tell me more about your blog and how my students or I could get involved? Sounds really interesting.

Best wishes,

Neil

 

 

9:19, 29th September 2011
nponsford
nponsford

My email is nicole@edusites.co.uk. The blog is free for everyone and supports our site. The web address is http://englishedusites.co.uk. Please feel free to have a look!

We provide quality resources and both online/ face to face support for secondary school English teachers. I think the blog is something our members would be interested in so have directed them to it in this week's blog - http://english.edusites.co.uk/blog. If you would like to discuss future posts or working together, please email me and I will get back to you. 

 

Nicole

Editor Edusites

16:21, 5th October 2011
nbowen
nbowen
The first seminar in this year's peripeteia programme will take place on Sat. Nov. 5th at 10.00 am (finishing soon after 11.00am). I expect the relatively early time on the w/end may be an impediment to some students, but it should be well worth their while surmounting this. Or they can check and continue the discussion after the event. 
 
The subject will be 'advanced narrative analysis' with a special focus on 'Frankenstein'. The seminar will be led by the excellent Dr Mariadele Boccardi of UWE. My special thanks to her for giving up her time freely.
 
Membership of peripeteia is free, as are the seminars, on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NATEUK#!/groups/126085967405599/
and on the website at http://peripeteia.webs.com/.
 
Future seminars will be on subjects such at The Gothic, Yeats' poetry, poetry analysis and Shakespeare's 'Othello'. I'll email details of the programme once the dates have been confirmed.
 
I hope you and your students find the seminars relevant, useful and perhaps even inspiring.
16:46, 6th October 2011
nbowen
nbowen

Sorry, I've just realised that I posted the wrong f/book address for peripeteia. It should be http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/126085967405599/

Anybody interested in their students taking part in the seminars?

9:45, 13th October 2011
nbowen
nbowen

Information about online seminars has now been updated.
Reminder: it would be wonderful if as many people as possible could get involved with the next seminar. Remember you have to become a member of the website to do so...
http://peripeteia.webs.com/onlineseminars.htm


Online Seminars

peripeteia.webs.com

Aimed at students studying English at 'A' Level/University. Discussion Forums and unique Online Seminars to build confidence, creativity, and individual analytical style.

18:09, 14th November 2011
nbowen
nbowen

 

Just a final reminder before we all collapse into half-term; the first free academic seminar of the year will take place on 5th Nov at 10am. If you would like your students to take advantage of working directly with the wise and wonderful Dr Mariadele Boccardi then please encourage them to 'check out' our website:
 

http://peripeteia.webs.com/onlineseminars.htm and on facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/126085967405599/

 

Up and coming seminars:

 

Mystery Creative Writing Event 

October 2011 

 

Seminar on Narrative Analysis

5th November 2011

Run by Dr. Mariadele Boccardi (UWE)

 

Seminar on Poetry Analysis

December 2011

Run by Professor Tim Kendall

 

"An Introduction to Modernism"

January 2012

Run by Mikey Meally (WCS)

 

"Gothic" Seminar

February 2012

Run by Dr. Dale Townsend (Stirling) and Dr. Angela Wright (Sheffield)

13:11, 4th November 2011
nbowen
nbowen

The first free seminar on narrative analysis in relation to Frankenstein is tomorrow at 10am on the peripeteia webiste. I hope some members of the OCR teaching community and/or your students will want to take advantage of this opportunity. Best wishes Neil

18:17, 14th November 2011
nbowen
nbowen
Dear colleagues,

After the great success of the first online seminar in November run by the wonderful Dr Boccadi, and in response to feedback from colleagues, I have arranged some more seminars for this academic year. With the exception of my own creative writing 'events', the seminars are convened by leading experts in the field, who very kindly give their time for free.

 

After only being established for a few months, membership of peripeteia is now around 200, with students and academics joining from Australia, Iran (!), Pakistan, Spain, the USA and, erm, Scotland. To me this is a really exciting development and it is all the more pleasing as it has happened without us having any advertising budget, or, in fact, any budget at all! 
 
I hope that you will want to be part of this unique, free project and that you will want to encourage your keenest ‘A’ level Literature students to join. And ideally to join in the discussions. Making creative connections is afterall part of what Literature study should be about.

 

 

http://peripeteia.webs.com/

Extra Seminars 2011-12

 
Award winning poet, Matthew Curry on 'Drafitng poems'
Dr Fran Brearton (QUB) on Yeats' poetry
Dr Will May (Soton) on interpreting Dickinson
Dr Briony Frost (Exeter) on Dr Faustus and Duchess of Malfi
YiWen Hon on interpreting Wuthering Heights.
 

 

 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Other seminars in the pipeline include ones focused on ‘women in literature’ and on ‘Wuthering Heights’.
 
 
Any feedack, offers of help or money, suggestions for funding etc, will be gratefully received.

Best wishes,

Neil

22:37, 17th January 2012
nbowen
nbowen
There are 3 free online Literature seminars coming up in the next couple of months which might interest you and/or your students.
 
On Sunday 29th Jan at 4pm, Michael Meally of WCS, will be running a seminar focusing on 'Modernism and advanced narrative analysis'. In this seminar students will analyse short extracts from a Classic Realist Novel in comparison with a Modernist one, focusing on key developments in narrative technique. No previous knowledge of Modernism is required: We intend the seminar to be useful for all 'A' level students, refining their close reading skills.
 
In Feb. we have another double-header. On Sunday the 19th Dr Dale Townsend of Stirling University will be our guide as we enter the dark, decadent world of 'The Gothic'. Dale is an expert on 'The Gothic' and helps run Stirling University's excellent Gothic website. Though the seminar will focus on genre, texts touched upon (with a hairy, clawed hand, of course) will include, Dracula, Frankenstein and Turn of the Screw.
 
On the 26th Feb. ex-Wells and Cambridge student, May Robertson, will run a seminar focusing on 'Chaucer's Women', concentrating in the main on that eternal favourite 'The General Prologue'. May's seminar will interest any students studying Chaucer, Women in Literature, and, of course, both! 
 
I hope you will encourage your students to 'connect' with other enthusiastic students and take part in the seminars. Students (and teachers) who have participated in previous ones are really positive about the experience.
 
Best wishes for the term,
In reply to watto-mikey
22:39, 17th January 2012
nbowen
nbowen
Quote:
Originally posted by watto-mikey, 14:14, 28th September 2011

I have some pupils who would love this - how do they get involved?

 

Have you and/or your students joined the project? If not, you're very welcome to join in the literary fun! The more students will can get involved the richer the discussion.

21:38, 21st February 2012
nbowen
nbowen

Dear colleague,


With the start of a new term you may have hoped that you have put the past one firmly behind you...

But, in a startling example of the inescapable return of the repressed, we bring you a double seminar this Sunday(26th Feb.) 7 - late, with modern day Van Helsings, Drs Townsend and Wright. Armed with only the apparatus of academia, this intrepid duo will take us deep inside the unsettling tropes of the Gothic, with a special focus on Frankie and Dracs. 

Suitable for all 'A' level students who are not too afraid of the dark. 
Watch out too for upcoming seminars on Yeats's, Dickinson's poetry and a startling creative writing experience...

With best wishes,

The peripeteia team
13:23, 7th March 2012
nbowen
nbowen

UPCOMING SEMINARS:
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

Tues.20th March, 7.00pm

Run by Dr Will May.

This innovative masterclass will take students on an exploration of the work of Spooky American Gothic poet Emily Dickinson, with a special focus on 'I'm nobody! who are you?', 'There's a certain slant of light' and 'Because I could not stop for death'. As well as being a distinguished academic, Dr May is a writer and a composer. Hence the seminar will finish by examining 'because I could not stop for death' in the light of musical settings of the poem. We recommend students read the poems before the masterclass.

 

The Poetry of Yeats

Tues. 27th March, 7.00pm

Run by Dr Mike Craddock.

In this seminar we will explore the poetry of Irish Romantic Symbolist turned atypcial Modernist WB Yeats, with a special focus on 'An Irish Airman Foresees his Death'. The seminar should be excellent revision for those studying one of the greatest poets, and unmissable for anyone interested in poetry. Dr Craddock is the author of a number of acclaimed teaching resources, including a scholarly pack of material on Yeats, available from Zig Zag education.

Best wishes,

The peripeteia team

13:24, 7th March 2012
nbowen
nbowen

UPCOMING SEMINARS:
The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

Tues.20th March, 7.00pm

Run by Dr Will May.

This innovative masterclass will take students on an exploration of the work of Spooky American Gothic poet Emily Dickinson, with a special focus on 'I'm nobody! who are you?', 'There's a certain slant of light' and 'Because I could not stop for death'. As well as being a distinguished academic, Dr May is a writer and a composer. Hence the seminar will finish by examining 'because I could not stop for death' in the light of musical settings of the poem. We recommend students read the poems before the masterclass.

 

The Poetry of Yeats

Tues. 27th March, 7.00pm

Run by Dr Mike Craddock.

In this seminar we will explore the poetry of Irish Romantic Symbolist turned atypcial Modernist WB Yeats, with a special focus on 'An Irish Airman Foresees his Death'. The seminar should be excellent revision for those studying one of the greatest poets, and unmissable for anyone interested in poetry. Dr Craddock is the author of a number of acclaimed teaching resources, including a scholarly pack of material on Yeats, available from Zig Zag education.

Best wishes,

The peripeteia team

19:32, 24th April 2012
nbowen
nbowen

Those lovely people at Emag have kindly advertised our latest seminar. If you gaven't discovered their site yet it is highly commended for both teachers and students.

Emagazine shared a link.
Yesterday
Dr Briony Fox (Plymouth University) will be hosting an online masteclass/discussion on revenge tragedy, focusing mainly on The Duchess of Malfi and Dr Faustus, on Sun 29th April on the Peripeteia site. Well worth joining in if you're studying a revenge tragedy! http://peripeteia.webs.com/
...
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peripeteia.webs.com
Aimed at students studying English at 'A' Level/University. Discussion Forums and unique Online Seminars to build confidence, creativity, and individual analytical style.

11:59, 17th May 2012
nbowen
nbowen

After the very popular and vibrant recent seminars on Yeats (hosted by Dr Fran Brearton, QUB) and 'Othello' (hosted by Dr Emma Smith, Oxford), we have managed to arrange another one on the immortal Bard's tragedy of race, intrigue and handkerchiefs. 

Dr Alisa Grant Ferguson, lecturer at the London Shakespeare Centre (KCL) is convening a seminar on 'The Misdirected Gaze' - an examination of appearance and reality in 'Othello'. Dr Grant Ferguson has wide experience of delivering lectures to 'A' level students for Sovereign Education and is also an experienced 'A' level examiner for a major exam board.
Promises to be further excellent free revision for 'A' level students.

peripeteia.webs.com

Aimed at students studying English at 'A' Level/University. Discussion Forums and unique Online Seminars to build confidence, creativity, and individual analytical style.