Seminars

A workshop with Jonathan Stalling 6 October 2026, 3-4pm- ARB: 220 – Arts Seminar 5 In this workshop, Dr Jonathan Stalling will lead participants on a brief nature walk followed by guided writing exercises to compose classical Chinese poetry, but in English. This workshop has a limited capacity and requires participants to register in advance. It … Read more

a Creative Writing Workshop led by Aine McAllister 25 September 2026, 1-4pm – Scottish Ocean Institute (SOI) New Seminar Room This workshop is part of a Knowledge Exchange with the Centre for Intercultural Studies, UCL Drawing on the concept of Dúchas (or Dùtchas in Scottish Gaelic), and through walking, this workshop will explore an embodied, … Read more

Thursday, 28 May, 2 – 4 pm Laidlaw Music Centre Reading Room In this creative writing poetry workshop, we will draw on decolonial environmental thought to consider the ways in which race and legacies of colonialism affect climate crisis and shape our individual and collective relationship to the environment. We will write about Scotland and … Read more

Monday 24th November 2025, 5.30pm-7pm in UCO 32  Dr Bénédicte Letellier  This talk offers an overview of contemporary Arabic poetry and its presence across the world. It will explore the main trends and voices shaping the field today, both within the Arab world and in the diaspora. Attention will be given to the themes that dominate … Read more

Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 4pm to 5.30pm, Younger Hall, Stewart Room Artist Leena Nammari, poet Yousif Qasmiyeh, and children’s writer Feda Shtia in conversation about their practice. This event was held in collaboration with the Centre for the Critical Reimagining of Human Rights.

Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 11am to 1pm, Bute Building, A11 Yousif discussed a selection of poems from his two volumes Writing the Camp and Eating the Archive. Please email [email protected] for copies of poems. This event was held in collaboration with the Centre for the Critical Reimagining of Human Rights.

New Perspectives on Ruaraidh Erskine’s Gaelic Magazines and Translation Activities 12 May 2025, 2.30-4.30pm, Hebdomadar’s room The talk will explore the Scottish and international networks that formed around the Gaelic magazines edited and supported by Ruaraidh Erskine in the 1900s – 1930s, including Gaelic circles in Scotland and London, Scottish nationalist politics, visual arts, pan-Celtic … Read more

4 April 2025, 10-12noon Hebdomadar’s room An octopus has a decentralised brain distributed throughout their body; each arm is an independent mind. A poem too has more than one brain and each line has own mind. For a poem to withstand the erosion of reading, it needs to find multiple intelligence in its singular body. Informed … Read more

Poetics of Landscapes seminar series Tuesday 25 March 2025, 1-2pm, UCO30 Dr Natalia Sassu Suarez Ferri By the end of the 1960s, Paris had become a vibrant hub for Latin American artists seeking visibility, access to cultural networks, and often refuge from political oppression. Within this dynamic environment, artists pursued innovative methods to engage public … Read more

19 March and 2 April 2025, 2:00–3:30pm, BUC 305 Creative writing in Arabic is often seen as the domain of native speakers. While the strict grammar rules can feel restrictive, writing creatively in this language is not only possible for non-native speakers: it’s also a powerful way to deepen language learning from a fresh, often overlooked … Read more