Sheffield Hallam students’ work exhibited at annual writing festival

Sheffield Hallam’s Creative Writing department has held a festival for final year to perform or exhibit projects they had been working on since the beginning of the academic year.

The Experimental Writing Festival was held on Tuesday (3rd December) in the Head Post Office Gallery, with 14 students presenting and around 30 guests in attendance.

Harriet Tarlo, Professor of Ecopoetry and Poetics at Sheffield Hallam, introduced the event and gave a welcome talk.  John Goodby, poet, translator, and master of Oulipo writing techniques, was also a special guest. 

Creative writing lecturer Andrew Jeffrey told The Sheffield Tab: “I always really enjoy the Experimental Writing festival as it is a real pleasure to see the diversity and quality of work produced by students as they rise to the sometimes daunting challenge of making something new.

“I love that the module lets students experiment both with different media and with forms that challenge conventions and our expectations.”

Student presentations included a Gertrude Stein-inspired performance, an interactive fiction game based on self-identity, and a one-woman play in five different languages by international student Kiara Arbulu.

Talking about her work, Kiara said: “My play was inspired by the Theatre of the Absurd and 1984 by George Orwell after learning about the avant-garde movements of the 20th and 21st centuries.

“‘The Change’ is written in five languages whose countries have a history with colonisation and English finally takes over. I wanted to comment on the effects of globalisation all around the world on individuality, culture, language and the issues and balance of power of translation.”

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Other exhibits took place during a communal walk around the arts building, including a collection of embroidered poetry centred around a cult, an interactive choose-your-own-adventure-style poem, and two paintings/collages based on the body and mind.

John Goodby responded to students’ work as the day went on, providing feedback and provoking questions. Attendees were encouraged to get involved in the conversation, promoting small Q&A sessions and discussions on the works. Goodby also performed readings of his works.

“Experimental Writing has been a fun and playful opportunity to let my hair down and do something a bit less formal with my writing,” said final-year student Simon Harris.

“The festival is as much a celebration as it is a showcase, with the variety of pieces on display a testament to the creativity of my coursemates.”

The Sheffield Hallam Experimental Writing Festival is held each year in the final weeks of the semester as students prepare to submit their projects for their final grade. The module aims to challenge English and Creative Writing students to confront what they know about writing and language and present their work in unconventional and experimental forms.

Other events at the Head Post Office Gallery include the Sheffield Hallam Masterclasses, held on Wednesday evenings. These events include talks and readings from established writers, agents, publishers, and others with knowledge of the world of writing and will continue into the new year.