Culture crunch averted

In one of the more exciting bailouts for historians, newspapers, pictures, films and rocks benefit from a cultural bailout. A much better use of public money than bonuses for bankers, surely? If you are following the BL over on twitter, they seem pretty pleased too!

Here's a good 'un!

The Centre for Urban History, the Centre for English Local History, and the Institute of Historical Research have teamed up to put a programme on for PhD students, with some money from the AHRC. Landscape and Townscape: Methods and Sources for Urban, Regional and Local History, is a veritable feast over the coming year of research training. You'll master all sorts of different sources - from the archives to the built environment. They even have some field trips going from archives to built environments. There's a brilliant programme here - you'll add strings to your bow with GIS training and more. Have a look, but sign-up quickly if you want to take part. The prohibitive costs of getting to London at rush hour will even be met (providing you have a rail card, and East Midlands trains don't increase ticket prices by 91% overnight, which I can't rule out).

You'll recognize some names indeed! Richard Jones will be teaching you how to master GIS with ease! Simon Gunn is going to tell you whether or not Spaghetti Junction is in fact a dog's dinner of traffic management (that makes him sound the CUH's answer to Jeremy Clarkson, but that's not what it will be like). The prospect of a visit to Stamford with Roey, who led the original MA peregrination to Bath, which is the archetype, and certainly is responsible for this part of the NHL agenda.

Priority to PhD students, with MA students going on a waiting list. Spaces are filling up: don't delay - sign-up today. I've signed up for the lot! If you are going, remember to wear your history pride band with err, well, pride!

AND THAT'S NOT ALL: TWO WORLD FIRSTS FOR NEW HISTORY LAB

Because we can officially announce today that NEW HISTORY LAB is the only university history group in the country that has its own POET LAUREATE. In fact we are probably the only one in the WORLD who has a POET LAUREATE. I'll say that again just incase you didn't catch it first time.

We have our own POET LAUREATE.

She's called Pam Thompson and she's REAL. I mean a real POET LAUREATE. She writes real poems and her first for the LAB is published somewhere beneath this...if you cast your eyes downwards you'll see it. It's about History and it's brilliant - up there with T S Eliot's 'now and England'. I invite comments on this poem from all who wield the pink pen.

Talking of wielding things, not only that, but we are also the first History Lab in the world to have its own HISTORICAL ROMANCE. The author is called Jane Pearson and she has just started it. Bodices are yet to be ripped, title is yet to be bestowed, heroes are yet to be pinked - so come on lads and lasses write your own next paragraph.

IT'S ALL KICKED OFF

What a great start to the new term. I dont think there's a history lab in the country that could do what NEW HISTORY LAB has done and be WITH CALF at the same time. Consider this:

First we opened with Closure and heard about doing postgraduate work from those who have just finished. First up was Marie with a wonderfully candid and witty account of how to do an MA, work at John Lewis, keep your friends, learn Russian, run a literature group, keep your complexion and stay sane all at the same time.

Then there was Siobhan who has just finished her PhD. Siobhan told the LAB (there must have been 60 present) the single most important thing a long distance postgraduate needs to know. You could pay thousands for this advice from an educational consultant but Dr Begley gave it to us for free. PhDs involve a long journey where there is no map. Or if there is, you have to make your own. Nobody can do it for you. And when you have made it, you are transformed.

Julie Deeming followed that (and not many people could follow that) with a discourse on the difference between writing and writing up. Writing up is a bad idea. Writing is the good idea. It makes the map - and the earlier the better, and the more often the better. So let's drop that terrible university phrase borrowed from the sciences - 'writing up' - and let's remember that what we do and what we know is what we write.

Finally, as examiner of over forty doctorates, Professor Chris Dyer told us about the world we have lost - the world of research as it was in the time of King Alfred when he did his. For in those times nobody gave (or had) a hoot and bad advice abounded in the land. On the other hand, jobs were plentiful and examiners, when not drunk, were generous.

Thanks to all speakers for the nmost beautiful combination of great good advice and great good humour. That's the way we like it.


More NEW HISTORY LAB achievements later in the week.

Just desserts

A correspondent to the Blog has sent this to your technicians, and we thought you'd like it. From His Just Desserts or the Triumph of Enlightenment, recounted by Mrs Jane Pearson - Thanks!

The door flew open and he strode into the room. The watery sunlight, seeping in through the window, flashed on the silver scabbard at his side, his spurs jangled menacingly. He flung off his cloak as he moved towards her. Without intending to she took a step backwards, her hand flying to her breast in a vain gesture of self-protection. She tried to conceal the guilty note in the silken folds of her fuchsia-pink gown, but the hard slate-grey eyes took in her every move.

He held out his hand. "What is that, madam?" he demanded.

"It is nothing, sir. A mere trifle." Her voice came out in a terrified whisper.

The hand did not waver. "Give it to me."

Trembling, she held out the precious document and he seized it from her. "A True and Full Narrative of the New History Lab, for the behoof and pleasure of our learned Countrymen!" he said incredulously. "What in all the turds of hell is that?"

"They put fun into history, sir," she said brokenly. "And confidence."

Without a word he seized her by the wrist and dragged her to the fireplace. He flung the note into the dying embers and forced her to watch as the flames began to consume it.

"But sir," she wailed. "They have cake."

It took him a moment to register what she had said. Then, with one swift fluid movement of his athletic frame he swept the charred note out of the ashes and shook it out.

"Cake?" he said. "When do they meet?"

History

Hello. I'm delighted to be Poet Laureate on this blog. Here's my introductory poem.


History

is some kind of climb,
a plinth moment,
repeated on the hour in a different costume.

History is Nelson
stepping down;
another poet said it’s a long dark chute.

History is light
dawning:
that feeling, that fact; the way it was.

History is a text,
a voice:
artefact of here from then.

History is a croft,
one candle burning,
or a great house gas-lit by chandeliers.

History
is the way eyes close
and new news becomes old.

The New Poetry Lab

We here at the NHL always look for new ways to do our thing. And the appointment of our first poet laureate, Pam Thompson, is one of those things which we hope will help us look away from history as being presented as true prose only at all times. Pam is one of Leicester's most prominent poets, who has published several volumes of which her most recent was The Japan Quiz (Redbeck Press, 2009).

Pam works as a Senior Lecturer in Academic Professional Development at DMU and has just started a PhD which involves investigating her own creative processes and those of others, and producing a collection of poetry. Pam also works as a freelance poet and am one of the organisers of Word!, Leicester's longest running spoken-word event, which takes place at The Y Theatre on the first Tuesday of every month.

She'll be attending sessions as she can and presenting poems at a number of occasions. Pam is also a pink writer on this blog, and will be contributing here soon. Watch out for a touch of poetry on these pages!