UEA Archives Blog - UEA Library at University of East Anglia

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
ARCHIVE LED TEACHING
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
ENQUIRIES - TOPICS AND THEMES
STATISTICS - VISITS AND ENQUIRIES

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Uncollected Poets, The Enterprise Centre 22 November

On 22 November 2023 we celebrated the launch of an inspiring new poetry archive with contributions from four wonderful voices in contemporary poetry: Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Jay Bernard, Joelle Taylor and Gail McConnell.

The poets read from a new collection of their writing inspired by UEA's ‘Towards a Centre for Contemporary Poetry in the Archive’ project which has been funded by the Mellon Foundation's Public Knowledge Programme. The project aims to change the way archives collect contemporary poetry by widening the representation of different styles and voices and encouraging community involvement.

Visiting Poetry Fellow Will Harris joined the poets in conversation to discuss their response to the archiving of their work. Unique items from the poets' archives were on display, alongside poetry by participants in the creative writing workshops they led for Norfolk public libraries during summer 2023.

You can watch the Livestream recording here: Uncollected: Poets (youtube.com)
A digital exhibition site and catalogues of the poets’ archives will be available shortly. We will announce via social media @ueaarchives (Instagram and X).

Five poets standing side by side Two poets seated and engaging with audience

Open Days, 21 October & 18 November

Archive material laid out in reading room Meeting potential students from all walks of life is an exciting prospect and getting to tell the stories behind our world class literary archives is always a delight. We were thrilled to meet potential students from all subjects and talk about how we embed our archives into academic teaching, meaning that our students get a strong introduction to higher level analytical skills and can make use of our resources for their studies. We received 137 archive visitors across the two open days.

Farewell to Justine Mann (BACW Project Archivist)

Towards the end of December the Archives and Library said goodbye to Justine who has done outstanding work in developing our literary archives for over 8 years. Justine has played a central role in mentoring and furthering the careers of the many who have worked, studied and volunteered alongside her. We wish her every success in her new post in the Development Office at UEA.

ARCHIVE LED TEACHING

A Behind the Scenes Tour (LDC PGT), 10 & 16 October

Each year brings a new cohort of literary postgraduates, and we are always excited to meet them. We know that archives provide rich sources for creative and critical work in LDC so we bring the students right to the heart of the archive to show off the treasures waiting for them in the stacks. We want all UEA students to know that the archive is a resource for them to use and that everyone is welcome. Attendees: 12

Feminist Research Methods, 17 October

Is archiving a feminist issue? A question which we address in a session for our Gender Studies MA students. Looking at what archives are defined, as and by whom, is vital in understanding why some voices have historically been absent in the archive. The two-hour session introduces parts of archive theory which impact data creation and analysis for these students. Attendees: 12

“It’s my favourite day of the teaching year - visiting the Archives! Thanks for having us and providing a space to reflect on the feminist knowledge(s) and histories we can (and cannot) produce through archives” [Tori Cann, Associate Professor in Humanities].

Using Digital Archives with Grant Young, 30 October

We were joined by three postgraduate research students at different points in their research journey to explore how digital archives can help them. Bringing real world examples of how and why digital archives are created, and how they are managed, gives an insight into their usefulness to the researcher.

Creative Writing Process – Sara Taylor’s Archive, 30 October, 1 & 2 November

Four groups of creative writing undergraduates came to examine drafts of Sara Taylor’s novel ‘The Shore’. Comparing four drafts of a single chapter from the archive, the students got to grips with the creative process, editing, drafting and the business of being a writer. The engagement and insight that the students bring to the session is always amazing. Attendees: 38

Describing Poetry with Jeremy Noel-Tod, 13 November

The Sarah Maguire archive was launched in summer 2023 and is already being examined by LDC postgraduates. The postgraduate ‘describing poetry’ module examined the drafts of four poems written by poet and literary translator Sarah Maguire. Handling the original archive material can be challenging but brings huge rewards. The group also examined Sarah Maguire as critic using her original correspondence and writing. Attendees: 15

Jekyll and Hyde – Cross Media Adaptation, 21 November

Students looking at manuscripts In exciting and fun sessions we used archive scripts, correspondence and digital planning documents to examine Charlie Higson’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. The 2016 TV adaptation created a global adventure story based on the ubiquitous and familiar tale of a man who transforms into a monster. Looking at the process of commissioning, planning, drafting, editing and filming, the two groups of undergraduates discovered what a writer’s archive can reveal about adaptation for the small screen. Attendees: 31

Biography and Creative Non-Fiction in the Archive, 27 November

The British Archive for Contemporary Writing is filled to the brim with material essential for writing the biography of a writer. The publications which have been researched in our reading room range from Doris Lessing, J.D. Salinger and Roger Deakin, and also contain the work of biographers themselves, working in innovative and creative ways. The group were able to see the sensitivities and difficulties around biographic research and the business end of creative work and publishing. Attendees: 16

Literary Translation in the Archive, 6 December

The BACW is home to many literary translators’ archives including Patricia Crampton, Sarah Maguire, Ann Born and Anthony Vivis. In this session, MA students in Literary Translation (MALT) came to examine in detail David Bellos’s translation of George Perec’s haunting work ‘W or the Memory of Childhood’. Looking at drafting, editing and collaboration during the translation process. Attendees: 11

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

History Special Subject with Hugh Doherty, 30 October, 11 December

Books on shelf We are delighted when rare books from our special collections become the focus for teaching sessions. Postgraduate taught Medievalists spent a couple of mornings in our reading room with ‘Liber Floridus: Codex Authographus Bibliothecae Universitatis Gandavensis’ and other titles, learning about the creation and survival of sources which inform the study of their period. Special Collections are a diverse and fascinating set of texts spanning the 15th Century to the present day and can be found on the library catalogue and ordered at archives@uea.ac.uk Attendees: 37

ENQUIRIES - TOPICS AND THEMES

BACW COLLECTIONS

DORIS LESSING southern Africa; ‘Memoirs of a Survivor’; 1940s love letters NAOMI ALDERMAN ‘The Power’ TASH AW ‘We the Survivors’ and ‘Harmony Silk Factory’ WG SEBALD interviews

OTHER COLLECTIONS

PRITCHARD PAPERS Crime novelist Agatha Christie’s tenancy in iconic Lawn Road Flats UEA COLLECTION Brutalist architecture; SU newspaper ‘Concrete’ which celebrates 50 years; 9-day protest sit-in, 1971; prominent figures in UEA’s history ZUCKERMAN ARCHIVE Allied ‘Transportation Campaign’ before the Normandy invasion in 1944; science communication and wildlife documentaries; children and the Blitz.