I walked into the cinema knowing absolutely nothing about the movie except that it was about a transgender woman. I didn’t even watch the trailer. My friends asked if I wanted to watch it and not being one to shy away from anything new I decided to tag along.

The Danish Girl is a British drama film based on the fictional novel of the same name by David Ebershoff, which was loosely inspired by the lives of the Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film is set in mid-1920s Copenhagen, where a man, Einar, while standing in as a female model for his wife, begin to realize that he is in fact a woman trapped in a male body. This is when everything starts to unfold; the film explores the struggles of Einar and Gerda’s relationship, the troubles they face and the sacrifices they make.

This movie caught me off guard in the most poignant and magical way. I walked in the cinema with the idea that the film was going to be about a man becoming a woman, but in actual fact the film was really about deep, unconditional love. I was completely captivated by everything the movie offered: the cinematography, acting and story-telling meld together to produce something so enchantingly beautiful.

I don’t want to give anything away but when my friends broke down during certain points of the movie I remained stoic and unrelenting. Not because I didn’t feel moved but because I felt a sadness for the characters so heavy that I didn’t know how to show my emotions.

There is a reason why the film and cast have gotten so many nominations and clinched their fair share of awards; The Danish Girl showed me exactly what love is, and what it could be.

VERDICT: 4/5
The film kind of drags on around the middle, but picks up a little later on.

Jojo Chia

After seeing previous plays directed by Jamie Lloyd, I had high expectations for his latest project; ‘The Homecoming’ by Harold Pinter, which features an ensemble cast comprised of John Simm, Gemma Chan, Keith Allen, Ron Cook, Gary Kemp and John Macmillan.

‘The Homecoming’ centres around a male-dominated family made up of the father, Max (Ron Cook), his three sons, Teddy (Gary Kemp), Lenny (John Simm), and Joey (John Macmillan) and his brother Sam (Keith Allen). When Teddy and his wife, Ruth (Gemma Chan), decide to visit his family with no prior warning, Ruth slowly and subtly wraps everyone around her little finger.

In all honesty, I haven’t had much experience with Pinter’s works, but the disjointedness of the plot made me uncomfortable. Also, the fact that a lot of character actions weren’t fully explained, and the way that they themselves seemed to change with little, or no, provocation, did little to alleviate my discomfort. Even their back-stories felt sketchy and incomplete as little was said to suggest any past events (all we’re given is information that their mother died and an odd speech which involved Lenny reminiscing about when his father used to tuck him and his brothers into bed). Ruth, however, was the main puzzle of the play since her character seemed to shift around quite a bit. When alone with Teddy near the start she appears to be a reserved yet resentful individual, then a scene later, when she’s alone with Teddy’s brother, Lenny, she gradually develops a manipulative and provocative attitude. Although it’s obvious that her transition must have something to do with her interaction with Lenny, it still feels a little out of the blue, I feel like we needed a little more information about her to understand the change. The ending is also somewhat unexpected (I won’t spoil it), and although there is an obvious comment on power play here, as Ruth uses her wiles to instigate authority, the overall effect leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It almost feels as though it’s trying to say that the only way women can have power is by exploiting men with their sexuality.

However, the actual production of the play, in my opinion, was fairly unfaultable (to this end, Jamie Lloyd has delivered once again). It was the play itself that let it down. Although, I can’t be completely without heart as I did find myself laughing on the odd occasion at the dark humour, and John Simm’s sadistic smile is something to be admired. The actors did a pretty remarkable job too; I was drawn in by their portrayals (even if I wasn’t drawn in by the characters themselves).

Personally, I wouldn’t say that it’s worth a full price ticket, but I managed to take advantage of the £15 Monday deal that Trafalgar Studios like to use, so I’m pretty content. Although no more of the £15 deals are on offer for this performance, it’s extremely likely that the scheme will be around for future shows and it’s definitely worth thinking about.

A big plus for the production though; you get to see John Simm in action, and once you get past the weedy tone of voice he uses, you realise just how talented he is.

The Verdict: 3/5

‘The Homecoming’ is at Trafalgar Studios until the 13th February 2016. Prices range from £29.50 to £69.50.

Brunel University is about to host their first ever V-day celebration and the excitement couldn’t be more real.

After years of lagging behind on the activism for women front, Brunel seems to be taking strides to catch up with other universities. Last year, Brunel’s first Women’s officer was elected into the student union and the Feminism had a complete rehaul making it much more inclusive.

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations.

As described by the organisation itself, V-day is a global event that raises awareness about issues such as incest, sex slavery and female genital mutilation.

In a similar spirit, Brunel, by the initiative of Wendy Knepper of the English department, is joining in with this fight against oppression against women all over the world. In true Brunel fashion, students will be at the heart of the event. Thomas Willet and myself have been at the heart of the organisation of this event look forward to getting more of our peers invloved in the cause.

The event takes place on the 3rd of February 2016 in the Antonin Artaud building, room AA001 from 1pm-4.30pm. A special talk by Xiaolu Guo and a screening of her award winning film ‘She, A Chinese’, is likely to be the highlight of this event but by no means will it be single faceted. Sections of the day will include writing activities alongside the theme of women’s issues as well as talks by students including myself. There will also be discussion about an ongoing project of a literary publication about modern day feminism written by Brunel students.

V-day at Brunel University is sure to be a hot pot of revolutionary thinking considering the campus’ diversity and it would be a shame to miss it. Visit the facebook event page for more information https://www.facebook.com/events/1749805578584186/.

Emma Challis

The past few months have been full of news when it comes to the world of book adaptations. For Harry Potter fans there’s been plenty to get excited about, with the release of the first wave of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ tickets, which sold out in minutes, and the first glimpses of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’. Both look to be a promising extension of the much-loved series, with Oscar winning Eddie Redmayne taking the lead as Newt Scamander in the spin-off movie ‘Fantastic Beasts’.

Other exciting news has been the announcement of a BBC adaptation of the ‘His Dark Materials’ series by Phillip Pullman for television. After the 2007 film ‘The Golden Compass’ was generally regarded as a disappointment by fans and critics alike this could be another chance for beloved characters Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon to  delight on screen as they did in the books. There’s also potential for the other worlds included in the trilogy to be seen on screen for the first time.

This announcement follows a recent increase in books awaiting to be turned into TV series; another contemporary children’s classic ‘A series of Unfortunate Events’ by Lemony Snicket is in the running to be a Netflix original series by 2017.

It’s possible that this increasing movement to TV adaptations of books is because ongoing series offer more opportunity to stray true to the original stories than films as each episode allows for a chapter to unravel. There is also potential for character development to be shown over a longer period of time, which has proved popular in other TV series adapted from books such as ‘Game of Thrones’ as well as originals like ‘Orange Is The New Black’ and ‘Breaking Bad’. This also opens up the shows beyond fans of the books they’re based on, which could lead them to prove more popular than spin-off films like ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’.

However, TV series can lack the large budget that the film industry offers which has caused other projects, such as the adaptation of Neil Gaimen’s ‘American Gods’, to be put on hold. There is also the threat of a series being cut half-way through if ratings fall which is a particular problem in the American TV industry.

Whichever form proves more popular it’s safe to say that these upcoming projects are ones to watch!

Are you an awesome short story writer? STORGY 2015 Short Story Competition may be the thing for you.

STORGY is a Literary Short Story Magazine that is constantly looking to publish both published and unpublished authors. STORGY is open for general submissions all year round but are currently holding their 2015 Short Story Competition. Managing Director Tomek Dzido recently informed us that submissions are now welcome and that the competition will be judged by award winning author Paul McVeigh.

According to Dzido, Paul McVeigh has been published in several anthologies, including New Century New Writing and Rattle Tales 2&3. He’s read his work on BBC Radio 5 and at the International Conference on the Short Story in Vienna. He also represented the UK short story for The Brittish Council in Mexico this year. Currently. he is working on a short story collection and his first novel was published in April this year and was shortlisted for The Guardian’s ‘Not The Booker’ Prize.

Paul is the Co-Founder of the London Short Story Festival and Associate Director of Word Factory, The UK’s leading short story salon. He has judged numerous short story competitions.

Submission for the competition opened on the 23rd of November 2015 and the deadline is at 11pm on the 30th December 2015. There’s a £5 entry charge.

14 finalists will be featured in the 2015 STORGY Short Story Competition Anthology with an extra prize of £500 for the winner. Two runner ups will receive £25 book vouchers and all winners are in for a signed copy of Paul McVeigh’s debut novel ‘The Good Son’

Further entry instructions and Terms and Conditions for the 2015 STORGY Short Story Competition can be found at:

http://storgy.com/2015-short-story-competition/

You can read winning story; ‘Live Meat and Freedom’, by Rowena Macdonald, from the 2014 STORGY Short Story Competition via the following link:

http://storgy.com/2014-short-story-competition/

The 2014 STORGY Short Story Competition Anthology is available on Amazon for £1.99, and contains all fourteen longlisted short stories, author interviews, afterwords, and exclusive artwork by STORGY illustrator Harlot Von Charlotte, in addition to STORGY’s interview with 2014 competition judge; David James Poissant.

​http://www.amazon.co.uk/STORGY-Short-Story-Competition-Anthology-ebook/dp/B013J6XHPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448438669&sr=8-1&keywords=storgy

For STORY general submission guidelines, please follow the link below:

http://storgy.com/touch-us/

A BEAST IN VIEW is an event involving authors like  Holly Hopkins, Anthony Howell, Courttia Newland and Tony White who is a lecturer in the Brunel Creative Writing department.

 [It’s expected to be] a timely and unmissable evening of satire in poetry and prose at The Room, a space for the arts in Tottenham, featuring leading black British novelist Courttia Newland—author of The Scholar, Society Within, The Gospel According to Cane, etc.—‘a truly gifted storyteller’ (Time Out)—and the 2011 Eric Gregory Award and 2014 Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition-winning poet Holly Hopkins, who contributed to The Emma Press’s powerful Campaign in Poetry anthology earlier this year. Joining them are London author Tony White, best known for his novel Foxy-T—‘One of the best London novels you’ll ever get to read’ (Sunday Herald)—who will be reading satirical short The Holborn Cenotaph; and Theatre of Mistakes founder, the poet and novelist Anthony Howell, whose performance Table Moves at The Tate was described by Stewart Lee in the Observer as ‘The best performance I have ever seen’. Howell’s first collection of poems, Inside the Castle was published in 1969 and his latest, Silent Highway, is published by Anvil.

‘Since its heyday in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, satire as a poetic form seems to have fallen out of fashion. But imitating the achievements of the seventeenth century now would come over as a cliché. What does seem important to retain though is a sense of one’s subject. With satire, there is a beast in view…’ Anthony Howell

For anyone interested in this event the details are as follows:

Poetry at The Room, 33 Holcombe Road, Tottenham Hale, N17 9AS

Saturday 5 December 2015

Starts: 7.30

£5 entry plus donation for refreshment

Here are also some Author bios to familiarise yourself with;

Holly Hopkins’ debut pamphlet, Soon Every House Will Have One, won the 2014 Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition. Holly received an Eric Gregory Award in 2011.

Courttia Newland is the author of seven works of fiction. His latest, The Gospel According to Cane, was published in 2013. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4. He is an associate lecturer in creative writing at Birkbeck, University of London.

Tony White is the author of novels including Foxy-T (Faber and Faber) and Shackleton’s Man Goes South (Science Museum), and numerous short stories. Missorts, White’s GPS-triggered permanent soundwork for the city of Bristol launched in 2012. A former writer in residence at the Science Museum, White chairs the board of directors of London’s award-winning arts radio station, Resonance 104.4fm.

Anthony Howell co-organises Poetry at The Room. His performance Table Moves at The Tate was described by Stewart Lee in the Observer as ‘The best performance I have ever seen.’ (Observer 17 Oct 2010). Howell is a poet and novelist whose first collection of poems, Inside the Castle was published in 1969. His latest collection Silent Highway is published by Anvil.

With the new academic year being in full swing, Brunel Writer overseer Max Kinnings (Senior Lecturer in creative writing) has recruited a new set of editors.

As usual, the team will be responsible for curating material and running Brunelwriter.com and the twitter handle @BrunelWriter. Students wishing for their articles to be published on Brunel Writer can still send these to brunelwriter@gmail.com for consideration.

So, with no further dilly dallying, here’s the (artsy) dream team;

PS Naturally, the boys were a little camera shy 😀

AJ

Sweetie Asantewaa aka Adjoa Okornore Manu or AJ for short likes to adapt. Previously a student of social policy at University of Birmingham, she is now a final year student of Creative Writing at Brunel.

AJ’s been writing poetry since the age of twelve to help her articulate thoughts she otherwise couldn’t. Since then she has moved on to short story writing and more recently screenwriting. As part of her study at Brunel, she has co-written and produced/edited a radio play, written journalism, short story and poetry portfolios as well as short films. AJ’s creative work has been featured on ArtsandAfrica.com amongst others.

AJ also ran for Brunel Women’s Officer and is actively involved in advocacy for women on campus.

From the long list of names, you’d think I’m your typical eccentric writer personality but I’m not at all – I’m actually quite awkward.

My writing is mainly inspired by my experiences with faith, women’s issues and African culture both in Africa and the diaspora. I will rant uncontrollably about Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie for hours if I’m not stopped and Purple Hibiscus is one of my favourite books.

I run two blogs. Adegya (www.adegya.wordpress.com) which is a casual portfolio of some of my creative work and RuthTP (www.ruthtp.wordpress.com) where I speak about women’s issues from personal experience.

My twitter is always open for a good debate on literary matters, too – @okornore.

Joseph

Level 2 Games Design and Creative Writing student, Joseph Juson, has always dreamt about writing – choosing his current course was a no brainer as it would only improve his talent. His love for games design is inspired by his love for finding new ways to tell stories and evoke emotions.

 This is one of the reasons I love games: the potential for storytelling through the medium of games is unexplored and exciting, and there are new examples appearing all the time of how interactive storytelling and gameplay can be harmonised to create incredibly moving experiences.

I’m also interested in theatre, TV, short stories and poetry, and how they can all convey the same themes and stories in different ways. I’m really excited to learn and discover more about how we can use form and medium to do new things, and I hope that being on the Brunel Writer team will help me discover more about writing and different ways it’s being used. One of the great things about being at uni is seeing things people have written and what has inspired them, and so I’m always open to suggestions. My Twitter is @josephjuson. I need followers.

Sabrina

Sabrina Yam is a Level 2 Creative Writing student with a love for the young adult reader genre who also blogs and is confidently finding her feet in the literary world.

 I find myself bouncing from writing contemporary fiction, dystopian and fantasy – I haven’t quite found my style yet! I read a variety of genres within YA. My most recent favourite YA novels are ‘Am I Normal Yet?’ By Holly Bourne, ‘The Next Together’ by Lauren James and ‘The Age of Miracles’ by Karen Thompson Walker – this is all bound to change after a month or so. I also spend my time writing reviews for my blog as well as writing other feature posts and some event reviews.

Breaking away from the books, I enjoy baking, crafting and going to the theatre.

I’m hoping to pursue a job in publishing.

You can find me on Twitter @skyam.

Emma

Also a Level 2 Creative Writing student, Emma Challis who loves realism and fantasy and writes reviews for Brunel’s own newspaper, Le Nurb.

I enjoy reading and writing fiction of all different genres and styles but particularly realism and fantasy. Some of my favourite books at the moment (it changes all the time!) are ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel, the ‘His Dark Materials’ series by Philip Pullman and ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaimen.

I also like to keep tabs on new films, TV series and books that are being released.

When not stuck in a book or with a pen in my hand I also enjoy long distance running and photography.

Natasha

Natasha Derczynski is a Level 2 English and Creative Writing student who enjoys working in a variety of different mediums, with a growing interest in screenwriting.

There are far too many brilliant books out there for me to ever pick a favourite, but I’m a sucker for anything that can make me laugh out loud and get weird looks from people on the tube (I’ve read Bridget Jones’ Diary at least three times. Judge me.) I’m interested in reading and writing complex female characters and am pretty passionate about music so that often finds its way into my work. I love everything from The Clash to The Rolling Stones to Laura Marling. Besides reading and writing I love anything art-related and am currently trying my hand at oil painting classes. Other interests include: my dogs, Mary Berry and wearing really ugly jumpers.

Holly

Holly Saywell is a Level 1 Creative Writing student, who hopes to get her Wattpad novels published and loves reading romance, adventure and fantasy.

I love that feeling of escapism where you get lost in a piece of text and become the character! My favourite authors are Cassandra Claire, J K Rowling, Michael Grant and James Patterson; with a love for romance, adventure or fantasy books. I’m also trying to get into Sci-Fi novels too! I have a love for those 3am writing sessions and I write my own books which I hope to publish one day. These are on a popular eBook website and can be found on my page at www.wattpad.com/user/SkinnyLizzy. I’m also quite a lonely person as my boyfriend is back home and I haven’t made many life-long friends here yet.

You can also find my Twitter pages at:

@MehCookiez (personal)

And

@RebelAOfficial (if anyone is musically talented).

Matthias

Poetically inclined Matthias Asiedu-Yeboa is a Level 3 Creative Writing and English student at Brunel. Matthias is currently enjoying the challenges of studying the Long Novel and tightening up my writing in Writing Modern Fiction.

As for what I like to write… well, it varies as much as the sort of things I like to read! I’d say I have a basis in writing sci-fi and fantasy (Lord of the Rings and Star Wars from early, mate!), with a vested interest in horror, surrealism and the absurd. I find it really hard to fill up word counts without going off on tangents in early drafts, so if I like something I’ve written and someone else does too, then I know I’m onto a winner! Anyhoo (see what I mean?), I’m looking forward to being part of the Brunel Writer Editorial team and I hope to field as many ideas as possible, with my fellow Team members of course, so if you’ve got anything you’re just bursting to talk about, just give us a shout!

 

Write poetry? Want to get published? Look no further than Pencil Crayon Poetry!

Pencil Crayon Poetry is an upcoming online poetry website due to be launched in the next couple of weeks. Pencil Crayon Poetry will host a series of competitions aimed exclusively at Brunel University London students, offering a chance of publication.

Submissions are welcomed from students of all levels, studying any course. Whether you’re an undergraduate, postgraduate or a PHD student, we want to read your poems!

Each month Pencil Crayon Poetry will be hosting two competitions, linked broadly by a certain theme, and will be accepting poetry written in response to the prompts in any form, genre or style (no Odes please!). Poems will need to be submitted as per the guidelines.

Two people will be published per competition on the website itself.

For more information and announcements about the website and its launch, follow @pencilpoetry on Twitter and like the Pencil Crayon Poetry page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pencilcrayonpoetry

If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to us on our Twitter or Facebook page.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Publicist and Marketing Coordinator Kate McKim and the Pencil Crayon Poetry team.