Tag: Tribute

Honouring the Memory of Professor Benjamin Zephaniah: A Literary Anthology by Brunel Creative Writing Students

On By brunelwriterIn Academic/Career, Brunel University, Brunel Writer, Creative writing, Submission Calls, UncategorizedLeave a comment

by Sundus Hassan Nooli (on behalf of the Brunel Literary Anthology)

A few days before the MA Creative Writing 2023 Winter Graduation, everyone – students, professors, readers – was rocked by the passing of Benjamin Zephaniah. His passing was felt around the world. And as the other side made way to greet him, it was beautiful to witness how many people were honouring his memory and art.

Benjamin Zephaniah was and still is a towering figure in the literary space, whose shoulders many of us, pupils, friends, and otherwise, stand upon.

To honour his powerful work in championing refugees, migrants, Blackness, humanity, justice, freedom, and street politics, the Brunel Literary Anthology invites former and current Creative Writing students from Brunel University London to submit their prose and poetry to BLA.

All are welcome to submit multiple works within a single submission, as long as they keep to the overall word count (further details below).

We welcome submissions of both poetry and short stories of any genre, including abstract and experimental fiction.

The submission guidelines are:

PROSE: 1,500 word limit, original piece, must not have been published elsewhere (personal websites and blogs included).

POETRY: Up to 4 poems.

For simultaneous submissions, in different genres, see example below:

You can submit up to:

• 2 short stories

OR

• 4 poems

OR

• 1 short story and 2 poems.

Deadline: February 26, 2024. Any and all questions and inquiries can be sent to blabla24@gmail.com. Submission link and further information can be found on our Instagram page.

With the blessing of Prof Zephaniah’s wife, all proceeds BLA makes will go directly to a charity of her choice.

This house will become a shrine –

On By brunelwriterIn Uncategorized1 Comment

” – and punks and skins and rastas will all gather round and hold their hands in sorrow for their fallen leader. And all the grown-ups will say, ‘But why are the kids crying?’ And the kids will say, ‘Haven’t you heard? Rick is dead! The People’s Poet is dead!’  And then one particularly sensitive and articulate teenager will say, ‘Other kids, do you understand nothing? How can Rick be dead when we still have his poems?'” 

Rik

Comedy lost a hero this week. It is with a heavy heart that we say our goodbyes to Rik Mayall – the People’s Poet, the Young One, an imaginary friend; one of the most lovable comedy geniuses of the last thirty years.

It is rare to see someone’s popularity stand the test of time, and even more rare to see their jokes do the same. It is a testament to him as a person and how he revolutionised the way we write and digest comedy, from performing horrendous poetry which he made hilarious as Rik, The People’s Poet, to co-writing this stand up routine with Ade Edmondson:

Rik is someone who I had been aware of for over half of my life – The Young Ones being shown to me by one of my school friends, aged only eleven. I found him funny then, but after studying the comedy module in my final term as an undergraduate student, I feel a huge amount of respect for him, and am deeply saddened by his sudden loss.

In 2011, Rik Mayall came to Brunel University to film his interactive web drama ‘Soapopolis’, with the help of Creative Writing Subject Leader Max Kinnings and ex Pro Vice Chancellor Steve Dixon. He has been described as ‘a friend of Brunel’, and ‘an amazing person to work with’ by staff and students alike.

Rik Mayall will continue to be an icon in the world of comedy for decades to come. Those who write stand up comedy or sit-coms will still look to him for guidance and the confidence to really push the boundaries of what an audience expects.

Rik’s song ‘Nobel England’ is currently the number 1 downloaded song, head over to iTunes/Amazon to keep it there.

Rik 2