Twice this month, I’ll be giving an illustrated talk. It’s about the merchant ships that became trapped in the Suez Canal during the Six-Day War in 1967. University of Brighton I’ll be at the University of Brighton on 5 February 5.30 – 7pm Room G4, Grand Parade. It is part of the seminar series for …
Just metres away from a roundabout in Calais, a bunch of boys are playing an ad hoc cricket game. Another group warm themselves by a small wood fire – later, they’ll cook a meal on their makeshift stove. Eyeing them from the other side of the roundabout are a vanload of CRS police officers. CRS …
When US philatelist Eric Carlson found an unusual stamp on EBay, he ‘stumbled upon the remnants of a forgotten bit of world history, about a stranded convoy that built a community at the center of a war.’ Eric had discovered the Great Bitter Lake Association. New podcast 99% Invisible in the USA have produced an …
Since I wrote Stranded in the Six-Day War, people from around the world have been getting in touch with me. They tell me about their activities to keep alive the story of the ships stranded in the Suez Canal for eight years. The GBLA Last week, Peter Valdner sent a photo of the annual gathering …
Food is always a brilliant way to bring people together. We all love to talk about food and we all have strong opinions about it. If you’re trying to learn English, it’s good to have a clear focus for discussion and a reason to communicate. The Cook, Learn and Eat courses bring together people who …
The client studies his reflection in the hand-held mirror. His hair looks good on top but needs a little more trimming elsewhere. ‘Anyone got the number 2?’ calls the barber. After another careful 10 minutes’ work, the young Ghanaian has a perfect haircut – 1 cm on top and neatly shaved around the back and …
‘What if you had to leave your home and you could never go back? What do you think that would be like? ‘For millions of Syrians and other people from around the world, these are the question they face. The current desperate situation in their homelands and the mass migrations from the Middle East is …
Science vs art ‘I feel deeply that the adversarial idea of science versus art is a false dichotomy’ says RLF Consultant Fellow Doug Johnstone on the RLF Consultant Fellows blog. And although some scientists may not see themselves as creative, inspiration is key to scientific writing. Fiction vs non-fiction I feel the same way about …
Feedback on our writing can arouse strong emotions. RLF Consultant Fellow Anne Wilson explains how we can use feedback to improve our work.