FT Prince Lecture: 'Somewhere Else Entirely': A Conversation between Ruth Fainlight and Kathryn Maris Event

Invited speakers explore new directions in literary studies, drawing on the English department's wide range of intellectual interests.

Previous speakers have included Daljit Nagra, Christopher Ricks, Simon Gikandi, Tjawangwa Dema and Isobel Armstrong.

'Somewhere Else Entirely': A Conversation between Ruth Fainlight and Kathryn Maris

You are cordially invited to the F. T. Prince Memorial Lecture which will be a conversation between Ruth Fainlight and Kathryn Maris.

This special event celebrates the work of poet, librettist, translator Ruth Fainlight, whose work, spanning six decades, has established her as one of Britain's most distinguished poets. Ruth will read from her work and discuss her long writing life, her friendship with Sylvia Plath and her life in the UK after emigrating from the United States as a young woman. This discussion will be hosted by acclaimed poet, critic and teacher Kathryn Maris.

Ruth Fainlight was born in New York City, but has lived in England since the age of fifteen. She has published thirteen collections of poems in England and the USA, as well as two volumes of short stories, and translations from Spanish and Portuguese. She received the Hawthornden and Cholmondeley Awards in 1994, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her most recent collection, Somewhere Else Entirely, was brought out in the UK in 2018 by Bloodaxe Books.

Kathryn Maris is a poet and critic who has published three collections and a pamphlet. Her work has appeared in Penguin Modern Poets 5, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Best British Poetry, Poetry, the TLS and other periodicals. A selection from Kathryn's collection, The House With Only An Attic And A Basement (Penguin 2018), won the Ivan Juritz Prize for creative experiment. She is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at City and Guilds of London Art School.

This event is co-organised with the Winchester Poetry Festival, and will be introduced by Professor Will May.

Refreshments will be served from 17:30 and the lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.

RSVP

Please note this is a free in-person event however you must book a place if you wish to attend, if you have not booked a place we cannot guarantee admittance. This is a very popular lecture with limited space so please ensure you register soon to avoid disappointment. Bookings will close at 6pm on Sunday 10 October 2021.

Social Distancing/COVID

At the point of advertising this event, we are planning to admit guests up to full capacity of the venue, in the event that the numbers of attendees need to be reduced due to social distancing etc. spaces will then be allocated on a first booked-first served basis. If this happens, guests who are unsuccessful in obtaining a space will be informed via email in advance of the event.

Contact

Any questions or queries please contact the event organiser, Tracy Storey (tps@southampton.ac.uk).