13 September 2016
Writing a preview of the Cheltenham Literature Festival, I suggested all History students should read literature. I was reminded of this today when I read the (belated – he died in June) obituary of Michael Herr in The…
7 September 2016
On the face of it this year’s Cheltenham Literature Festival does not offer a great deal of interest to the student of history. Yes, there are sessions on Rethinking the Somme, the Great War, Cheltenham in the Great…
30 October 2015
October has been a busy month this year in Cheltenham. In addition to the renowned Cheltenham Literature Festival at the beginning of the month, there have been a number of events for Black History Month in Cheltenham including…
3 June 2014
Further to Neil’s posts last week, in this video Dr Christian O’Connell talks to him about American literature, the GCSE syllabus, and why students should read as widely as possible.
28 May 2014
Having just written about the value of American literature, I heard the sad news today of the death of Maya Angelou, one of the writers I listed as a “must read” for potential and existing students of…
28 May 2014
Like many “cultural warriors” (thank you Mr. Gove for that great title!) and an American historian to boot, I was saddened to read the stories – since denied – that the Secretary of Education, Michael Gove, had axed…