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A
free evening of readings by nine contemporary
poets, including senior lecturer in English
Dr John Whale, is being held to celebrate
the 50th anniversary of the literary journal,
Stand. The evening will also include musical
performances, displays showing Stand’s
varied history and the launch of its anniversary
issue. Other poets reading their work are
Jon Glover, R F Langley, E A Markham, Rodney
Pybus, Michael Symmons Roberts, Anne Stevenson,
Jeffrey Wainwright and Matthew Welton.
Jon Silkin founded Stand in London with £5
redundancy he received after trying to organise
some of his fellow manual workers. The magazine’s
title was intended to summarise its aims:
a stand against injustice and oppression and
a stand for the role that the arts –
poetry and fiction in particular – should
and could play in that fight.
Stand first came to Leeds in 1960 when Jon
Silkin was both Gregory Fellow in poetry and
studying for his first English degree at the
University. The magazine later moved to Newcastle
on Tyne, but on Jon Silkin's death in 1997,
it became based in the school of English as
an independent company with close links to
University staff. With the appointment of
John Whale as one of the editors and with
regular contributions from other staff as
poets, translators and critics, this link
is now very strong.
 Other
literary journals linked to the school will
also be exhibiting at the event. First published
in 2001, Moving Worlds has recently won a
£22,000 lottery grant to extend its
readership. The journal’s central concern
is the ‘transcultural’, the movement
of cultures across national boundaries. It
publishes creative work and criticism, literary
and visual work, in English and translations
into English. General editor, Professor Shirley
Chew (pictured left) said: “Although
still young, the journal is part of a long
history at Leeds in Commonwealth and postcolonial
studies. It took a lot of enthusiasm, hard
work and planning to launch the publication,
and we’re very pleased the Lottery funding
will allow us to take it to wider audiences.”
The Stand birthday party takes place at the
Workshop Theatre on November 29 at 6.30pm.
Spaces are limited. For more information on
the magazine, or the event, email stand@leeds.ac.uk
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