Philippa Pearce Lecture 2017

Booking is now open for the 2017 Philippa Pearce Lecture, which will be given by Chris Riddell, the celebrated, multi-award-winning illustrator and political cartoonist.

Chris has illustrated over 150 books, collaborating with some of the best known children’s authors of recent decades, including Neil Gaiman and Michael Rosen. Chris has won two CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals, the UK librarians’ annual award for the best-illustrated children’s book, and three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes. On 9 June 2015 he was appointed the UK Children’s Laureate. During his two-year tenure, he championed creativity, the importance of visual literacy, and the role of libraries in schools. He called on people to enjoy the “joy of doodling” by drawing every day, setting the example with his own fantastic ‘Laureate’s Log’, a whimsical visual diary shared on social media, which has recently been published in a compendium called Travels with My Sketchbook. In the 2017 Philippa Pearce Lecture, Chris will talk about how words and pictures work together for a reader both on traditional page and how he believes this continues to be true in a digital age. He will explore how books are ever more covetable as objects in their own right, as well as valued for the words and illustrations inside, and also how libraries remain vital as repositories for these beautiful productions.

The lecture is entitled, The Age of the Beautiful Book and will take place on September 8^th in the Mary Allan Building, Homerton College, Cambridge.

We are now on Twitter!

Do follow us if you'd like: @scilitreadgrp

Next Term - Air

We will be continuing our elemental theme next term, when we take to the air. What is air? How can it be described, captured, interrogated, surmounted? How has the science and literature of air changed in different historical and cultural contexts? From the life-force to the air-force, scientific controversy to fart-based caricature, atmospheric pressure to new aerial perspectives, we will explore its many manifestations.

Once again, I (Melanie) will be putting together a list of readings which will hopefully range widely in terms of time and space, and include many different types of writing, by many different people. If you have any suggestions of particular readings or topics you would like to include, I would be delighted to hear from you: please get in touch before 8^th December. I would particularly like assistance with tracking down relevant early modern sources; with non-British sources (though available in translation, please); and with more recent scientific fiction works.

Mailing list

I am afraid that our mailing list seems to have disappeared! Please check this blog for updates until a replacement list is put in place, or email Melanie directly.

Next term - Fire

Our meetings for Michaelmas Term 2016 will be themed around 'Fire', giving us the opportunity to discuss everything from ancient elements to far-flung suns, pottery to passion, experimental practice and hellfire. Watch out for the full schedule later on this summer; and email Melanie if you have a burning desire to add anything to the reading list!

Meanwhile, enjoy these playlists of music about fire:

• Classical
• Songs

New book - Staging Science

Staging Science: Scientific Performance on Street, Stage and Screen has recently been published by Palgrave Macmillan's 'Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine' series (see here for the full list), including a contribution from former Reading Group member Kirsten Shepherd-Barr on '"Unmediated" Science Plays: Seeing What Sticks':

Kirsten E. Shepherd-Barr examines contemporary science theatre, with particular attention paid to interdisciplinary and experimental theatre emerging across Europe. These dramas reveal, Shepherd-Barr argues, that it is the process of working towards a piece of theatre rather than the finished product that is of greatest interest, both to audiences and to the theatre-makers themselves. Such theatrical performances invite extensive participation in meaning-making amongst all of those involved, including a range of scientific consultants. In conclusion, Shepherd-Barr reads these new dramas as extensively interdisciplinary and co-produced, leading to a new form of productively entangled epistemological experience.

Science and Literature Commission / DHST - Fall 2015 Newsletter

a) 25th International Conference of History of Science and Technology , Division of History of Science and Technology, International Union of History and Philosophy of Science, Rio, Brazil 2017.

The Commission of Science and Literature was established in 2013 in Manchester during the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Therefore our participation in one or more symposia in the 25th International Congress, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 23 to 29 July 2017, (http://www.ichst2017.sbhc.org.br ) will be the first "appearance" of our Commission in such a great event for the community of the historians of science and technology.
We welcome proposals for thematic symposia and/or stand-alone papers to incorporate in our symposia until 31st March 2016. Each symposium has to secure at least three presenters. Please have in mind that according to the policy of the Congress only one paper can be given by each individual participating in the Conference.

b) Workshop on "Science Fiction. Jules Verne and 19th century science", Athens 17-18 December 2015
In connection with several activities concerning the celebration of 2015 as international year of Light Coscilit organizes a two-days' workshop on "Science Fiction. Jules Verne and 19th century science".
We welcome papers for oral presentations of about 20-30 minutes on subjects (indicatively) related with Jules Verne, his scientific knowledge, the scientific innovations of his time that inspired him, other futuristic novels of that time which had a scientific background, and the influence of Jules Verne for the development of science and technology. Papers which will discuss other subjects and dimensions of science fiction are also welcome.

Deadline for the submission of the papers: 30 October 2015

Registration fees: 80 Euros
Registration fees for young scholars, postgraduate and graduate students: 30 Euros

c) Special issue of Almagest on science fiction.
We have arranged that the next issue of Almagest (published by Brepols) will be a special issue on science fiction in the framework of science and literature studies.
Guest editors will be John Holmes, Valerie Stienon, George N. Vlahakis and Kostas Tampakis.
We welcome papers on the subject from 6000 to 8000 words following the Almagest guidelines. (http://www.hpdst.gr/publications/almagest/guidelines-for-authors)
Deadline for the submission of the papers 15th December 2015.

d) Elections for the Commission on Science and Literature Council Board.
Members of the Commission willing to serve in the Council Board may submit their nominations until October 30th. Elections will take place electronically until 15th November and the results will be announced officially during the workshop about Jules Verne and 19th century science in Athens in 19th November.
Nominations are welcome for the following positions:
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Webmaster
Regional officers for Asia, Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Europe
Young scholar – Ph.D. candidate
Member of the Council

We accept nominations for the Council Board submitted by two members of the Commission, including self-nominations. A short CV (200 words max.) and a photo if possible have to be submitted as well in order to inform the members of the Society for the academic activities of the candidates. Nominations may be submitted to Prof. John R. Holmes J.Holmes.1@bham.ac.uk
Elections will take place through emails to a Committee of three members who are not canditates for the Council Board.

e) The site of the Commission will be gradually transferred to coscilit.eap.gr as the Hellenic Open University kindly agreed to host it in its server.
f) New publications
New book about science and literature published in Catalan by Xavier Duran:
"La ciència en la literatura. Un viatge per la història de la ciència vista per escriptors de tots els temps"
Universitat de Barcelona Publicacions i Edicions
Collecció Catàlisi
363 pàges.
ISBN 978-84-475-4233-8
Cristina Beatriz Fernández. JOSÉ INGENIEROS Y LOS SABERES MODERNOS. Córdoba, Alción, 2012 y JOSÉ INGENIEROS Y LAS ESCRITURAS DE LA VIDA. DEL CASO CLINICO A LA BIOGRAFIA EJEMPLAR. Mar del Plata, Eudem, 2014.

g) Forthcoming events

BSLS Winter Symposium
Museum of English Rural Life and University of Reading's Special Collections, Saturday 14th November 2015
Archival research has long been a mainstay of literature and science as a discipline, challenging the boundaries of what can be read as text and excavating long-submerged concepts and connections. The recent growth in collaborative doctoral awards and collections-based PhDs, alongside research strands such as the AHRC's Science in Culture, however, demonstrate a need to consider more fully the implications of this kind of investigation. The BSLS's Winter Symposium therefore provides an opportunity for literature and science researchers, at all points in their career, to reflect and build upon the successes and challenges of finding 'Science in the Archives'.

The majority of us use special collections and archival materials in the course of our literature and science research, but we are not always encouraged to reflect upon the ramifications of doing so. This symposium will provide an important opportunity to stimulate and facilitate much needed discussion of the challenges as well as successes of finding science in the archives.For this event, we have adopted a different format from the standard academic twenty-minute conference paper, and will ask speakers to present in a more informal tone and for different lengths of time depending on the session. These shorter, less formal presentations will minimise preparation time for speakers as well as increasing discussion time for all participants. The organisers warmly seek a limited number of 10 minute position papers about methodologies and approaches to literature and science in the archives, from a range of time periods and from speakers at all stages of research or career.





h) For any further information and application for membership please send an email to gvlahakis@yahoo.com and konstantinos.tampakis@gmail.com

UCL Science and Literature Seminar Series

Details of a new seminar series on Science and Literature at UCL can be found here. The first meeting is next Tuesday, 4th November, with Sally Shuttleworth speaking on 'Animal instinct and whispering machines: Science in the Victorian periodical'.

Kelley Swain - Double the Stars

The latest work by former Reading Group member Kelley Swain, Double the Stars, has recently been published. Photos from the Royal Observatory launch of this novel about Caroline Herschel can be found at Kelley's blog here.

AHRC Science in Culture - new Innovation Awards announced

The AHRC has announced seven new Innovation Awards as part of their Science in Culture theme - lots of fascinating projects, and several of interest to Science and Literature scholars, including 'Metamorphoses: Gaming Art and Science with Ovid', and 'Poetry by Numbers, Then and Now: Metre, Mathematics, Machines and Manufacture'. Details here.

Michaelmas Term 2009

This term we shall focus on the theme of analogy in literature and science, reading and discussing analyses of simile, metaphor, and model-making. We meet fortnightly on Monday evenings, from 7.30-9pm, in a new venue: room MAB 119 at Homerton College. Readings are detailed below, and photocopied packs will be made available from the Group boxfile in the Whipple Library and in Homerton College Library. Organised by Daniel Friesner (Science Museum) and Melanie Keene (Homerton College). For updates, further information and relevant news listings please see this blog; email Melanie to join our dedicated mailing list. All welcome!

19^th October

Pierre Duhem, The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory, trans. Philip P. Wiener (Princeton University Press, 1954), chapter IV (pp. 55-104), "Abstract theories and mechanical models".

2^nd November

Dedre Gentner, "Are Scientific Analogies Metaphors?" in D. Miall (ed.), Metaphor: Problems and perspectives, pp. 106-132 (Brighton, Sussex: Harvester Press, 1982). Available online here.

16^th November

Mary Ellen Pitts, "Reflective Scientists and the Critique of Mechanistic Metaphor" in M. W. McRae (ed.), The Literature of Science: Perspectives on Popular Scientific Writing, pp. 249-272 (Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 1993).

30^th November

Simon Armitage, "Modelling the Universe: Poetry, Science, and the Art of Metaphor" in Robert Crawford (ed.) Contemporary Poetry and Contemporary Science, pp. 110-122 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).