New Writing North

Pivotal

Education EN ↓ 4 episodes

Pivotal is a new podcast series which brings together academic experts at Northumbria University to explore big cultural concepts. Hosted by journalist, academic and radio producer Angharad Hampshire, Pivotal is a collaboration between Northumbria University and the writing development agency New Writing North, which works to develop opportunities for creative writing and reading in the North of England.

Author

New Writing North

Episodes

Provincial 29.07.2025 36:34

Why is there often a negative connotation attached to anything that comes from outside of capital cities? This episode looks at two provincial towns, Belfast in the 1960s and Leeds in the 1970s, and their unexpected cultural revolutions, featuring Gavin Butt, Professor of Fine Art, and Noel McLaughlin, Assistant Professor at Northumbria University.

Death 29.07.2025 43:55

Death is a concept that touches us all. In this episode, Wallace Chan, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work, Education, and Community, and Stacey Pitsillides, Associate Professor in the School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries, explore our understanding of death and its place in human culture.

Resilience 29.07.2025 41:57

Is resilience always a positive trait? In this episode, Simon Winlow, Professor of Social Science, and Patrick Duggan, Associate Professor of Performance and Culture, examine the concept of resilience and its cultural implications, with a focus on nostalgia and the role of the arts in developing resilience.

Fear 29.07.2025 31:23

What is fear? Is it an essential part of our lives, or something we should seek to protect ourselves and our children from? Featuring Kate Egan, Assistant Professor in the School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries, and Johnny Walker, Associate Professor at Northumbria University and Vice Chair of the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies, this episode delves into the natu...