Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Dystopia, apocalypse and contemporary women’s writing explored in lunchtime talk
Professor Susan Watkins, of the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities, is hosting a talk next month in Leeds Town Hall to explore the reasons why writers choose to write about dystopia and apocalypse.
The talk is part of the Leeds Cultural Conversations - a series of lunchtime talks organised by the university’s Centre for Culture and the Arts – and will also look at the ways contemporary women writers, such as Margaret Atwood, offer an alternative viewpoint on this trend.
Professor Watkins, Director for the Centre for Culture and the Arts, said: “This talk will explore the long tradition of women’s dystopian and apocalyptic writing, as well as some of the new ways they are approaching this subject in the present moment.
“The topic is of interest because, as Margaret Atwood has said, ‘science fiction is about now’.
“It would suit anyone studying Margaret Atwood who wants to think a bit more broadly about a novel such as The Handmaid’s Tale and anyone who enjoys reading apocalyptic and dystopian fiction.”
The talk is being held on 7 February, 12.30-1.30pm in Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall*.
*Please note that the venue has been changed for this talk. It will now take place in Victoria Hall, within Leeds Town Hall, Leeds, LS1 3AD.