Faculty Teaching Day Dr Mariano Paz / Dr Cinta Ramblado School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics

Creative Writing in the Hispanic World MLAL project in collaboration with the Universities of Reading, Edinburgh and Milan (Università degli Studi di Milano). Alicia Kozameh: Argentinian writer and Professor of Creative Writing at Chapman University, California. Illegally detained and tortured by the Argentine dictatorship (1970s) and an important voice in contemporary Latin American fiction in exile. Long-term relationship with UL, started in 2004, when her novel Steps Under Water was first included in the syllabus of final year Spanish.

Activities Two events: An open workshop, in English, where Alicia explored and discussed her own approach to the creative/writing process. This was attended by students from different programmes (BA Applied Languages, MA Comparative Literature, MA Modern Language Studies) and by faculty members, mostly from MLAL. A tutorial class with students from year 4 Applied Languages who were studying Kozameh’s work as part of the literature component of their module.

Student Experience The visit by Kozameh was seen as very beneficial and instructive by students, who were able to identify the writer with an historical and political experience they had studied and discussed in class at different stages throughout their programmes. For the students, Kozameh’s sincerity about her own experience of confinement helped them: Assimilate the reality of such an experience. Witness the dynamics of mnemonic representation. Some final year students chose to do their final literature essay on her novel Steps Under Water.

Alicia Kozameh in discussion with Cinta Ramblado

Q&A session after Kozameh’s lecture and reading

Kozameh elaborates on memory and political violence

Strategic Impact Collaboration with the Universities of Reading, Edinburgh and Milan, contributing to internationalisation and raising the international profile of the School and the Faculty. Chapman University publicised Kozameh’s visit to Limerick on their website. A final year student produced her FYP on Kozameh, and was to consider PG studies to pursue the topic further.