Epigram

By Alex Boersma, Literature columnist 25/26In it's sixth year of running and with over 60 volunteers this year alone it is safe to say that Clifton's Literature Festival is thriving. I attended three events this year: Childless by choice, Trig Point poetry and Celebrating Bristol's distinguished writers. Each one carefully …

November’s dragging on, the nights are closing in, and temperatures are dropping faster than students with that cold going round. All students want to do is curl up in the ASS and check off those days until exams are over. Sadly, the reality of being a student in Bristol means …

By Lulu Shasha, Third Year, HistoryAs the pressure mounts to turn on the heating, we face ramifications that extend far beyond the initial annoyance of the seemingly simple question, ‘Shall we turn the heating on?’My own relationship with heating at university has been like a long-distance relationship: runs hot and …

By Natalie Payne, Second-Year, French, German, and Spanish Since 2011, BPFF has been a force for showcasing Palestinian talent across the arts, and this year is no different. With 15 film and short film screenings, the ten days are filled with incredible projects. As well as cinema, the festival will …

By Lulu Shasha, Third Year, HistoryPhew! What a relief, the Arts and Social Sciences Library (known to students as the ASS) has finally reopened its doors.So, what’s changed after a £1.8 million facelift? The two upstairs library floors, home to the humanities collections, reading rooms, suffused with the familiar glow …

By Alex Boersma, Literature columnist 25/26Prior to Gloucester Road bookshop's event celebrating her new book: Into Being: The radical craft of memoir and its power to transform, I interviewed author, journalist and teacher Dr Lily Dunn. The evening's conversation alongside fellow memoirist Marianne Brooker's questions followed Dunn's journalistic past, affinity …

By Alex Boersma, Literature columnist 25/26We have all watched at least one movie featuring teenagers and children huddled together by torch light telling ghost stories to scare each other. Some of us may even have recreated this with our own friends and tried to out scare each other. Despite not …

Staff at the University of Bristol, and 136 other institutions in England, will be balloted by the University and Colleges Union (UCU) from today (Monday 20 October) over what they call a ‘derisory’ pay offer from the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), and a ‘worrying escalation’ of proposed job …

For months, the ASSL – both revered and despised – has been trapped behind orange fences as refurbishment continues. But until recently no reopening date was given. While Monday 20 October will see access to the library’s print collection restored, the ground floor won’t reopen until 17 November. This delayed …

The traditional images of the circus that populate our imaginations are filled with bright, garish colours, exaggerated costumes, unbelievable bodies in motion, and animals leaping through rings of fire. It is a world of spectacle and excess, a stage for those positioned outside the boundaries of conventional society; a space …

Epigram can reveal that the ASSL’s upper floors will be reopened on Monday 20 October. In an exclusive statement given to Epigram, a University of Bristol spokesperson said that the reopening on 20 October will restore ‘access to all print collections and both large study areas. The ground floor, which …

Lucy Rose’s debut novel The Lamb is filled with cannibalism, queerness and vivid storytelling. What’s not to love? And what better place to gather and discuss than the dimly lit cavernous interior of the Loco Klub? The literature columnists attended Max Minerva's event and joined Bristol alumni Lucy Rose, Cumbrian …

By Natalie Payne, Second-Year, French, German, and Spanish The UK has seen a controversial surge in displays of Union Jacks and St George’s flags in recent weeks, as part of an effort dubbed ‘Operation Raise the Colours’, sparking further debate about the seemingly blurred line between patriotism and racism, and …

The free bus pass used to be offered to all first years living in undergraduate accommodation.Last year, the pass offered unlimited trips on the U1, 3, 4, and 72 bus routes. This has been reduced to the U1, 5, and 77, with free travel on the 3 and 4 only …

By Alex Boersma, Literature columnist 25/26For bookworm freshers or just those who want to broaden their bookish horizons, here's a little guide to book clubs around Bristol. There are a couple of student-run society book clubs, but also some external book clubs if you want to engage with the wider …

By Alex Boersma, Literature Columnist 25/26While some find the transition from summer to winter grim, I often find so much beauty during the autumnal months. From falling leaves to cosying up with a good book, ideally in a book nook by a crackling fire. If only student accommodation had armchairs …

By Natalie Payne, Second Year French, German, and Spanish Pre-drinking in a random flat in your accommodation is a staple of going out in the first few weeks of university. Whether you’re joining the queue for a Thursday night at OMG, or you prefer the cave-like atmosphere of The Crown, …

By Alex Boersma, Literature Columnist 25/26Alex Boersma talks to Cecelia Koç, third year student and president of the comparative literatures and cultures society, about her experience studying and engaging with comparative literatures and cultures at the University of Bristol.I first met Cece through a mutual friend while hanging out at …

A raw insight into my life as a student with a parent suffering from mental illness

Staff at the Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD) have voted to take industrial action in July and August over the University of Bristol’s plans to make 45 staff members redundant. The centre was established in 1989 to provide English language education to students, ‘whether or not English is …

On June 9 1925, exactly 100 years ago today, Wills Memorial Building was opened by King George V and Queen Mary. The arresting, neo-Gothic building, which many Freshers can be excused for thinking is a cathedral, has been the place of graduation, stressed exam seasons, and equal measures of life-pondering …

By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year HistoryDrax Project lived up to their exceptionally high standards on Friday at The Louisiana in the final leg of their debut UK and Europe tour. Explosive energy and musical dynamism, Drax Project are comfortably one of the best bands that can be seen live. Rolling …

When you think of Winestock, images of wholesome reunions and avoiding that first-year flatmate might spring to mind. Many also feel it to be an event whose ticket price isn’t justified, reliant on social pressures to draw a crowd.‘Winestock is an all-inclusive food and wine festival [...] your food’s included …

By Faniki Deche Sports EditorGrowing up as a football fan in Kenya, the women’s game carried this Wild West mystique to it. Apart from the World Cup and the Olympics, it was never really on television which meant those occasions carried an excitement akin to when the FA Cup Final …

By Max Bradley-Cole, Film and TV. My review of a documentary about Photographer Joel Meyerowitz and his equally incredible wife, Maggie Barrett

By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year HistoryA circle clicked shut as Holly Wellington, better known as Holysseus Fly, sat down with me to discuss her residency at the Beacon and all things going solo. Holly studied at Bristol University and she tells me her housemate wrote for Epigram whilst she was …

By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year, HistoryWelcome to Epigram's exclusive coverage of Derby Day 2024/25. From Football and Lacrosse to Netball and Tennis, here are the stories behind the biggest day for sport at the University. Brought to you by our talented team of writers.Unfortunate endings for some of Bristol’s finest …

By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year HistoryI'm searching for possible technology faults as my screen flashes quickly from an old photo of the band to the two members of Drax Project I've been given the opportunity to chat to ahead of their highly anticipated tour. Sam Thompson, who plays bass, sits …

By Faniki Deche, Sports Editor The Football Writers Association, Student Football Writer of the Year is an annual writing competition for aspiring football journalists in university. It consists of three categories: the Hugh Mcllvanney Male Writer of the Year, the Vikki Orvice Female Writer of the Year and the Kick …

It’s Alice in Wonderland – but not. Consciously not, in fact. There’s no idyllic Victorian English countryside in Alice by Heart – originally written by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson in 2012 – no no, this is London in its darkest moment, The Blitz. We meet the characters during an …