Staff and students from the School of English collaborated on a day-long reading of Virginia Woolf’s 1931 novel 'The Waves'.
The reading took place at venues across Canterbury – starting at Kent’s Woolf College – and followed, just as The Waves does, the rising and setting of the sun.
The reading was organised by Dr Derek Ryan and Dr Ariane Mildenberg (both lecturers in Modernism in the School of English), who described it as both a literary and physical journey.
The event was free and open to all but a collection was made for ‘The Book Bus’ charity, which works with underprivileged communities in Malawi, Zambia and Ecuador. The event has already raised over £800 but the JustGiving page will remain open for several weeks. All Day Waves was also generously sponsored by Oxford World’s Classics, publishers of a new edition of The Waves.
All Day Waves was part of the Festival of English, which is taking place throughout 2015. English Literature was one of Kent’s founding subjects and, as the University celebrates its 50th anniversary, the school also celebrates the milestone of 50 years at the forefront of local, national and international literary studies.
Festival events, which will continue throughout 2015, are predominantly free and open to all. Woolf enthusiasts are invited to attend Dr Derek Ryan’s lecture ‘Virginia Woolf: Voyaging Out, 19101915′ on Tuesday 17 November 2015 (6pm, Grimond Lecture Theatre 2) as part of the Festival Open Lecture Series .
You can view the Storify of the event here: https://storify.com/UniKentEnglish/all-day-waves