Issue 2, april 2019
STUDENT LIFE | pg12
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
TALKIN BOUT MY GENERATION STUDENT LIFE | Highlights from the North London Story Festival, held on 21st February 2019. YVONNE ALEXANDER-TAYLOR The North London Story Festival (formerly North London Literary Festival) is an annual event held at Middlesex University and the surrounding areas of North London. Running annually since 1996, the festival aims to celebrate all forms of storytelling through hosting a range of guest speakers and holding practical workshops at the Hendon campus of Middlesex University. This year’s festival saw a line up of actors, theatre directors, producers, writers and journalists all focusing on the topic of ‘My Generation’. The phenomenal festival brought together the minds of these individuals to explore what it means to be young and living in the UK today. There were interactive talks and workshops that students and the public actively engaged in. Not to forget the memorable performances of plays written and performed by Middlesex students. The event started at 11a.m on Thursday 21st February. However, for the festival producers, work began three months prior. Students ranging from Foundation Year, up to Second Year of the Media Department, worked tirelessly week by week leading up to the festival. The most challenging part of the process was finding and confirming celebrities and well-known artists. With only a mere couple of months to get this done, the producers found tight deadlines laborious as publications could not be done without knowing who the guests would be. Eventually, everything fell into place nicely and the line-up was ready. To start the day, Dalia Gebrial gave a talk about the book ‘Decolonising the University’ in which she is a co-editor. Attendees flocked the boardroom and listened intently as Dalia effortlessly spoke about
the students and activists within the book. Simultaneously, the Google News Lab ran a workshop at Hendon Library, hosted by Abigail Edge. This was quite an interesting session as it explored the strengths and limitations of modern technology in journalism and the challenges that journalists faced in driving innovation in news in today’s society. How could we have a festival without some extracurricular fun? As you stepped into the iconic Grove Atrium, you could hear and feel the buzz of excitement as people stood laughing at their friends and peers on the virtual reality experience. They had the opportunity to be amazed and entwined into the world of ‘Pearl’ and her dad as they travelled. Individuals were shifting, standing, crouching and bending as they immersed themselves in this virtual world. In the afternoon, Vas Blackwood, actor, and Jade Lewis, theatre director, shared in a session about ‘Making It’ within the arts industry. Both, with their varied experience, delighted the audience and offered sound advice for those seeking to enter this field. With their contrasting age difference and experience levels, the audience gained an insight into the comparative and similar differences between the two. The penultimate session of the day was the long awaited panel debate between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials. This panel was not just thrown together at random, oh no! The Baby Boomers consisted of highly academic lecturers and professors who battled against students. This long awaited opportunity, perhaps more so by the millennials, came and closed the programme on a high. Not to forget - everyone who attended had free pizza!
PHOTO: SINGERS & MUSICIANS SOCIETY
A WHOLE LOT OF TALENT STUDENT LIFE | Highlights from MDX Got Talent, winner of Studnet-Led Event of the Year 2019, run by Simgers & Musicians Society and POW! Media. LISA HUNT Singers & Musicians Society, in captivating and kept the show running collaboration with POW! Media,
despite the technical issues, while
presented
allowing the judges to have ample
Middlesex
University’s
fifth talent show, MDX Got Talent, on the 18th March 2019. Many students
time to give them feedback. The judges of the night were Alice,
sang, spoke and played their hearts Erica, Lydia and even Senior Lecturer out for a chance to win the prize of a
Forenzo – Simon Cowell must have
£75 Amazon Voucher and a massive been busy that night I guess. blue diamond. After going through a long and
The night began with a brilliant rendition of “I’m Yours” by Jason
nerve-racking audition process, they Mraz played on guitar by Mrinal had the chance to stand on stage and Mathur, with the judges offering perform in front of an enormous 150 positive
responses
regarding
the
people, as well as a Facebook live performances. feed run by POW! Media.
Monica Isaac followed with her
The platform, run and led by adorable
performance
of
“You
students, also conducted interviews Say” by Lauren Daigle, where halfwith each of the contestants prior to
way through the song she bashfully
the event – you can find out all about apologised. the finalists and watch these videos on the POW! Media Facebook page. The night was an assortment of
The night went on with a Metallica guitar solo from Rupak Lingual, which was a stark contrast against the
musicians, singers, poetry, and even previous two acts. None-the-less, it Kenneth the magician who bewildered caused quite a stir from the audience the audience with his card tricks. We judging by the number of phones in had a variety of ballads, rock, original pieces and even musical theatre was performed.
the air recording his performance. The beautifully talented Rebecca Green took to the stage and became
Matt Ketley, a committee member the breath-taking Eponine through for the Singers & Musicians Society her cover of Les Miserables “On My and the host for the evening, was Own”.
