This project elevates local narratives, placing Bedfordshire as a hub for internationally renowned literature. It also demonstrates how a university can act as a bridge between local creatives, young people and the wider community. 
                                              – Emma Gill

Known to be the birthplace, residence or workplace of authors and playwrights (past and present) of renowned fictional, factual and biographical works – such as The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), The Scarlet Vampire (1936), The Second Man (1956), Henny Penny (2006) and Home, I’m Darling (2018) – the region of Bedfordshire is rich with literary successes which the University wants to explore and share.

The Literary Bedfordshire project was originally spearheaded by Professor Alexis Weedon, Director of the Research Institute for Media, Arts & Performance (RIMAP), and Dr Nicola Darwood, Senior Lecturer and Course Co-ordinator with the School of Education & English Language (SEEL). They felt that a dedicated local literary project would help connect Bedfordshire’s schoolchildren with the region’s home-grown penmanship, books, plays and poetry – and ultimately help inspire the next generation of writers, creative thinkers and literary stars.

Professor Alexis Weedon said: "I was inspired by the story of circus elephants travelling up the A5 from Dunstable in the 1900s who, irritated by the sound of the early automobiles, turned on a car and pulled off the steering wheel.  The author was Arnold Bennett who is more famous for his novels about the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. It got me thinking – who else travelled on these roads? And what other stories are there? I bet local people know – or we could find out!"

After sharing the idea amongst their peers, the initiative is now a collaborative effort between SEEL academics, RIMAP researchers and the University’s Arts & Culture and Collaborative Projects teams, with additional support from the Schools of Culture & Communications and Computer Science & Technology.

Utilising the online Special Collections which have been sourced and digitally archived by the University of Bedfordshire’s Library services, Literary Bedfordshire hopes to bring together and align the works and lives of writers who lived, worked or passed through the county of Bedfordshire, including John Bunyan, Christopher Fry, S.I. Martin and Vivian French.

Dr Nicola Darwood commented: "I’m really excited to be part of this collaborative project.  We have so many great writers associated with Bedfordshire – some well-known, others to be reclaimed – and this is a wonderful opportunity to bring people together through a love of literature and our local heritage."

To kick off the project, Literary Bedfordshire has announced a competition for school pupils in Key Stage 4 and 5 to enter, based around an extract from the 1896 novel Clara Hopgood by Mark Rutherford – a story set in a fictionalised version of Bedford town, penned by the pseudonym of local author, William Hale White.

The project’s team hopes this competition will offer pupils some extra-curricular fun over the festive break before heading back to study their GCSEs, A Levels or BTECs come January. 

Emma Gill, Arts & Culture Projects Manager, said: "I am delighted that the Arts & Culture Projects team is involved in this exciting cross-university collaboration. This includes continuing our deep working relationship with the Collaborative Projects team and RIMAP, as well as striking new collaborative models with the School of Cultural & Communications and the Faculty of Education & Sport.

“This project elevates local narratives, placing Bedfordshire as a hub for internationally renowned literature. It also demonstrates how a university can act as a bridge between local creatives, young people and the wider community."

Its #December9th, and for today's #adventcalender, we would like to highlight our #LiteracyBedfordshire
essay competition. ✍️📜
This is a collaboration between Us, @UoBArtsProjects, and @LCEPLuton.
➡️Check out this link for more info: https://t.co/4nQHv0kHkI
Don't Miss out! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/Cav55BBSvj

— AspireHigher (@AspireHigherNet) December 9, 2020

“The Aspire Higher team is excited to be a part of this collaboration and we’re delighted by the opportunities that it offers to the schools we work with,” added Paula Page, Collaborative Outreach Project Manager, who helps manage Aspire Higher – an education outreach programme for pupils in years 9 to 13. She continued: “Literary Bedfordshire is yet another excellent example of how bringing together different expertise produces great results and resources.”

The ‘critical response’ essay competition will close on 31^st January 2021 and full details can be found on the Literary Bedfordshire webpage. The winner and runners up will be announced by 31^st March 2021 and they will receive Waterstones vouchers to spend on their favourite books and stories.

Professor Alexis Weedon, Dr Nicola Darwood and the wider project team are busy planning the next round of activities which will be announced after the essay-writing competition closes. Follow @UoBArtsProjects, @AspireHigherNet and @BedsEnglish on Twitter for updates about upcoming Literary Bedfordshire events and activities.