Giovanni Casini | The Courtauld Institute of Art

As a CHASE student, I have been able to engage with new audiences whilst developing my research project. The opportunity to build networks between academia, local charities, independent presses and bookshops has been particularly rewarding. At the 2017 Essex Book Festival, I took part in the launch for the Refugees and Peacekeepers Anthology, an event which brought together creative writers and the local refugee community. I had a prize winning short story in the anthology and was invited to read at the launch, which took the form of a fundraiser for Welcome Refugees Colchester. It was hosted by the Wivenhoe Bookshop. I also joined the editorial board of Creel 2, an anthology of postgraduate creative writing, published by Wivenhoe Publishing. In order to engage with a wider audience, the anthology was launched at the ArtSeaMusic Festival in Wivenhoe.