The Sussex Big Read

We are thrilled to announce that Sussex is taking part in the award-winning shared-reading scheme, the Big Read!
We will be giving out copies of 'Everything is Everything' written by our esteemed Sussex Alumnus, Clive Myrie, to staff, students and Alumni.
Students and staff can drop by the Library to pick up a copy or complete the form below to request copies.
Alumni are welcome to collect a copy of the book (while stocks last) from Sussex House Reception between 10am-12pm or 2-4pm, Monday – Friday.
Sign-up to the distribution group on this page to be emailed about Big Read events.

The Big Read Seminars

This year it will run online for five weeks from the middle of August to late September, finishing just before the start of term.

Information on each of the seminars, including themes, speakers and the link to book your place via eventbrite are below

• Seminar 1: What university did for me. Wednesday 21st August 1pm

  Wednesday 21st August 1-2pm, chaired by Cameron Wade, KUBR Administrative Assistant.

  For our first Big Read Book Club seminar we look at the experience of attending university, and how it changed our speakers – and how they then found working on the other side of the fence as in one case an educator, and the other a university administrator.  

  We are joined by the Rt Reverend Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Southwark, who graduated with a degree in Georgraphy from the University of Bristol, and was Professor for Development Politics at Bristol university for 6 years (2012-18); Louisa Green, Kingston's Execturive Director, Student Services, who read English at Oxford before embarking on a career on the adminstrative and professional side of university organisation ever since, and Charles Hewitt, Kingston alumnus, and CEO of publishers Pen and Sword, who can offer guidance on what makes a good biography/autobiography. We will also reflect on what our Big Read author Clive Myrie had to say about his first weeks at the University of Sussex, based on the letter he wrote to be mailed out with the book. 

  Whether you are just embarking on your higer education pathway, or have long worked within a university, do join us to reflect on how the experience is shaping you. 

  Speakers: 

  • Rt Rev'd Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston

  • Louisa Green, Executive Director, Student Services, University of Kingston

  • Charles Hewitt, CEO of Pen and Sword Publishers

  Book your place: 2024 KU Big Read Book Club event 1/5 Tickets, Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite  

• Seminar 2: The importance of Immigration in Staffing the NHS. Wednesday 28th August 5pm

  Wednesday 28th August 5-6pm, chaired by Cameron Wade, KUBR Administrative Assistant.

  The NHS has been a world-leading example of social healthcare since its inception in 1948. However, work-force shortages in its earliest days nearly brought the fledgling service to its knees. Now, the NHS is facing the same under-staffing crisis as all those decades ago. 

  Join us in exploring the invaluable role migrant workers (many of whom arrived that same year, aboard the Empire Windrush) played in building our National Health Service, and discussing the injustices faced by many of those essential healthcare workers in the years and decades that followed. 

  Speakers: 
  

  • Claire Thurgate, Professor of Nursing and Head of Nursing at Kingston University 
  • Ricarda Micallef, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy at Kingston University 
  • Possible discussion betwee Dame Professor Elizabet Anionwu and Sheila Sobrany, Preseident of the Royal College of Nursing and member of the Chief Nursing Officer's BAME Group. 

  Book your place: 2024 KU Big Read Book Club event 2/5 Tickets, Wed, Aug 28, 2024 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite 

• Seminar 3: How long should a community have to wait for justice? Wednesday 4th September 1pm

  Wednesday 4th September 1-2pm, chaired by Professor Alison Baverstock.

  Windrush has migrated from being the name of a vessel to a collective noun for a generation, with prejudice initially confirmed by institutional unfairness and then fuelled by an unwillingness to acknowledge either the scale of the problem, or the need for recompense.

  The difficulty for us as a wider society is that this is a repeated story. The infected blood scandal, the Post Office enquiry, and now the case of Andrew Malkinson, have all revealed similar tendencies to stick to an established narrative. Is this in the interests of maintaining reputation, the staus quo - or pure inertia? 

  In this seminar, Professor Wilson Muleya looks at the arrival of the Windrush and subsequent outcomes for what is now known as the Windrush Generation. Dr Pete Finn makes comparisons with other scandals that went on for far too long. What can we learn from society's initial reluctance to acknowledge a problem? What will make us more able to spot what's wrong and be more accepting of the need to do something about it? 

  Speakers: 

  • Professor Wilson Muleya, Head of Department for Social Work and Social Care
  • Dr Pete Finn, Senior Lecture in Criminology, Politics and Sociology

  Book your place: 2024 KU Big Read Book Club event 3/5 Tickets, Wed, Sep 4, 2024 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

• Seminar 4: Who gets to tell the world what's happening? The role of the journalist. Wednesday 11th September 5pm

  Wednesday 11th September 5-6pm, chaired by Professor Alison Baverstock.

  From the frontlines in Ukraine to the genocide unfurling in Gaza, journalists like Clive Myrie risk their reputations, careers and lives to bring the pressing stories of our time to us.  

  But what is the role of the journalist in the modern age? And how – if at all - has this changed as the means for sharing news haveevolved? Join us in discussing the role of the journalist with guest speakers. 

  Speakers: 

  • Victoria Scott, Lecturer in Journalism, Kingston University   

  • Two alumni speakers being sought by Julia Millette through Kingston’s Elevate Programme 

  • Beth Brewster, Head of Department of Journalism, Publishing and Media Studies is also seeking speaker(s) on our behalf 

  Book your place: 2024 KU Big Read Book Club event 4/5 Tickets, Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite 

• Seminar 5: Policing, racism and reform. Wednesday 18th September 1pm

  Wednesday 18th September 1-2pm, chaired by Professor Alison Baverstock.

  The issue of systemic racism in policing has been highlighted in recent years by the murders of George Floyd in the US and Chris Kaba in the UK. More recently, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, the daughters of Mina Smallman, arguably got much less police (or media) attention than they deserved. So despite worldwide focus on this issue, is policing still entrenched in systemic racism? What systems are in place to prevent discrimination and ensure equal protection for everyone? And how might we go about reforming these institutions to create a justice system that is fair, fit, and effective for all? Join us in discussing all these important issues with our guest speakers. with guest speakers. 

  Speakers: 

  • Dr Tolulope Eboka, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at University of Kingston

  • Professor Jon Garland, University of Surrey

  • Professor Mark Walters, Professor of Law at University of Sussex

  Book your place: 2024 KU Big Read Book Club event 5/5 Tickets, Wed, Sep 18, 2024 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

Overview 

The Big Read began in 2016 at Kingston University and we are working with them as partners, along with St George's, University of London and Royal Holloway. This award-winning initiative aims to foster a strong sense of belonging through shared reading, providing a common talking point for the whole Sussex community.

We will be posting bespoke editions of the book to new students ahead of the coming academic year and also making copies freely available across campus to current students and staff. 

The multi-award-winning journalist and one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents and news presenters said it was a privilege to have been chosen for the Big Read. “I’m so chuffed and I hope all those taking part will enjoy the experience and find something that resonates for them in my book. Wow, and thank you,” Clive Myrie said.

Big Read events exploring themes within this moving memoir will take place throughout the academic year for readers across the university to get involved in, and we will also be visited by the author. Keep up to date with events by signing-up to the following Sussex Big Read distribution group and completing the form below if you would like a box of books to be delivered to your department when they arrive.