New Chichester professor to speak about poetry and the environment in free lecture

In his talk, titled ‘The Poet In Deep Time’, he will be reading from his own poetry and talking about how poetry can help us situate ourselves in geological time.

Describing his lecture, Hugh said: “I will be asking if an understanding of deep time, and the changes the planet has gone through in the far past, can help us to view our current environmental predicament more clearly. In particular, I will examine the often uneasy relationship between science and poetry. How can poets bring the ‘facts’ of science to bear on our attempts to understand our place in the 'more-than-human world'?

Hugh has been at the University of Chichester for 34 years, joining as a senior lecturer in English and Creative Writing, then becoming Reader in Creative Writing and Contemporary Poetry. For a number of years, he was West Sussex Poet Laureate, and in that role he ran creative writing workshops in many settings, from primary schools to prisons.

Now promoted to Professor of Literature and Environment, Hugh leads the MA in creative writing and teaches on a range of undergraduate creative writing modules. His interests include contemporary poetry, ecocriticism and sustainability.

All are welcome to attend the event at the University of Chichester, free tickets are available on Eventbrite .