NEWS
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY BOAT PARTY Text Charlotte Wood Photographer Michael Etherington An array of colourfully dressed press photography students raised cash for their graduation shows by having a boat party. Organisers Daniel Holmes and Katrina Aleksa hope to eventually have at least £1,500 by the end of the year from similar events.
“We want to be able to raise enough money so we can exhibit our work in top galleries around London”
“We want to be able to raise enough money so we can exhibit our work in top galleries around London,” said Daniel. The boat party kick-started the campaign, where students dressed to the theme of famous photographs: pictures of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Osama Bin Laden were just a few of the many diverse images on show. “You know this is going to be a surreal experience when you see Ginger Spice getting jiggy on the dance floor with a Tibetan Monk,” said law and politics student, Johanna Partock. Despite the confinement of the cabin and a mass tribute to Michael Jackson by the amateur DJ, many enjoyed themselves and, in turn, aided the fundraising. “The evening could only be described as a cheese-tastic school disco on water,” said broadcast student, Bonnie Cannell. “The boat party was a success, nearly all the tickets were sold out, and those who couldn’t make it still contributed by buying a ticket to raise more money,” said Emma Webster, a press photography student. Emma added: “We might be thinking of hosting the next fund-raiser at one of the clubs in Falmouth town.”
MA PROFESSIONAL WRITING STUDENT WINS NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY PRIZE Text Connor O’Brien Student Matt Cox was awarded this year’s prestigious Tony Lothian Prize, the Biographers Club prize for uncommissioned, first-time biographers at an awards dinner in London. The £2,000 prize was awarded to Matt, who is soon to graduate from University College Falmouth’s MA Professional Writing course on Thursday 21 October. Drawing on the skills and experience gained on the Professional Writing course Matt produced a 20 page proposal for a biography entitled White Lies, Black Magic: Prince Monolulu, the Celebrity Britain Forgot. “I was absolutely delighted to win the Tony Lothian Prize. It’s very satisfying when any reader enjoys your work, but particularly in these circumstances,” said Matt. He has spent his year on the MA conducting original research into the previously undocumented life of the elusive black celebrity Prince Monolulu
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between the years of 1881 to 1965. The West Indian ‘prince’ was the first black man to be seen on British TV. He was also a familiar sight at Britain’s racecourses from the 1920s to the 1960s, where he sold his tips in envelopes. “We are thrilled that Matt’s proposal, worked on while he was at Falmouth, has won the prize. Our MA is distinctive in that we not only help students develop creative, innovative writing projects but also ensure they understand the professional and commercial contexts required to successfully take their projects to market.” “Matt’s success is partly testament to the expert tuition of professional writing tutors, in particular Susannah Marriott and Andrew Wille who are both published and still working in the industry.” said Christina Bunce, Programme Leader, MA Professional Writing. Matt added, “I recently took a ‘gap-year for grown-ups’ and com-
pleted the MA in Professional Writing at University College Falmouth. I’m sure that the enthusiastic support and professionalism of my tutors contributed hugely to my development, and ultimately led to me winning this prestigious prize.” A summary of White Lies, Black Magic: Prince Monolulu written by Anna Swan (Tony Lothian Prize Administrator) can be found on the Biographers Club website. www.biographersclub.co.uk