College bulletin: 16 February
It turns out that having plans on a Friday means the Comms Office can get the bulletin out before lunch – well done us. Less well done to me for managing to ‘reply all’ this week, but at least it gave you all an early heads up about the Composers’ workshop and the Songs of the Wars and Pandemic recital next week.
College news
Early-career writers invited to apply for 2024-2025 Harper-Wood Award
St John’s is offering emerging authors and poets the chance to turn the pages of their career with the launch of this year’s Harper-Wood Creative Writing and Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature. Applications open on Wednesday 21 February 2024.
Physiologist dies at the age of 85
Dr John Bower Hutchison, an alumnus, Fellow and former College lecturer in Physiology at St John’s, has died.
He was a former Head of the MRC Neuroendocrine Development and Behaviour Group.
Researchers uncover an unexpected job for the ancient family of chaperone proteins
Scientists led by St John’s Fellow Dr Ritwick Sawarkar have made a discovery that could pave the way to more effective cancer treatments.
Researchers from the Sawarkar lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit found that a group of proteins called chaperones, which help other busy proteins function in cells, also bind to RNA – another important molecule found in cells. Their experiments suggest new ways to develop better combinations of chemotherapeutics.
Crockery amnesty
Members of St John’s are asked to return any College-owned plates, bowls and coffee cups they may have in their rooms or offices to the Café or Buttery.
Please leave any borrowed crockery on the tray trolleys if you don’t want to end up eating off paper plates.
Café Upay loyalty card scheme ending in March
The Café will not be handing out any more blank loyalty cards. Monday 4 March will be the last day for collecting a stamp on your current loyalty card and for redeeming a free hot drink if your card has been stamped nine times.
Latest College sport fixtures and results
St John’s men’s first football team had a 5-0 win over Jesus in the Cuppers Quarter-Finals on Sunday while the men’s second team won 3-0 in its league game against Fitzwilliam.
The College’s mixed lacrosse team had a forfeit win over Jesus while the hockey teams drew one and lost two games.
Tomorrow’s fixtures will see the men’s first team footballers take on Pembroke in an 11am league game kick-off at Pembroke Pitches, while women and men rowers in the first and second boats will be taking to the water between 9am and 3pm in the Pembroke Regatta..
Supporters are welcome for all sports by the pitch or riverside.
For full results and fixtures, visit College sport – fixtures and results 2024 (login required), compiled by The Eagles’ and Flamingos’ Clubs.
First meeting of new Gardens Society on Tuesday
The College’s new Gardens Society is being launched in the Master’s Lodge on Tuesday 20 February at 6pm.
Students, Fellows and staff are invited to the inaugural meeting to find out more, get involved, and help shape the programme of events. There will be an update on the exciting plans to create new College gardens, improving biodiversity and making more space for everyone to enjoy.
Email Sarah by Monday 19 February if you would like to attend.
What’s on
Chapel
Student Communion – Sunday 18 February, 8.30am
Students are warmly invited to attend Holy Communion. Stick around after this half-hour service for a subsidised cooked breakfast in Hall.
Organ recital – Sunday 18 February, 6pm
Jeffrey Makinson, organist and Assistant Director at Lincoln Cathedral, plays Bach, Litaize and Elgar. Open to all, admission free.
Evensong with Sermon – Sunday 18 February, 6.30pm
The First Sunday of Lent marks a shift to the ‘Four Laments’ portion of the ‘Three Epiphanies and Four Laments’ sermon series. The first sermon of the Four Laments is titled ‘Do justice, love kindness’ and will be delivered by The Rt Rev’d Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The music will be sung by the lower voices of the Choir and includes canticles by Morley, as well as the 16th-century anthem Lugebat David Absalon by Franco-Flemish composer Gombert.
Chapel book group – Wednesdays 21 and 28 February, and 6 March, 8pm
Chaplain’s house, Flat 1 Merton Cottage, Queen’s Road.
This term, the Chapel Book Group will be reading Quarantine by Jim Crace, a novel that offers a powerful and witty re-imagining of Jesus’s temptations in the wilderness. All are welcome to join for discussions over pizza as the themes and ideas presented in the book are explored.
To register and receive a copy of the book, contact Andrew.
From the Desert to the Cross: A Lenten Meditation – Saturday 9 March, 6pm
A popular service of readings, poetry and music for Lent and Passiontide. Booking is now closed.
Choral Evensong with St John’s Voices and College members – Monday 11 March, 6.30pm
Choral Evensong is what Cambridge’s choirs are most famous for but most people have never experienced it. All members of the College community – students, Fellows and staff – are warmly encouraged to sing with St John’s Voices at this Choral Evensong. No previous singing experience is required and all materials and performance recordings will be provided ahead.
The choir, joined by members of the College community, will sing Wesley’s beautiful Lead me, Lord; the canticles (the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis texts, sung every Evensong) will be Dyson’s setting in C Minor.
The rehearsal will be on 11 March at 5pm, and there will be an optional extra rehearsal on Thursday 7 March. For more information, email Graham, and a booking form will be circulated in due course.
For all other regular services, see the Chapel webpage.
Other events
’70s and ’80s disco classics – Friday 16 February, 9.45pm
Bar.
Break out the flared trousers for a night of disco classics.
Open to all, admission free.
Fruity Films: Disclosure – Sunday 18February, 7.30pm
SBR.
Head along to the SBR film night for free snacks and showing of the 2020 documentary Disclosure. Part of the SBR’s LGBT History Month events programme.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry and snacks, no need to book.
Exhibition, St John's College Old Library 1624-2024: A Celebration of 400 Years – Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm
Library Exhibition Area.
View rare archives on display to mark four centuries since the Old Library was built. Runs until 19 April.
Drop-in dissertation support group – Monday 19 February, 2.30-4pm
Library Seminar Room.
Weekly group run during term by Harriet Edwards, Library Graduate Trainee, offering an informal setting for students to work on their dissertations and coursework alongside fellow students going through the same thing.
The group is mostly for undergraduate students but postgraduates are also welcome if they think it would be helpful.
Email Harriet if you have any questions.
Short Book Club for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Monday 19 February, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
Join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, to discuss February’s book, My Name is Lucy Barton (2016) by Elizabeth Strout.
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Quiz – Monday 19 February, 8.30pm
Bar.
Open to all, admission free.
Aquila rehearsal – Tuesday 20 February, 5.15-6.45pm
New Music Room.
Aquila is a friendly a cappella singing group for female students, Fellows and staff, led by Music Director Dr Chloe Allison. It welcomes new members – no audition is necessary, simply drop in to one of its weekly Tuesday evening rehearsals to try before joining.
Law society Freshfields workshop and Formal Hall – Tuesday 20February, 6-7pm (workshop), 7.15-9.30pm (Formal Hall)
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building, and Hall.
Hosted by The Winfield Society (St John’s law society), a trainee and an associate from British multinational law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, will be sharing their experiences.
Open to all students. Workshop free to attend, Formal costs £24 for a ticket with wine, £19 for a no-wine ticket. Limited places so early booking advised: register for the workshop and book the Formal via Upay.
Fruity Films: Moonlight – Tuesday 20February, 7.30pm
SBR.
The SBR is hosting a film night with free snacks and the chance to watch the multi award-winning Moonlight (2016). An LGBT History Month event.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry and snacks, no need to book.
Old Library opening – Wednesday 21 February, 2-4pm
Enter via E staircase, Second Court.
Open every Wednesday afternoon in term time, view manuscripts and rare printed books from the collections in the Upper Library. Requests for material to be exhibited can be emailed to Special Collections
Open to College members and their guests. Admission free, no booking required.
Short Book Club for undergraduates – Wednesday 21 February, 7pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
In a break from the usual discussions of only books published since 2000, and to celebrate LGBT History Month, February’s Undergraduate Short Book Club will discuss Jeanette Winterson's groundbreaking memoir, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (originally published in 1991).
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Dramatisation: David and Absalom – Wednesday 21 February, 7.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With Professor Patrick Boyde, Emeritus Professor of Italian and Fellow of St John’s, this dramatisation of the Second Book of Samuel is a faithful abridgement of a 3000-year-old story of a father’s grief over a son’s rebellion and death (and of adultery, ambition, love and loyalty). With English subtitles, new music, and images of Rembrandt’s art.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Admission free, booking recommended as places are limited. Register for tickets or scan the code below.
Wellness walk – Thursday 22 February, 2pm
Meet at the Great Gate.
A weekly opportunity to get outside and appreciate nature, the city sights, and enjoy companionship. The walks go to Stourbridge Common, along Queen’s Road and around Lammas Land at a steady pace for about one hour.
The day of the walk alternates between Tuesdays and Thursdays. If it is raining heavily, it will be cancelled. For queries email Karen, Health & Wellbeing Nurse.
Open to College members and their guests, free to attend, no booking required.
Who Put My Latin in the Office Skip? Peter Stothard on life and classics – Thursday 22 February, 6pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
St John’s College Classics Society is hosting Sir Peter Stothard, former editor of The Times and the TLS and author of books on classics and politics. He will be discussing how classics has been a constant force throughout his life and why antiquity still has things to say about how we experience life today. Ranging from Cleopatra to Thatcher, the discussion will reveal the enduring variety and attraction of classics, with an opportunity to ask questions towards the end.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
Drageoke – Thursday 22February, 9pm to midnight
Buttery.
A night of glad rags, cheeky gags and queer flags hosted by a drag queen. In collaboration with the Bar during LGBT History Month, the SBR presents karaoke made queer with props, wigs and makeup if you fancy dressing up in drag before you hit the mic.
Open to all, free entry, no need to book.
Recital: Songs of the Wars and Pandemic – Friday 23 February, 8pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
American soprano Claire Fedoruk and British pianist Ian Pace perform a recital of songs by Ukrainian composers, Villa-Lobos, and new cycles by Sarah Wallin Huff and Tim Watts, a Fellow at St John’s.
Tickets on the door: £10 (£5 student concs) but free to all members of St John’s College.
Composers’ workshop – Saturday 24 February, 2-4pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Claire Fedoruk (soprano) and Ian Pace (piano) rehearse and discuss works by student composers including St John’s undergraduates Caleb Richards, Tingshuo Yang and Sohan Kalirai.
Admission free, all welcome.
Paleography for beginners – Friday 23 February, 3pm
Via Zoom (link below).
Weekly sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting from c1500-c1700, using documents from the College’s institutional archives. Sessions are informal and aimed at beginners, or those with a little experience who wish to practise their skills.
Sessions take place online using photographs of the documents. To join, or to make an enquiry, email the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby. If you aren’t sure until the last minute, join anyway.
Open to all, admission free.
Save the date
Fruity Films: Paris is Burning – Monday 26February, 7.30pm
SBR.
Enjoy free snacks and the documentary film, Paris is Burning – a chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s. An LGBT History Month event.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry and snacks, no need to book.
Pre-Dinner Lecture Series: Finding Meaning in the History of Suicide – Tuesday 27 February, 6.15pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
Talk given by St John’s Fellow Dr Ella Sbaraini. The talk will be followed by drinks.
Open to Fellows, affiliates and postgraduate students. Admission free, booking not required.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 28 February, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Attendance at Postgraduates Dine with Fellows events is restricted to one event per academic year. The dress code for the Fellows’ Table is a jacket and tie or a smart dress, both with gowns.
Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay. When registering please enter the subject you are reading into the ‘Special Requirements’ section.
LGBTQIA+ panel discussion – Wednesday 28 February, 7.30pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
To conclude LGBT History Month, the SBR is hosting a panel and discussion event to bring together College members to share experiences and ideas of ways to support further inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people.
For more information email Rhiannon, SBR Treasurer, and SBR Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer.
St John's College Music Society lunchtime recital – Thursday 29 February, 1.30pm
New Music Room.
Hannah Brooks-Hughes (violin), Flora Clapham (violin), Sam Travis (viola), Harry Scott-Burt (cello) and Calvin Leung (piano).
Open to all, admission free, booking not required.
Final round of the annual Winfield Moot – Saturday 2 March, 1pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
Watch the final round of the St John's Winfield Society annual moot; a mock court hearing, where participants analyse a given legal problem, research the relevant law, prepare written submissions, and present an oral argument.
Open to all University members, admission free, no booking required.
Tour of the Chapel windows – Saturday 2 March, 2pm
Meet in the Ante-Chapel.
The story of St John in the College’s stained glass, presented by Professor Patrick Boyde, Emeritus Professor of Italian and Fellow of St John’s.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Admission free.
Talk: How Cambridge works – Tuesday 5 March, 6pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
A talk by Richard Partington, Senior Tutor at St John’s.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Admission free.
Graduate Research Symposium – Saturday 9 March, from 10.30am
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
This SBR’s all-day symposium will see presentations from 22 postgraduate students on a wide range of topics, from tiger conservation and solar energy to eating disorders in children. Research posters will be displayed in Central Hall and the event will be followed by a drinks reception in the SBR.
Email Ross Shepherd, SBR Academic Officer, for more details.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme.
Short Book Club for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Thursday 14 March, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
Join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, to discuss the 2020 debut novel by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Winter in Sokcho, originally written in French and set in a resort town on the border of North and South Korea.
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Master’s concert series – Saturday 16 March, 8.45pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With Annemarie Federle on the horn and Marie-Noelle Kendall on piano. To be followed by a drinks reception.
Open to College members and their friends, admission free, no booking required.
Tour of the University Botanic Garden and spring flowers – Sunday 17 March, 2pm
Botanic Garden.
Professor Tim Bayliss-Smith, St John’s Fellow and University Emeritus Professor of Pacific Geography, will lead a two-hour walking tour of the Botanic Garden.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Students should bring their University cards for free entry. Maximum 25 people. Further details to be confirmed.
And finally
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher” – William Wordsworth, alumnus of St John’s.
Head Gardener David Austrin captured this reflective photo of New Court in the sunshine after a rather soggy few days and we liked it so much it inspired us to read a bit of poetry.
