DESA organises social, cultural, and academic events in various styles and with a multiplicity of concerns and themes. Our events are aimed at promoting the skills of the English student both on campus and beyond, while also enriching the cultural and artistic landscape of the University. Our past events have including poetry and play readings, musical nights, quiz evenings, debates, public lectures, and themed parties.

Click here to see Past Events

Upcoming

Writing for the Media Seminar

DESA and ESU Malta proudly present Writing for the Media.

With the advent of digital media and the internet, communication has become immediate, interactive and engaging. Invading both the personal and the professional sphere, media are now an intrinsic part of our everyday lives and learning how to communicate effectively through various media platforms is an essential ingredient to fitting in and being successful.

The objectives of this seminar are:

To learn more about the communication strategies of various media.
To discuss writing for the media with experts working in the industry.
To practise writing skills, whilst better understanding the modern concept of audience.

The morning will consist of presentations and a panel discussion followed by questions and comments from the floor. In the afternoon two specialized, three-hour workshops focusing on the production of effective writing for the media will be run. Guest speakers include Leslie Skipper, a BBC editor and Monique Chambers, editor of Indulge. The full panel is to be announced, please check back here for updates.

Seminar Fee: The morning session costs €30 inc. VAT per person for the morning session, €50 inc VAT per person for the afternoon workshops. A special student rate of €20 inc. VAT per person for the morning and €30 inc. VAT per person for the afternoon workshops will apply and will also be Smart Card refundable.

Those reserving a full-day ticket would be entitled to lunch.

Organized by the Department of English Students’ Association (DESA) and The English-Speaking Union of Malta, this event will be held on the 18th February 2012 at the Aula Magna, University of Malta, Valletta Campus and reservations can be made by sending an e-mail to writingforthemedia2012@gmail.com. As there are only limited places available, advance booking is required.

** Workshop A: Testing News Judgement by Leslie Skipper **

A workshop to test news judgement, writing abilities and the different ways of using English. How good are you at spotting a news story? Do you know how to get facts across and engage an audience? Is slang and street language ever acceptable? The workshop will involve exercises to illustrate the different ways of writing for various media and to test how we use English.

Leslie Skipper has 30 years’ experience in broadcast journalism, mainly for the BBC and ITN in London. His career has spanned reporting, producing and editing, working in both radio and television. At the BBC he was responsible for editing news bulletins with an audience of millions. He, and the teams he worked with, twice won Sony Gold Awards, for coverage of the London suicide bombings and the capture of Saddam Hussein. He continues to train BBC journalists today.

** Workshop B: Writing and Pitching Stories to the Media by Monique Chambers **

The main focus of this workshop is how to write and pitch a story to the media. Amongst other aspects, the workshop will focus on the importance of targeting your writing, the do’s and don’ts of press relations and the ability to write a press release and case study. Participants will have the opportunity to practice drafting and pitching of ideas live.

Monique Chambers moved from a marketing agency background to serve 15 years in PR in London, setting up her own consultancy in 2004 to satisfy her need for desk freedom, rather than just managing people. She could place the same story in multiple titles, relying on her knowledge of vertical markets and their pain points, her relationships with analysts and journalists and an understanding of readers' interests.

In 2006, she moved to Malta and between commuting for her favoured clients, she pitched a column to MaltaToday on tourism which she wrote for 2 years. This led to a commission for the Heaven on Earth Series and a (waiting to be published) book on Malta before taking over GOURMET magazine, and the restaurant review column through 2009/2010 in the same paper.

In 2011, Monique created her dream job and publishes, edits and contributes to Indulge magazine, with plans to further grow the portfolio using a variety of media as the market matures.

She secretly writes poetry and is working on a short film script and separately a web guide on The International Guide to Etiquette and Traditions.

'Creativity FTW' Campaign

As part of its ongoing mission to promote the active and enthusiastic interest of people in their education, the Department of English Student Association – DESA – is launching a campaign entitled ‘Creativity FTW’. This will span between the 11th and 15th April at the University of Malta.
There will be 3 major aspects to the campaign, as follows:

1. Talk & Debate - ‘What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?’: Our guest speakers* will give participants a taste of the B.A. English course and the opportunities it offers. The speakers will include professionals from several fields, ranging from journalism, writing, translation, academia and publishing, as well as recent graduates. This talk should be of particular interest to students currently reading a B.A. in English and prospective students who are currently studying English at ‘A’ Level.

2. Book sale: University students are invited to contact DESA with the details of any books they wish to sell. The book market will be open outside the university canteen (near the Common Room) during the campaign.

3. Workshops**: A series of free, introductory writing workshops are being held, namely in screenwriting, feature writing for magazines, creative writing and scriptwriting for the stage. These workshops are DegreePlus recognised, and will be open to the general public, however University students from all faculties are particularly invited to attend. The maximum number of participants is 20 (first come, first served basis). Bookings MUST be made by email: info@desa.org.mt

Everyone is encouraged to join this campaign and to spread the word for education and creativity!

* 'What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?' - List of Speakers (more to be confirmed)

Dr Clare Thake Vassallo	Lecturer of English and Translation Studies
Jo Caruana	Editor and writer
Malcolm Galea	Writer
Theodor Reljic	Former student, now journalist
Davinia Hamilton	Former student, now journalist
Neville Bezzina	Former student, currently working in marketing

** Creativity FTW Workshops - More details

Date	Time	Location	Title of Workshop	More Information
Monday 11th April	12.00pm - 2.00pm	KSU Common Room	Scriptwriting for the Stage	This introductory workshop will be conducted by Malcolm Galea who is an award-winning script writer as well as an experienced copywriter, drama tutor and radio presenter on Xfm.
Tuesday 12th April	11.00am - 1.00pm	GW 206	Feature Writing for Magazines	This introductory workshop will be conducted by Jo Caruana who is the editor of ‘Style on Sunday’. She has a B.A. in Arts Journalism from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and runs a copwriting company called Writemeanything.
Thursday 14th April	12.00pm - 2.00pm	GW 164	Creative Writing in Prose	This introductory workshop will be conducted by Clive Piscopo who has had numerous short stories published locally and has a passion for writing and the English language.
Thursday 14th April	10:00am - 12:00pm	GW D1	Screenwriting	This introductory workshop will be conducted by Jean Pierre Magro who has an MA in screenwriting from Napier University, Edinburgh. He is Head of Development at Fish Corb Films and is a part-time lecturer with the Faculty of MaKS.