Connections: Andrew Shields

What’s your standout memory of Warwick?

In November 1979, the iconic American poet and activist Allen Ginsberg gave a reading in the Arts Centre, which was a standout memory. He and his life partner, Peter Orlovsky, stayed the night in my Rootes block. I'll never forget seeing them from my window the next morning, walking hand in hand towards the Union building, as carefree as if they were students again. Just two months into my degree course, I must have thought, "Wow! So this is what I'm going to be experiencing over the next three years!"

How would you sum up Warwick in the time that you were there and your generation of students?

We were the lucky ones, most of us had a student grant. It meant that spare time could be spent doing what we wanted, not what we needed to do in order to cope financially.

What was the student culture like at Warwick, and were there any annual traditions, societies, sports clubs, or events that you remember?

The years 1979-82 were an absolute high point in music, still never bettered in my view. And Warwick was a stopping point for many of the great emerging acts. I fondly remember countless sweaty gigs in the Union.

Finish the sentence: Warwick influenced who I am today, because…

It helped shape values and a worldview that have been unwavering ever since.

Andrew Shields

BA English and American Literature, 1982