Congratulations to all our Faculty of Arts students who are graduating today. We hope you and your families and friends have a wonderful day celebrating your achievements.

Earlier this year, alumna and activist Jo Todd (BA English and European Literature, 1990) received a CBE in recognition of 30+ years’ service to the victims of domestic abuse. From volunteering at a refuge in the outskirts of London, to more than 20 years as CEO of Respect - the pioneering charity tackling the root of the problem - Jo has dedicated her life to making a positive difference. And she’s not finished yet.

We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn that Peter Mack died as the result of a car accident on Thursday 5th October.

Peter Mack was a rigorous scholar and an excellent administrator. He directed the Warburg Institute from 2010 to 2014 and was both Head of the Department of English & Comparative Literary Studies and Chair of the Faculty of Arts, besides being actively involved in the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance. A Fellow of the British Academy and a leading authority on the English and European Renaissance, combining Shakespeare and Montaigne, his work and kindness touched everyone who met him, from students to colleagues, across various disciplines. His many books included Elizabethan Rhetoric: Theory and Practice (2002); Reading and Rhetoric in Montaigne and Shakespeare (2010); A History of Renaissance Rhetoric 1380-1620 (2011); and Rhetoric's Questions, Reading and Interpretation (2017) 

Further details about the funeral and memorial event will be announced as soon as we have them. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. 

TV screenwriter and English alumna, Mika Watkins, gives a personal insight into forging a career in this fast-paced, exciting sector.

BA English and Theatre Studies alumna Vinitaraj Aulak may have only graduated in 2021, but she wasted no time chasing her dreams and securing a radio presenter role on BBC Asian Network. Here she shares how her undergraduate degree taught her to break the mould and follow her passions.