Public Engagement

The Society is committed to widening participation in and understanding of Neo-Latin. Members often organise events relating to Neo-Latin, which are open to all. Below you can find upcoming and past events run by the Society.

We have previously received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Institute of Classical Studies, and the Centre for Public Engagement at Queen Mary University of London. We have also collaborated with Open House Festival, Being Human Festival, and St Bartholomew the Great Church.

Eventbrite

Public engagement events organised by the Society can be found on our Eventbrite page:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/society-for-neo-latin-studies-65196612863

Walking tours

Being Bruno

In November 2024 the Society organised guided walks and a talk on the life and works of the sixteenth-century author, philosopher, and heretic Giordano Bruno who caused a stir in Elizabethan England with his controversial ideas about the cosmos, for which he was ultimately executed as a heretic back in Rome.

The walks were so successful that the Society plans to arrange them again for March 2025. Please get in touch with Gavanndra Hodge and Rebecca Menmuir at <rebecca.menmuir@lincoln.ox.ac.uk> if you are interested in attending.

Early Modern Latin in London

From 2023–2024 the SNLS developed and led free ‘Early Modern Latin in London’ walking tours through the City of London. The development was made possible with seed funding from the Centre for Public Engagement at Queen Mary, and some ran as part of Open House Festival 2023 and Being Human Festival 2023. Led by Rebecca Menmuir and Sharon van Dijk.

The tour is now available online to follow remotely or walk independently:

https://www.layersoflondon.org/map/trails/early-modern-latin-in-the-city-of-london

What Makes a Londoner? Renaissance and Reformation in Smithfield

Throughout 2023-2024 the Society partnered with St Bartholomew the Great to widen heritage possibilities with the church and explore Neo-Latin literature in the Smithfield area. This partnership received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Institute of Classical Studies.

The SNLS developed a free tour from Fleet Street to St Bartholomew the Great, exploring the lives of Londoners through a period of great change (c. 1500-1700).

These tours are still ongoing: please check the Society’s Eventbrite page for any upcoming dates.

Concerts

An Evening of Tudor and Stuart Music at St Bartholomew the Great

There was a free concert of Early Modern music on 18^thSeptember 2024, featuring music by composers such as William Byrd, Henry Purcell, and Pelham Humphrey. It was performed by the Choir of St Bartholomew the Great.

The concert was livestreamed and recorded, and can be watched on St Bartholomew’s YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AAH1Rczi-s

Led by Caroline Spearing (SNLS), Rebecca Menmuir (SNLS), Susy Rodriguez (St Bartholomew) and Charlotte Gauthier (St Bartholomew).

Public talks

Being Bruno: Stephanie Merritt in conversation with Gavanndra Hodge

In November 2024, as part of Being Human Festival 2024, the Society organised a talk on the topic of Giordano Bruno, the sixteenth-century author, philosopher, and heretic. The author Stephanie Merritt, writing as S.J. Parris, has written a series of Sunday Times best-selling books about Bruno and his engagement with Elizabethan society, casting him not only as a philosopher, but also as a spy. She discussed the research underpinning her work and offered insights into Bruno’s time in London - how the city changed him, and how he changed it. Stephanie was in conversation with Gavanndra Hodge, a journalist (The Times), author, and PhD student (the Warburg Institute).

The event took place at St Mary le Strand church.

If you have any questions about public engagement, have an idea for an event, or would like to get involved, please contact the Public Engagement Representative (see the Society’s list of officers athttps://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/ren/snls/officers/).