Hero photograph
Sarah Spicer
 
Photo by Otago Daily Times

Drama Superstar

Arnika Hazelwood —

Our Head of Drama Sarah Spicer was been awarded a prestigious Embassy Scholarship to visit America in June.

Ms Spicer is the only New Zealander to be selected, and one of 20 selected internationally,  to participate in the 2016 Study of the United Sates Institute (SUSI) on contemporary American literature.   Ms Spicer was hosted by the University of Louisville from June 10 to July 23 and also traveled to Indiana University, Los Angeles and Washington DC.  

The study looks at contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres and investigates how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within contemporary American society and culture.   In investigating these topics, Ms Spicer was  exposed not only to the present diversity of the American literary landscape, but to writers who represent a departure from that tradition and are establishing new directions for American literature. 

The SUSI programme is highly competitive, with a thorough and demanding application process.  Ms Spicer has "brought back a greater understanding of American contemporary literature.  Our students study a number of texts in this category, so bringing back a greater understanding of that was very beneficial."