Since being appointed as Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate, Aliyah has been busy! Last weekend she performed at the Council House in Birmingham city centre, showcasing an original piece, entitled Fraying Homes, which she wrote for Holocaust Memorial Day. Aliyah has also recently been involved with a poetry reading at the top of the Rotunda in the city centre. In addition, she has recently received her first commission, to write a series of poems which will be displayed on posters in Birmingham Libraries—for this she will be paid a good fee! We are very proud of everything Aliyah is achieving and look forward to seeing her future work as she continues in the post until 2020.

The great Easter Debate: a sweet, chaotic showdown
If you were expecting a serious, well-structured debate at this year’s Easter debate, you were in for a surprise. What unfolded was less of a formal argument and more of a theatrical masterpiece – complete with flying chocolate, wild accusations and a speaker who somehow turned it into a human rights campaign for sugar.